Seated, left to right: Jeanne Charleston, Rhonda Allen, Eden Stotsky. Standing: Dennis Haslup, Mary Mullen, David Thomas, Willie Bell, Lori Hackett, Jean Pendelton, Charles Gallagher. Not pictured: Christine Davitt.

Eleven people received special acclaim at the 2004 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration held on Jan. 16 in Turner Auditorium. These employees have volunteered considerable time on behalf of others in the community. The prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Awards, which represent the contributions the slain civil rights leader made to the needy and oppressed, recognize their efforts.

Rhonda Allen
Lead Parking Coordinator
Corporate Security, Parking & Transportation
Hopkins Hospital

For two years, Rhonda Allen has chaired the Share & Care Program, a project that provides Christmas gifts to hundreds of needy children in East Baltimore. Beginning in the fall, Rhonda and her staff develop the lists of children and sponsors. Then they shop for, collect and wrap gifts. Finally, they stage the big, all-day holiday party for the children. Thanks to Rhonda’s work, not to mention the generosity of employees and departments, the Share & Care Program has brought hope and happiness to more than 1,000 children and their families.

Willie R. Bell
Activity Specialist
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Hopkins Hospital

Mentor, tutor, community project organizer—Willie Bell has undertaken multiple volunteer roles in order to enrich the lives of young people in his neighborhood. He serves on Little Leagues and raises funds for cookouts, beach trips and sports activities. He plants trees and flowers, boards up dilapidated, abandoned row homes, and removes dangerous objects from the streets to keep the neighborhood safe. The quintessential role model, he has become someone children can look up to and learn from.

Jeanne Charleston
Research Associate
Division of General Internal Medicine
School of Medicine

As the volunteer director of Church CHAMP, an organization that conducts church-based health-promotion programs throughout the Baltimore area, Jeanne Charleston not only leads the group but also regularly conducts classes. Over the years, she has taught hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals about cardiovascular disease prevention. Jeanne also spearheaded Church CHAMP’s popular Freedom Walk, an annual, three-mile community walk that promotes physical activity among urban African Americans.

Lori N. Hackett
Special Events Coordinator
Dean’s Office, Bloomberg School of Public Health
Hopkins University

The consummate community volunteer, Lori Hackett counts working at food banks, mentoring children at an East Baltimore school and teaching reading skills to adults among her diverse service activities. Not even Johns Hopkins has escaped the reach of her volunteer work. Lori is a past president and current chair of the outreach committee of the JHU Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA). Last fall for BFSA, she organized a back-to-school drive. The project resulted in 170 bags stuffed with school supplies, all donated to an East Baltimore elementary school.

Jean K. Pendleton, CAC AD
Retiree, Hopkins Hospital

She spent over 28 years on the staff of The Johns Hopkins Program for Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies, and now even though she is retired, Jean Pendleton continues to aid those battling addiction. She is the volunteer advisor to the “Broadway Alumni Group,” a group of patients who have successfully completed the substance abuse program but who want to stay involved. For six years Jean has served as an officer on the board of directors for the Black Mental Health Alliance as well as having spent three years as a member of the state of Maryland’s Criminal Justice & Substance Abuse Treatment Coalition.

Eden R. Stotsky
Health Education/Program Coordinator, Colon Cancer Center
Department of Surgery
School of Medicine

No one would have blamed Eden Stotsky if, following her own diagnosis of cancer six years ago, she had turned inward and spent time on herself. Instead, she did the opposite and became an outgoing advocate and role model for children and young adults with cancer. As a volunteer with the Greater Baltimore unit of the American Cancer Society (ACS), she is an event organizer, board member and fund-raiser. For the ACS’ Camp Sunrise, a summer camp for kids with cancer, and SunSibs, a weekend program for the siblings, she is a program planner and counselor. No wonder she won the organization’s Youth Education Award.

David R. Thomas
Academic Program Coordinator
School of Professional Studies & Business Education
Hopkins University

Dedicated to combating domestic violence, David Thomas serves on numerous national boards, councils and committees and state organizations, including the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence. As a longtime board member and immediate past president of the Network, he has helped develop policies that guide law enforcement, the courts, corrections personnel and others in work related to domestic violence. David’s volunteer efforts also have helped bring about legislation that has made communities safer for domestic violence victims and their children.

The Tench Tilghman Team Christine M. Davitt Education and Development Coordinator, Department of Pathology, Core and Specialty Laboratories Charles N. Gallagher Biomedical Electronics Technician II Dennis M. Haslup Communication Supervisor, Johns Hopkins Lifeline Medical Transport Mary W. Mullen Database Coordinator, Department of Physician Services For three years, this Hopkins Hospital team has been committed to the BOND to BOND Career Development Youth Mentoring Program, a project that provides students at Tench Tilghman Elementary School with early exposure to career planning and the excitement of visiting and learning about Johns Hopkins. Working with the school’s principal, community liaison and fourth-grade teacher, the team, led by Mary Mullen, began by adopting one fourth-grade class. They have now recruited enough volunteers to adopt all the fourth-grade classes at the East Baltimore school.