STCGD Member Rob Brazell we are so proud of you! Rob has, has again been awarded the prestigious Seven Seals Award.

The Seven Seals Award is the broadest and most inclusive award given by ESGR and is presented at the discretion of the State Chair or by ESGR senior leadership. The Seven Seals Award is presented in recognition of significant individual or organizational achievement, initiative, or support that promotes and supports the ESGR mission, to include the efforts of the more than 2,300 volunteers who carry out ESGR’s mission across the Nation on a daily basis. 

Rob received this award for the first time in 2011. He has also been awarded other DOD ESGR awards, like the “Above and Beyond” award. And gold medals from Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden. Return To Work Inc. (R2W) President, Rob Brazell, was awarded the Seven Seals Award by Admiral Richard Young and General Thomas Mills at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program (ESGR). The ESGR Seven Seals Award is presented at the discretion of the ESGR State Chair in recognition of significant individual or organization achievement, in addition to initiative or support that promotes and bolsters the ESGR mission. The Seven Seals Award is the only ESGR award that bridges both employer and volunteer recognition awards programs.

Return 2 Work earned the Seven Seals award for its exceptional support of the Military and Veterans Employment Expo (MVEE), held in May 2011. R2W partnered with the ESGR program to create the Military and Veterans Employment Expo in order to  

1. address unemployment among National Guardsmen, Reservists and Veterans,
2. provide training on job hunting skills, and
3. hold a job fair featuring over 75 employers from various cities in Colorado. R2W played a significant role throughout the entire Military and Veterans Employment Expo, offering the following services:

• Registration system, operators, and office support – which were donated by StaffCV, Your Office and Office Evolution;
• Professional “How to” employment webinars for veterans sponsored by ReadyTalk;
• A seminar – led by R2W President Rob Brazell – entitled “Career Exploration,” which aimed to help veterans prepare for networking with the various employers who attended the employment expo. Numerous volunteers helped to make the employment expo a success. Regarding the tremendous success of MVEE, R2W President Rob Brazell noted, “The military and government reached out…the community reached back. This unprecedented collaboration among several military, government and community partners made a huge difference in the lives of many Colorado veterans and their families.” R2W continues to provide quality metrics to the array of military and government agencies involved in MVEE, while also participating on the central planning committee for the next employment forum to be announced by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program. 

By Raghav Singh, Lead Administrative Assistant

Fran Nixon remembered, helped 18,000 find work

She was recipient of presidential Lifetime Achievement Award

By NANCY J. SEMON STAFF WRITER Apr 18, 2020

 

Fran Nixon, the Missions Operations Manager (MOM) for Return to Work, is given the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the Rev. Hosea Cannon, pastor and chaplain at the Denver Sheriff’s Department. He flew in to bestow the award on Nixon in 2018. Looking on are the nonprofit’s founder, her son Rob Ray Brazell, who founded the charity and is a recipient of the award himself. To her right is Fern Ballou, executive secretary to Brazell.

Fran Nixon, the Missions Operations Manager (MOM) for Return to Work, is given the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the Rev. Hosea Cannon, pastor and chaplain at the Denver Sheriff’s Department. He flew in to bestow the award on Nixon in 2018. Looking on are the nonprofit’s founder, her son Rob Ray Brazell, who founded the charity and is a recipient of the award himself. To her right is Fern Ballou, executive secretary to Brazell.

SUN PHOTO BY ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICH

The Charlotte County community will have the chance to remember Frankie “Fran” Nixon, a President’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient who helped some 18,500 find work through her son’s nonprofit.

Headquartered in Denver, Project: Return to Work’s mission is to find work for veterans, especially injured military service members and their spouses, disabled civilians and others in the community.

Nixon passed away on March 23, 2020, but due to the pandemic, her memorial service was delayed until this April 30. It will be held at 11 a.m. at First Church of Christ, Scientist in Englewood, followed by a luncheon at the Boca Royale Golf & County Club.

In 2018, Nixon was honored at Boca Royale where she received the highest level one can achieve for living a life of service for others — the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which was bestowed to her during the Trump administration.

At the time of her award, Nixon was in her eighties. She continued to help others until her death. From her nursing home in Castro Valley, California, she and Fern Ballou, executive secretary to her son, Rob Ray Brazell, were helping an injured Marine in the Middle East.

