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B UP EATHonoring Those Who Have Made a Difference2004 J. Blanton BelkOutstanding Alumna AwardKaren (Fisher) Ball (79C),nominated by Ray Villegas (79C)One person who has continuedto build bridges of communication,not only locally but also internationally,is Karen (Fisher) Ball.Karen has a daughter who was bornwith Sturge-Weber syndrome. Thereis no known cure to date for thissyndrome; however the research thatKaren and her husband have startedcould lead to that cure.The Balls were shocked to findout that medical personnel had littleor no information concerningSturge-Weber syndrome. So theBalls organized a group that wouldhelp make the public aware ofSturge-Weber syndrome and wouldalso offer support and help tofamilies going through the samething. In 1987, the Sturge-WeberFoundation was founded. Karenis the co-founder and CEO ofthe company.Karen has gone the extra mile tomake sure that those affected bySturge-Weber, along with theirfamilies and friends, are not alone intheir struggles. She has appeared atnumerous conferences as a guestspeaker, educating medical personneland people affected by Sturge-Weber. In doing so, she encouragespeople to come forth to helpher company grow by raisingawareness and funds needed forfurther research.Karen says, “Education opensminds and then hearts for essentialdonations. From the corporateboardroom to the T.V. newsroom;from city hall to neighborhoodbackyards — our focus remains thesame. We need to educate the public,empower families and individuals,and instigate research.” In thesewords, Karen definitely carries thetrue meaning of UWP’s philosophy,values and morals, and also has thevision J. Blanton Belk developedwhen he began UWP andempowered us all.Did your UpBeat arrive at the correct address?If not, go to theUWPIAAOnline Community!The UWPIAA Online Community is the directory of the Up WithPeople International Alumni Association. It’s not only a great placeto find lost UWP friends, but also an ideal way to be sure thatUpBeat is sent to your correct address.This directory is the only existing directory of UWP alumni, but we needyour help to make it more accurate.Once you register, you can update your own personal informationin the database – address, phone number, email, family members’names, job title and company, even your hobbies. You choose whatinformation to make public and what to keep private. And registeringis free!To register, go to www.uwpiaa.org and click on “online community.”There are detailed instructions listed there to help you access andupdate your information.Register in the Online Community nowand see how many of those old friends you can find!2004 James E. MacLennanEveryday Hero AwardsJeanie (Flayhan) Conzemius (80C,84A and others), nominated byEduardo Aguirre (84E and others)Jeanie not only exemplifies thevalues of UWP, but like JimMacLennan, Jeanie has beenunwavering in her commitment toliving a life of service to others,especially the most needy.Although Jeanie’s family is hertop priority, she has given significantvolunteer time to several communityprojects. In her position at OurLady of Guadalupe parish, Jeanieworks with the growing Hispanicimmigrant population in SouthDakota. It is a predominantly transientpopulation, with unstable livingconditions and few traditional supportsystems. Many are considered“illegal” and therefore are unable totake advantage of the social servicesavailable to most Americans.Jeanie has become an advocatewhere there are none, helping theHispanic population with everythingfrom medical issues to dealing with“slum” landlords and providing shelterfor women in abusive situations.Perhaps the best example of thisEveryday Hero was when Jeanie andher family opened their home toCarlitos Vazquez, a 7-year-oldMexican boy who was in Sioux Fallsto receive leukemia treatments.Jeanie not only provided lodging andfood in her own home, she alsoprovided everyday logistical andemotional support for Carlitos andhis mother. Six weeks turned intoseven months, at which time Carlitoslost his battle with leukemia. ButJeanie and other community leadersare determined to not let his deathbe in vain. They established the“Amigos de Carlitos Fund” to helpprovide medical care to the people ofCarlitos’s native Baja California,both through deliveries of medicalequipment and by providingassistance for those traveling toSioux Falls for treatment.In addition to her work with theHispanic community, Jeaniecontinues to volunteer with severalother community non-profits,especially those that help children.And so Jeanie carries on theideals of UWP with service to hercommunity, encouragingunderstanding among differentcultures and beliefs, and helpingthose who need it the most.Randy Hamilton (79B), nominatedby Lee Ann (Markle) Hamilton (77D)Randy is the epitome of anEveryday Hero. He doesn’t burstonto a scene to do large things thatdraw attention. It’s the countless actsof kindness, time commitment andvolunteerism that Randy performssteadily, every day, without lookingfor recognition or accolades.Randy consistently serves otherseach and every day: in his family, inhis neighborhood, in his church, andin his community. He does his bestwork diligently and without fanfare,seeing needs and finding solutions tofix problems.A natural leader, Randy has ledmany high school reunion committeesand has served for 25 years ascast representative 79B. In theTucson community, Randy takesvisually impaired people out on histandem bike to let the blind experiencethe thrill of bicycling. He lendsmechanical assistance as a volunteerBike Patrol member on races. In hischurch community, Randy serves as aDeacon and is an overnight host tohomeless men enrolled in drug rehabwith the Salvation Army. He hasdriven elderly homebound peopleto church on Sundays, headed upthe all-church BBQ and organizedweekend campouts for dozensof families.In recent years, Randy hascoached both soccer and basketball,and he’s a regular volunteer at hiskids’ school. He is often the dad whoorganizes games for kids atgatherings when other adults arebusy talking.His steadfast commitment intimes of family crisis as well ascelebration is heroic. His levelheadednessand devotion areunparalleled. He is an incrediblysupportive spouse and an excellent,involved father. Randy stands headand shoulders above many other menin the contributions he has madethroughout his life.8 fall ‘04
