Stone Soup - Leadership Institute

Stone Soup Leadership Institute Overview of Our History with Volunteer Centers Nationally and in California

1. Volunteer Centers Using the Stone Soup for the World Educational Curriculum

Metro Volunteers!, Denver, CO
Volunteer Centers in St. Louis, MO
Volunteer Center of Greater Orange County, Santa Ana, CA
Montgomery County Volunteer & Community Service Center, Rockville, MD

The Stone Soup for the World educational curriculum is a great tool for Volunteer Centers who want to inspire, train, motivate and retain their volunteers. It's especially helpful for Volunteer Centers who want to engage teens and contribute to the exciting field of service learning.

Andrea Jolly, Director, Montgomery Co. Volunteer Center, Rockville, MD

2. Speaking Engagements to Volunteer Centers in California

Human Race, Volunteer Center of Marin County: February 23, 2001
4th Annual Youth Service Conference, Volunteer Center/San Mateo: Feb. 10, 2001
Rekindling the Flame Retreat Service/Volunteer Coalition Shasta Co.: May 24, 2001

Many were touched by your inspiring message at the Marin County Human Race Kickoff Breakfast. We feel so lucky that you were able to come and share your experience and stories with us.

Suzie Pollak, Executive Director, The Volunteer Center of Marin (CA)

3. International Youth Advisory Council with Volunteer Center of San Mateo Co.

The Stone Soup Leadership Institute, in collaboration with the Volunteer Center of San Mateo County's Youth Service Program, are inviting teens in Half Moon Bay and San Mateo County to join an International Youth Advisory Council for the upcoming book, Stone Soup for the Teenage World.

Your presence at our Youth Service Conference helped to elevate our conversation about youth service by providing the unique opportunity to hear about community builders all around the world. You challenged all participants to think about their volunteer service from a broader perspective and to realize that even our relatively small actions here at home make us a part of a larger movement to grow a strong world community.

Jenny Girard, Manager, Volunteer Center San Mateo Co.'s Youth Service Program

4. Stone Soup Leadership Institute with Voluntary Resource Center, Cincinnati, OH

Cincinnati was one of the 40 communities that participated in the World's Largest Booksigning. The Voluntary Resource Center worked with the Appalachian Urban Council, the local organization featured in the book, Stone Soup for the World, to inspire volunteerism. In 1999, Cincinnati hosted the Stone Soup Leadership Institute with 100 teens and community leaders from 20 organizations to develop public-private partnerships to improve issues in their neighborhoods. This inspiring Institute is featured in the Stone Soup for the World video with Walter Cronkite.

We were thrilled to collaborate with Stone Soup for the World and our local Urban Appalachian Council, a United Way agency, to promote volunteerism. The community book reading helped bring to life the exciting stories and contributions of individual volunteers. Hearing these stories inspires others to give their time and efforts to make their community a better place to live.

Lucy Crane, Manager, United Way Voluntary Resource Center, Cincinnati, OH

5. National Volunteer Week 1998: "The World's Largest Booksigning" Book Launch with Volunteer Centers recruiting volunteers in: Bethesda, MD, Billings, MT, Cincinnati, OH, Denver, CO, Madison, WI, New York City, Orange County, CA, Philadelphia, PA, Rockland, NY and San Diego, CA.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Volunteer Center used this historic event to create a strategic plan kicking-off a series of coordinated activities for National Volunteer Week. Mayor Rendell read stories to children, Ben Franklin actor served as MC with Stone Soup Òcommunity heroesÓ from Philadelphia. They used the Stone Soup theme to encourage "everyone to pitch in" signing-up new volunteers on a large paper mache "stone." They received great publicity and 15% of book sales.
Volunteer Center of Greater Orange County created a colorful, media event to honor "Stone Soup community hero" Phil Stevens' Operation Walking Shield with Native American dancers, a photo exhibit gave people powerful images for how their support is helping alleviate the suffering of Native Americans living on reservations

Janet Anderson is the Director of the Volunteer Action Center, Rockland County, New York. Anderson realizes how difficult it is these days to recruit volunteers. That's why, she said, the book's "life-changing stories of kindness and courageous acts of service" are the perfect inspiration behind volunteerism. "The launching of Stone Soup for the World is a direct tie-in with National Volunteer Week," Anderson said. "Our role is to honor all volunteers and to encourage the idea of volunteerism."

Rockland Journal-News, April 15, 1998

6. National Speaking Engagements Involving Volunteer Centers Across the Country

Building Community Partnerships: June, 1999

As the keynote speaker for our America's Promise Summit, your boundless spirit and creative energy inspired us and your framework for collaboration provided us a road map. The stones you left behind are symbolic of the soup we are creating together. As one of our civic leaders was heard to say, "This is the most optimistic I have been about St. Louis in twenty years."

Robert MacArthur, America's Promise, St. Louis, MO

National Launch NationsBank NEIGHBORS Volunteer Program in Dallas, TX in May, 1998. The Bank gave 1,000 books to Volunteer Centers and others nationally.

Marianne Larned's remarks were bright, refreshing and right on target. Her life experiences and perspective on volunteerism and humanitarian efforts serve as an inspiration to us all.

Pam McQuitty, Bank of America