They helped him secure a good job in his small hometown prior to returning home from war, Brazell said.

Brazell, who is also a recipient of the President’s award, having received it under the Obama administration, recently shared the story of his mother’s life with The Daily Sun.

“My mother was born in Saratoga, Wyoming, on Sept. 7, 1932, to a pioneer ranching family,” he said. Nixon went to school there where she met her future husband, a Marine who served during World War II.

“After getting married, they continued to live on my grandparents’ ranch for two or three years, then moved to Rawlins, Wyoming where my father became a deputy sheriff and my mother operated a cattle-town hotel to supplement the family income,” he continued.

The family then moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, “when my father joined the Wyoming Highway Patrol and my mother held another part-time job to supplement the family income while raising two rambunctious children,” Brazell said.

The family eventually moved to Sublette County, Wyoming, which Brazell called “the least populated county in the least populated state of the union, where my sister and I were raised.”

Nixon worked several jobs and was able to send her son to a private preparatory school. She had a long career with the Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management.

“After 25 years of marriage — after I graduated from high school — my parents got a divorce and my mother moved to Colorado to further develop her career with the government,” Brazell said.

When Nixon retired, she worked for the Mother Church of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston. But perhaps “retired” isn’t quite the right word. After several years, Nixon moved to Florida (Port Charlotte), where she helped land a government contract for the Return to Work charity, her son said.

“She led the effort in Florida for several years until she retired again,” Brazell continued. “Then when I was run over by a truck, she rejoined the charity and worked for several more years with General Thomas Mills and Admiral Dick Young to keep it going while I underwent extensive rehab.”

Before Nixon passed, she told her son to use her Port Charlotte house to help veterans who are trying to get back on their feet to live a productive life.

Ironically, the first veteran to receive help through the intensive rehabilitation program lives next door to Dale Tinline, who was very close to Nixon.

The veteran is Tinline’s daughter’s boyfriend, a Marine suffering from PTSD.

“I was a Marine for 20 years, and he was a Marine for four years,” Tinline told The Daily Sun. He said his daughter and her boyfriend “were living in the woods addicted to drugs.”

Brazell arranged for them to get clean and move into the house, where they remain today.

Tinline fondly remembered Nixon, whom he called “Mom.” He said he did work around her home and tried to protect her from “scammers.” He said workmen would come to her door trying to get her to pay them for work she didn’t need, or for work Tinline would do for free.

“She baked cookies for my grandson; she was nice,” he said.

He was Nixon’s guest at the $1,000 per plate dinner when she received her Lifetime Achievement Award. He balked when she asked him to attend, saying he couldn’t afford the price, but she assured him as a guest, he wouldn’t have to pay. Tinline said he was proud of her that day.

Fern Ballou, who is 91 and worked with her friend to find work for the Marine returning home from war, also shared memories. She lauded Nixon’s service, saying she was involved with Return to Work “almost from the ground floor.”

Dixie Vyvey-Minear, who still resides in Wyoming, served as flower girl at Nixon’s wedding and her brother Ray was the ringbearer. She fondly recalled Nixon’s generosity, saying Nixon hosted the Vyveys’ 15th wedding anniversary celebration in town. Nixon also took Dixie, who is now in her 60s, to her first drive-in move. The saplings Nixon gave her are “now big trees,” Vyvey-Minear said.

How it all began.

Brazell said he formed the charity with the help of his parents, sister, and lifetime mentor, Malcolm D. Crawford, “out of my victory over AIDS nearly three decades ago.”

Brazell said he was given a year to live, but prior to that he owned a consulting firm to build rockets and satellites.

After given his diagnosis, “I did a lot of soul-searching.” He said he wanted to spend “what time remains to help other disabled people like myself.”

“Everyone in my immediate family is gone now, but their memory lives on in our charity,” Brazell said.

Fran Nixon remembered, helped 18,000 find work | Charlotte Sun | yoursun.com

My passions include helping out where it makes sense to me.  I deeply respect veterans and want to be part of R2W’s team.

I was born in the Czech Republic and have ski-raced my whole life. I had the opportunity to represent the Czech Republic national team for several years, competing in several World Cups and the 2018 Olympic Games.  I was also a National Champion on the University of Colorado’s (CU’s) Ski Team in Boulder, Colorado while earning my BA in Computer Science and MS in Data Science. SKO BUFFS!