MemoryBookA Mother’s Loveby Joseph Green-Bishop (66A), Euless, TexasB UP EATEditor’s note: Whether we traveled in1965 or 2000, we all have stories totell. funny stories, sad stories,memorable stories. Those stories connectus all across the eras, and even acrossprograms. Please share your favoritestory by sending it to UpBeat@uwpiaa.org.ray Medina traveled toEurope in 1967 with Cast Ato meet Pope Paul at theVatican, Princess Grace Kelly inMonaco and Chinese sailors on thestreets of Venice. Ray had beenraised on the lower west side of NewYork in a high-rise project that wasboth brutal and loving.He had joined UWP after seeingthe show on the streets of New York.When Ray was selected to travel hebrought his clothes in a worn duffelbag. It was all that his family couldafford. The journey across theAtlantic Ocean was Ray’s very firstplane ride. Many of us who werefortunate enough to travel in UWPfour decades ago flew for the firsttime when we went on the road.Ray’s mother, Mrs. Medina, wasa middle-aged single woman wholoved her 17-year-old son with anelectric intensity that if harnessed aspower would have lit up TimesSquare. I recall her being at the airportwhen we were about to boardthe KLM flight that took us toEurope. She gave her son lastminuteinstructions about hisbehavior in a place that she hadnever been. She told Ray that sheloved him.Mrs. Medina had invested nearlytwo decades of living into Ray, heronly son and her young prince whomany had given little chance ofsurviving the rough streets of NewYork. But possessed with a determinationthat only God could haveplaced in her heart and a sense ofduty that she had learned from herparents and her grandparents, Mrs.Medina lived every day of herexistence to see to it that Rayreceived more out of life than whatliving had offered her.Like all of us, Ray enjoyed Italy.The Italians were wonderful! Theyfed us incessantly. They applaudedwhen we boarded public transit busesand they embraced our youthfulexuberance and our message. Ray,who spoke fluent Spanish, told methat he could one day see himselfliving in the country shaped like afine boot. It seemed like a perfectplace, he said.Just before one of our shows in atheater in Rome, Wardell Woodard,the late opera tenor, who was one ofthe stars of our show, led the meetingthat we had before each show. Thatevening, like all of the others, wewere encouraged to share ourthoughts and news from home.We were all sitting in chairs. Ray,who seldom said anything during oursessions, stood up. He reached intothe pocket of his yellow jacket andpulled out an envelope. Slowly hebegan to read a letter that had justarrived from his mother.“Dear Ray. I hope you are well,”Mrs. Medina wrote. “There issomething I must tell you. Yourfather died two weeks ago. Weburied him last week. I did not tellyou because I thought you wouldhave come home for the funeral.And I was afraid that if you came,you would never have the chanceto return to Up with People. Ilove you.”Then Ray sat down and hebegan to weep. Before long tearsfrom all of us flooded ourgreenroom. No one knew what tosay. So, we went to do our show.That evening in Rome, each of ussilently dedicated our performance toRay, his deceased father, and amother whose endless love shapedthe life of her son.Joseph Green-Bishop traveledfrom 1966-1969. He lives in Euless,Texas, with his wife, Trudi, and theirson, Daniel.MembershipCampaign Off to aSuccessful StartThe Supporting Membershipcampaign, which officially kicked offat reunion in Tucson, began with abang! A total of US$14,971 wasdonated in July, with nearly $9,000given in either outright gifts orpledges at reunion.There was an informalcompetition among the eras atreunion. The 70s era donated themost, at $3,924. The 80s were next,with donations of $2,607. Thencame the 60s, donating a total of$1,570, and the 90s made a goodshowing with $535.Special recognition goes to theMexican contingent at reunion. Ofall the countries represented, theMexicans had the largest percentagebecome supporting members bycontributing at least $20 to thecampaign. Muchísimas gracias!We also thank the pastpresidents of the UWPIAA, whotogether gave $3,525.You can become a supportingmember too. Just visit uwpiaa.org/donate.html for more information orto make a donation.Thank You, Cheryl!For the past two years, there has been one person keeping the UpBeat staffin line, making sure we had everything we needed to do our jobs and handlingall the day-to-day logistics that kept production on schedule. That person isCheryl Alspach (95A). Her work on every issue of UpBeat helped to make sureyou not only received UpBeat every three months, you also had a variety ofinteresting, informative and memorable stories to read. Cheryl has decided tostep down from the position, and while we always look forward to “new blood”on the team, we are sorry to see her leave. Cheryl, we are very grateful for yourtwo years of service to UpBeat, and more important, for your friendship.Thank you!— Vera Hagen, Dave Martin, Sheila Walsh Dettloff, Shawn Marie (Avery) CarnallCheryl AlspachPOSITION OPEN: UpBeat CoordinatorJOB DESCRIPTION: Assists in finding stories for UpBeat, maintains list of writers and finds new writers,collects copy and photos for each issue and forwards stories to editor, creates and updates bedsheet for eachissue, responsible for seeing that production stays on schedule, responsible for handling email sent to UpBeataddress.REQUIREMENTS: Well-organized, reliable email access, broadband access preferred due to size of files youmust handle, fun to work with!TIME NEEDED: Approximately 5 hours per week at the beginning of the production period for each issue(generally over a 3-week period), plus anywhere from 2-10 hours per week at other times, depending on howmuch time you have to devote to it. The coordinator generally has a one-month “down” time between issues.COMMITMENT: Two years, renewable.REPLY TO: communications@uwpiaa.orgUpBeat 9
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