The above group of volunteers is very crcuial to the ongoing aftercare programs at the House of Hope. They prepare famiies for independent living, assit them in locating permanent housing and offer a host of on- and off-site supportive services that will help empower victims and minimize the root causes of domestic abuse.

To many people preparing their personal income taxes can often be confusing, complicated and costly. For low income individuals the process is further hampered if they are unable to pay to have their taxes prepared. Because of these obstacles many people do not file thus missing out on important credits and or refunds and still others file incorrectly and do not receive the money they are entitled to. For many Dutchess County families receiving these credits and refunds mean the difference between living above or below the poverty line. As a volunteer for AARP Tax-Aide for the past six years Barbara Kaiser has assisted hundreds of Dutchess County residents file their taxes. It may be a retired senior on limited income who needs to file their taxes to ensure they receive the Enhanced Star Credit or a working family who would have missed out on receiving valuable tax credits and refunds if not for her assistance.

Also helpful in organizing data, did shifts on Half Moon boat during quad. Willing to do projects at home to help with events, conferences. Always showed iniative in making operation more efficient.

After watching his son and so many other children and their families battle cancer, Chip created a foundation to provide families, doctors, and social workers every resource possible to save the life of a child and, at the very least, to provide the child and family with hope.

The group provides a soup, sandwich, & dessert lunch on the third Thursday of each month Oct.- May for $6.00 and all proceeds go to a local charity. Christina brought the idea to the church, convinced the Vestry to try the idea, and spearheads the group. They do the shopping, cooking, serving, set up, clean up, advertising, and are the direct contacts with the sponsored group each month.

Yearly Dana helps coordinate holiday outreach for over 200 children involved in our program to ensure each child receives a special holiday gift. Throughout the year she goes from store to store applying for food & clothing donations to help provide assistance to the developmentally delayed parents participating in our Special Needs Parenting Program. Having a Special Education background Dana has volunteered her services as an educational advocate attending CPSE / CSE meetings with our developmentally delayed mothers ensuring they understand what is being offered to their children from the schools. She attends our weekly parenting classes helping our parents to read and write during the classes. She often provides us with extra hours of hands on service during our child enhancment program improving childrens developmental akills.

On Saturday, November 14, 2009, this group of 14 students spent the day organizing and cleaning our five donated goods storage rooms and our kitchen/food pantry. On Sunday, May 16, the students returned to conduct a spring clean up of our Peace Garden, a safe courtyard where victims of crime, and the staff who serve them, come to relax, meditate and converse in a healing environment.

ENERGY is a young professionals group who created the "Request the ENERGY" program where any non profit member of the Chamber can request volunteers for their fundraising event. ENERGY is committed to helping three organizations a month through this program to help give back to the wonderful community that we live in.

Fred Schaeffer, a lawyer who doubles as a cycling, history and photography enthusiast, has been the lead figure in pioneering and promoting the renovation of the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge. After the bridge evolved into Walkway Over the Hudson, Fred has continued to bolster support and excitement about the bridge by expanding the Walkway’s appeal with events, by acting as a consultant concerning economic development around the bridge, and by lobbying for Dutchess County to connect the Walkway to the Dutchess Rail Trail.

Jennie is the office administrator of the North East Community Center, and has worked here for about five years. For the last four of them, she has also been a tax preparer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. On her own time, she obtains the extensive training program, and then works evenings and weekends to prepare tax returns for low-income families. She did 88 tax returns this season - nearly two-thirds the total for our entire organization. (The next most-productive preparer did 26.) I will add that I was the quality reviewer (proofreader) for almost all her returns, and never once did I find a mistake. Jennie also is the coordinator of our Care Car, which provides volunteer transportation for seniors. When we can't find a driver, Jennie will often drive the senior herself, even across the county and back, and make up her office work on her own time.