My passions include sports, travel, constant learning and helping where it makes sense to me.  I deeply respect veterans and want to be part of R2W’s team helping them out.

Please join me in donating to this worthy cause and volunteering as a mentor or any of a dozen other opportunities to get involved.  Employers, please post jobs for R2W’s STEM interns so they can use millions of dollars of donated technologies to match you with qualified and passionate job seekers.  Job seekers, register for free services from caring people, not just cold machines.

See the difference at R2W’s events including weekly Workshops for job seekers and monthly Heartbeats for employers.

Landing Page

 

Thanks!

We celebrated in two locations this year to accommodate medal winners and engage broader community support.  Thank you, Ronald Aylward, Executive Director, Heritage Oaks of Englewood, Florida for hosting our event in Florida.  Thank you, Chris Lites for hosting our event at your clubhouse in Colorado.  And thank you, General Thomas Mills for presenting the medals in Colorado.

This all wouldn’t be possible without our sponsors, especially Gayleen Pratt, President, StaffCV .

Congratulations!

The following received gold medals from President Biden in Englewood, Florida via the President’s Volunteer Services Awards:

• Fern Ballou
• Debbie Henderson

The following received gold medals from President Biden in Boulder, Colorado:

• Rob Brazell
• Pastor Hosea Cannon Jr.
• Larry Gustafson
• Jay VanderWerff
• Chuck Wright

Rob Brazell also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Biden.  And R2W won a company gold medal from President Biden.

Pastor Hosea Cannon Jr., Chaplain Denver Sheriff’s Department, gave opening and closing prayers in Colorado.  Chaplain Jim Mosely, American Legion Post 113, gave opening and closing prayers in Florida.  Rob Brazell also read a prayer from Fern and Debbie’s church, Committee On Publications, 1st Church of Christ Scientists, Englewood, Florida.

The events were attended by neighbors, church members, first responders, and notable dignitaries including Elisabeth Patierno, President, and Robert Patierno, Commander, American Legion Post 113, Rotando West, Florida.

Fern Ballou, Debbie Henderson, and Ron Aylward gave moving testimonials in Florida.  General Thomas Mills, Chuck Wright, Pastor Hosea Cannon Jr., Larry Gustafson, and Rob Brazell gave inspirational speeches in Colorado.

 

When I was well past retirement age and still working, the company I was working for moved out of the area.  I didn’t want to have to drive further from Englewood, so I thought that was the end of my working years.

But one night I attended The Christian Science Church, now Society, in Englewood, FL of which both Rob Brazell, the Founder of the non-profit organization, Project:  Return To Work Inc. (R2W) and his mother, Fran Nixon, were attending.  Both Fran and I are members of the church.  Rob was visiting from Colorado.  When I told him I had just stopped working, he said, “Give me your resume,” then hired me.

Little did I think it would lead to this award!  I was only doing my job.  It was very gratifying to be able to help so many veterans back to work, back to life.  And later it included other people with disabilities who were having a hard time returning to the working world.

I’m deeply grateful to Rob.  And still volunteering!

Due to the changing economy, donations aren’t as easy to come by as in the past.  The foundations who give grants now require non-profits to show they are receiving more in individual and company donations.  All donations are very much appreciated.

When Heritage Oaks of Englewood, FL says, “This isn’t like home, it is home,” they prove it by the things they do for us, such as, sponsoring this celebration.  Thank you, Ron, Kimberly, Chris, and all the staff and volunteers here at home.     Fern Ballou, R2W Chaplain and Directors

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FLORIDA

 

 

 

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COLORADO

 

Check back for more!

