Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507260002
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAMES ED HARRIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He is the youth coordinator for the Roanoke Chapter of the American Red Cross.
"Kids are the greatest," Stokes says. "They all have something special to offer."
He gained this philosophy from his grandmother, who raised him. She told him that he could be whatever he wanted to be, a philosophy he enjoys passing on to "his kids."
Stokes, 30, was born in Richmond and split his boyhood between Baltimore and Southside Virginia. The oldest of four children, he is a graduate of National Business College in Salem.
Stokes has been youth coordinator in Roanoke for four years. The position became available while he was a Red Cross volunteer.
He feels good about the work he does. Coordinating youth volunteers is rewarding, he says, because he knows he's giving them practical experience for adult life.
"He educates the kids," co-worker Tanya Williams says. "He gives them different avenues for experience and always makes sure the kids are on task."
"It keeps them from being bored or in trouble," Stokes says. He points out that youth volunteering can count as school service points and looks good on college applications and job resumes.
Stokes' youth programs at the American Red Cross include the Youth Summer Volunteer Program, baby-sitting training classes, the Mock Alcohol Disaster Program, HIV/AIDS education and the Clown Corps.
The Summer Volunteer Program is especially popular with his kids. It enlists youth volunteers in agencies dedicated to helping people. Participating service agencies include the Child Abuse Prevention Council, the American Heart Association, Council of Community Services, the Adult Care Center of Roanoke Valley, the League of Older Americans and most local museums and hospitals.
Stokes provides the necessary two-way communication between participating agencies and the American Red Cross, says his supervisor, Steve Smith. He does this naturally by instilling "a lot of enthusiasm in the kids, which they absorb from him," Smith says.
Stokes knows that these agencies not only are affording his kids invaluable life experiences, but also building future employees.
"It's all about positive reinforcement," Stokes says. "People helping people is what it's all about."
The Clown Corps, for children ages 10-18, is a project in which Stokes takes special pride. The corps gives youngsters the opportunity to have fun, entertain and learn skills. Members routinely perform at nursing homes, hospitals, parades and community events. They also attend monthly meetings to learn face-painting, make-up techniques, costuming and magic tricks. They must also abide by the Clown's Code of Ethics and learn to recite "The Clown's Prayer."
Stokes says his programs for Roanoke's youth are important because nonsport activities are lacking in the valley. He says that "kids are growing up too hard nowadays" and his programs foster positive thinking through community involvement.
Robin Murphy-Kelso, an adult volunteer and parent of a Clown Corps member, thinks Stokes fits kids' needs to a T. "He's a positive motivator who instills self-worth and self-confidence into young people," she says. She also admires the way the kids "open up to him."
Stokes, whose own son is 7, recently attended the Red Cross national convention in Oklahoma, where he met Elizabeth Dole, president of the American Red Cross. They shared their views on kids' roles in society and how agencies like the Red Cross can shape young lives.
Though he is proud of what his programs have done for Roanoke's youth, Stokes has definite ideas for improvement down the road.
He hopes to see more involvement by college students in volunteer programs and to have youths sit on the board of directors for the Red Cross.
One of the objectives of Stokes' programs is to lead youngsters into becoming adult volunteers. To make this a reality, he needs more youths to join as volunteers.
Stokes says the local chapter has more adult volunteers than students now, but he hopes enrollment will climb.
Kelly Thorne, a youth volunteer and junior at Cave Spring High School, believes the key to Stokes' success as youth coordinator is that he "really knows how to relate to kids ... he's energetic and a very hard worker."
Stokes teaches his kids that self-love is the key to loving others.
"All they need is someone to draw out all the positive things they have to offer," he says.
by CNB