After retiring in 2004 as a school teacher of 36 years, John became a “worker bee” board member for the Community Resources and Service Center, Inc. (informally known as the Resource Center). He actively participates in board meetings, serves on the property committee, and is known for showing up with his own tools to do minor fixes in addition to organizing bids and supervising larger projects. He recently spent last fall researching a new car for transportation that would meet the needs of residents to medical appointments but also be more fuel efficient. John drives Pawling residents to medical appointments, unloads deliveries of food/toys and oversees all of the property management of the office building. When the Resource Center has a fund-raising event, John is the “go to person” for designing and posting road event signage, moving equipment, clean-up as well as participating in person and with his checkbook. His presence in the community and investment of time and energy on behalf of the organization serve as a shining example for future volunteer recruitment and board development.

He transformed the Quality approach at St Francis and brought the Trustee's perspective into the quality process.

Kara is a Committee Member with Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union's Community Involvement Committee. Kara has taken a leadership role for the 2009 & 2010 Polar Plunge and the 2010 March of Dimes Walk. Kara also participated in Dutchess Rebuilds in April 2010, and Adopt-A-family from 2007-present. Kara is a member of the 2010 Leadership Dutchess Class.

President of the Hudson Valley Autism Society, Founder and Chairperson of the Autism Walk and Expo of the Hudson Valley, and she is on the Parent Autism Advisory panel at the Taconic DDSO

The House of Hope opened our doors on July 18, 2008, Lillian Youngbluth stepped in and began to work day and night painting, sewing and hanging curtains. She and her husband worked long hours with the Executive Director to get the shelter ready to open.

As the leader of the Mid-Hudson affiliate Linda has been active in the greater Poughkeepsie area, advocating for youngsters in school. Created the Rose is a Rose program for fifth grade girls; Brother to Brother for secondary male students; tutoring ; etiquette program for middle school and high school students to prepare them for proper grooming as they transition into society.

In 2005 and in direct response to the proposed development of lands found within an historic Revolutionary War encampment known as the Fishkill Supply Depot (FSD), Mara formed and led an ad hoc group of preservation and history-minded Dutchess residents in advocating for the protection and future interpretation of the remaining, undisturbed and undeveloped lands. Almost unilaterally and with no formal training, Mara began to lobby federal, state, and local officials and make contacts with other persons of influence to raise awareness of the FSD issue and press for getting the existing, available FSD lands off the market.

Mary volunteers through the DC Office for the Aging as an instructor for the Senior Exercise Program at Interfaith Towers. She was recently recognized by the DC OFA for 10 years of service. She encourages an active lifestyle for an enhanced quality of life for the residents that attend this program. Mary has always assisted those in need in her community as needs arise, including shopping, laundry, cleaning, transportation (when she had a vehicle), errands, and in so many ways they are hard to list. She is the type of person that sees a need and immediately starts to think of ways she can be of assistance, then takes action to help in any way she can.

Every week, volunteers from the Vineyard Community Church deliver food to 20 families and another 10 families will pick up food. That is over 1450 households a year that receive food from this all volunteer food pantry. The members stock the shelves, pack the boxes, clean the refrigerators, pick up the food at the Food Bank and deliver the food all on their own time. It is with compassion and a servants heart that they sign up to deliver food on a regular basis and do double time at Thanksgiving and Christmas, delivering the regular deliveries and holiday meals as well as gifts for the children. They have been known to take money out of their own pockets and purchase requested items that the pantry does not have such as coffee, diapers etc. They also have built relationships, inviting people over to their homes, praying for their needs and offer help such as household items or furniture.

Mid Hudson Bereaved Parents of the USA (MHBPUSA) is simply a group of parents and their families who have suffered the loss of a child. We come together to offer solace and hope to each other as we learn to live with the deaths of our children. Each "veteran" bereaved parent holds a hand out to each newly bereaved parent and offers them a shoulder to cry on and ideas to help them cope with the pain of learning to live without their precious child.