• American Legion Post 113 Chaplain’s Prayers
• Pastor Hosea Cannon Jr.’s Prayers
• Rob Brazell’s Prayer (from Fern’s church)
• Debbie Henderson’s and Fern Ballou’s testimonial
• General Thomas Mills, Chuck Wright, Pastor Hosea Cannon Jr., and Rob Brazell’s testimonials

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Project:  Return To Work Inc.’s (R2W’s)

26th Annual Awards Ceremony (part 2)

May 7, 2024
2:00 – 4:00 PM

Hosted by

Heritage Oaks Assisted Living Center
7374 San Casa Drive
Englewood, FL 34224

720-359-1541

 

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Gold Medal Winners

Click here for more information about the President’s Volunteer Service Awards

We have within our reach the promise of a renewed America. We can find meaning and reward by serving some higher purpose than ourselves, a shining purpose, the illumination of a Thousand Points of Light. And it is expressed by all who know the irresistible force of a child’s hand, of a friend who stands by you and stays there, a volunteer’s generous gesture, an idea that is simply right.  President George HW Bush

 

 

Fern Ballou was a close friend of Fran Nixon, R2W Founder and has served both as a paid Chaplain and as a volunteer Director for several years.  Fern and Fran’s church has also hosted several R2W Workshops over the years:  First Church of Christ Scientists, Englewood, Florida.  Fern currently serves as the Secretary of R2W’s Board of Directors and is a member of the Executive Committee and the Mentors Committee.  At 94, she blasts through the age barrier effortlessly and is the cohesion for our charity.  Her tirelessly commitment makes a meaningful difference.  A lasting impact.

Shine on, Fern!

Return to Work Day of Caring Recruiting Event | FOX31 Denver (kdvr.com)

Englewood Resident Receives President’s Volunteer Service Award – You’re Never Too Old to Volunteer! 

The Englewood Review

Woman, 94, lauded by president for helping others

The Daily Sun Englewood

 

Deborah Henderson, CPA
R2W Volunteer CPA

Debbie Henderson was a close friend of Fran Nixon, R2W Founder, and has volunteered as R2W’s accountant for years.  Thanks to Debbie, R2W has never missed a payroll, and the Board of Directors has always had timely and accurate financial documents for their management decisions.  Debbie and Fern’s church has also hosted several R2W workshops over the years:  First Church of Christ Scientists, Englewood, Florida.  Debbie is a model volunteer whose leadership shines bright in our charitable cause, and we are deeply grateful.

 

Employee of the Decade

Volunteer of the Year

 

Robert Bloxam

Sponsor Awards

“Gayleen Pratt donated the underlying technologies that have given R2W a competitive advantage for many years.  She is from New Zealand and not eligible for the President’s Volunteer Service Awards but deserves all the respect we can muster.  She is a brilliant light illuminating a loving spirit around the world, and I am deeply grateful.”  Rob Brazell, Founder, Project:  Return To Work Inc.  (R2W)

 

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Project:  Return To Work Inc.’s (R2W’s)

26th Annual Awards Ceremony (part 1)

February 24, 2024
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM Mountain
Boulder, CO  80301
720-359-1541

A small celebration for neighbors and friends

Presenter:
Brigadier General Thomas Mills (retired),
Assistant Adjutant General, US Army National Guard

Special Thanks To
Chris Lites & Debby Wilson

Medals via President’s Volunteer Services Awards

 

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Gold Medals from President Biden

Gold Medals 

• Rob Brazell
• Pastor Hosea Cannon Jr.
• Larry Gustafson
• Jay VanderWerff
• Chuck Wright

Lifetime Achievement Award 

• Rob Brazell

Company Award – Gold Medal

• Project:  Return To Work Inc.  (R2W)

Chuck Wright has volunteered for multiple positions over the years including key roles for R2W’s large scale Military & Veterans Employment Expos (MVEEs) with the Department of Defense ESGR, Veterans Affairs, Department of Labor, Colorado Department of Labor & Employment, Colorado National Guard, and others.  We typically provided training and placement services over a 3-day period to about 1,000 to 2,000 active-duty military service members and veterans, and 100 to 200 employers.  Chuck currently serves as the Chair of the Mentors Committee on R2W’s Board of Directors.  He leads weekly meetings to coordinate 4 tiers of mentorships ranging from an hour at occasional events to 5-year commitments.  Chuck is a true Point Of Light adding brilliance to our path forward.

 

Larry Gustafson was a close friend of Fran Nixon, Founder.  He has served as Director and Legal Advisor at R2W for decades and is the principal signature for the company.   He has held multiple offices over the years and currently serves on the Executive Committee as Treasurer.  He has tirelessly volunteered thousands of hours and his shining light has guided us to safe waters again and again. He is an inspiration for our whole community.  Larry is a partner at Baum and Gustafson, PC and provides responsive, creative, and knowledgeable representation on business, tax, and estate matters.  Trusted Business Law Firm Dedicated to Companies and Individuals in Denver, Colorado Since 1979.

 

A HAND UP, NOT A HANDOUT

Pastor Hosea Cannon Jr. was a close friend of Fran Nixon, R2W Founder, and has served in a variety of positions over several years.  He currently serves as R2W’s Chaplain, and Director on the Volunteer Committee.  He also hosts frequent R2W workshops for volunteers and for job seekers at The Greater Faith Worship Center where he is the spiritual leader.  For decades, Pastor Cannon Jr. has also been the Chaplain for the Denver Sheriff Department.  His motto is to give people a hand up, not a handout — a true inspiration for all.

Rob Brazell founded Project:  Return To Work Inc.  (R2W) with his father, mother, sister, and lifetime mentor out of his victories over AIDS.  Rather than returning to his career in aerospace, he dedicated the remainder of his life to helping other disabled Americans back to work, back to life.  Like his mother, Fran Nixon, he selflessly volunteered thousands of hours over the decades.  Prior to his Lifetime Achievement Award from President Biden, Rob was given a gold medal from President Obama for his service to the Colorado National Guard and the Department of Defense Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve at their collaborative Military and Veterans Employment Expos (MVEE),

 

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Previous Medals from Presidents Trump & Obama

 

Octogenarian Earns Lifetime Achievement Award

Fran Nixon remembered, helped 18,000 find work

Check back for more uplifting stories!

 

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ABOUT PROJECT:  RETURN TO WORK INC.  (R2W)

Back To Work, Back To Life

We All Serve

 

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About The President’s Volunteer Services Awards

Wikipedia:

The President’s Volunteer Service Award is a civil award bestowed by the President of the United States. Established by executive order by George W. Bush, the award was established to honor volunteers that give hundreds of hours per year helping others through the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. The award can be granted to individuals, families and organizations located throughout the United States. Depending on the amount of service hours completed, individuals can receive the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and/or the President’s Call to Service Award (also referred to the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award).^[1] The Call to Service Award is the most prestigious, and it has been awarded to few Americans to recognize over 4,000 hours of extraordinary service including notable honorees such as S. Truett Cathy, Mark Carman, and Zach Bonner. Awardees may receive a personalized certificate, an official pin, medallion, and/or a congratulatory letter from the President depending on the award earned.

…

The President’s Volunteer Service Award is now an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Points of Light Institute.^[2]

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About Points Of Light 

 

Wikipedia:

Points of Light is an international nonprofit, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Georgia, United States dedicated to engaging more people and resources in solving serious social problems through voluntary service.

Each year, Points of Light mobilizes millions of people through affiliates in approximately 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and companies.^[1]

History

Points of Light was formed in 2007 by the merger of the Points of Light Foundation and Hands On Network. Encouraged by major donors and affiliates, the two organizations merged with the goal of strengthening volunteerism, streamlining costs and services and deepening impact.^[2]

The Points of Light Foundation was created in 1990 as a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. to promote the spirit of volunteerism described by U.S. President George H. W. Bush in his 1989 inaugural address,^[3] “I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good.”^[4]

President Bush used the “thousand points of light” theme frequently,^[3] including in his 1991 State of the Union address in which he said:

We have within our reach the promise of a renewed America. We can find meaning and reward by serving some higher purpose than ourselves, a shining purpose, the illumination of a Thousand Points of Light. And it is expressed by all who know the irresistible force of a child’s hand, of a friend who stands by you and stays there, a volunteer’s generous gesture, an idea that is simply right.^[5]

In 1991 the National Volunteer Center, which had begun in 1970 as the National Center for Voluntary Action, was merged into it. The merged organization also became known during the 2000s as the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network.

The Foundation and its expanded network acted as community hubs to connect volunteers to opportunities, work with local nonprofits and businesses to establish and improve volunteer programs, and, overall, bolster the local infrastructure for the volunteering community.^[3]

The Points of Light Foundation received an annual allocation from the Corporation for National and Community Service to manage some of that agency’s programs, and administered the President’s Volunteer Service Award program, which was created by President George W. Bush in 2003. The group also sponsored conferences, offered training and other assistance to its network of volunteer centers, and recognized volunteers through a Daily Point of Light award.^[3]

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