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A Time to Give
By Jonathon Freeman-Anderson

Getting involved with the local community is an easy, enriching way to do a good deed and have fun simultaneously. The rewarding experience can be mutually beneficial for the volunteer and the community. Watching all the horrifying footage of the earthquake aftermath in Haiti may urge Valley-ites to want to get out there and lend a hand to their fellow human being. In times of natural disaster, the community needs to band together to help each other cope and survive. Northridge experienced its earthquake and the Valley strived in unity to get back off the ground. Within the Northridge quakes following reconstruction by workers and volunteers with government and corporate aid, the structures are now more earthquake sound and people are better prepared for the next one.

Community improvement and involvement is an ongoing activity. There are many opportunities, in and around the valley, to give back to the local community, help low-income families, and participate in truly philanthropic activities. Volunteer work can pay off big with a variety of rewards and the feeling of an appreciated job well done being just the beginning.

At Disneyland, there is a new way to get into the parks free. Spend a day volunteering in the local community, and, in exchange for the day of volunteering, Disney will email a one-day pass to Disneyland or Disney World. It is an unbelievable deal and it feels great to get out and make a difference in the community. So get ready to earn a free day at the happiest place on earth. Log on to disneyparks.com, search for volunteer opportunities, and select a choice. Complete the volunteer work sometime in 2010. Upon completion of volunteering, Disney will send a voucher via email redeemable for one free day at Disneyland or Disney World. Go to the park of your choice (do not forget the voucher) and have a magical day!

Here are some tips on how to Help Haiti for Free. Haiti is hurting. The country has recently suffered a devastating 7.0 Earthquake that has left the capital city, Port-Au-Prince and its surrounding areas tattered and in ruins. Money donations really help to offer aid and supplies. However, donating money is not the only way to help Haiti. There are a few ways to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake free. Here are a few useful things to keep in mind. Understand that this kind of volunteer work may be time-consuming and it could benefit the volunteer to have disaster training or experience helping with disasters. Make time to give time. Look up the Red Cross chapter locally and volunteer. To help even though one has a low budget, donate time. The Red Cross needs people to answer phones, help with fund-raising events, and many other tasks. It is possible be far away from the disaster zone to help the people of Haiti. Take a training class from the Red Cross to know how to deal with disasters. After taking some classes, volunteers are better qualified to help with international disasters. In addition, there are many agencies on the ground, in Haiti, that are helping with the earthquake disaster. 'Doctor's Without Borders' is one of the most well known. Find out about one of the agencies that are there already helping, contact them, and offer services. These agencies are qualified and authorized to help in the disaster areas. To assist in International Disasters, having experience living and working overseas is usually a prerequisite. Unfortunately, there will be international disasters in the future. Help will always be needed. Everyone can make a difference for the good of Haiti and the world wherever they are.

Consider making a difference with volunteer work in the community at an animal shelter. It is fun, easy, and there is the guarantee of making human and animal friends. Volunteers might just discover some skills they never knew they had. Animal shelters rely on volunteers to help take care of pets that are confined to cages for most of the day. Armed with a little knowledge almost anyone can successfully volunteer at an animal shelter. Locate an animal shelter locally using a phone book, Google or a resource like Petfinder. Have an idea of what kind of work that would most interest the individual volunteer before contacting a shelter. How does one want to work with/for the animals? Volunteer to walk the dogs or socialize cats, stuff envelopes, raise money for the shelter, or foster an animal when the shelter is over-full or when an animal needs medical care. It is important to know what the individual volunteer wants to do and not want to do before talking to the shelter. Call the local shelter and see what needs they have, or stop in and see them in person. There will probably be some paperwork and a volunteer orientation, which is easy and usually takes an hour or less to do. Then, show up ready to work with a smile. By spending time with the animals, it will improve their lives. The volunteer work can be cool enough to encourage friends, family, and coworkers to participate in on the fun too.

Volunteers can make a big job seem small, turn a person's world around, and have a tremendous influence on society. Those who are motivated by helping others just for the sake of helping are special people, and showing gratitude will help them know that they have made a difference. Even if they are not looking for a reward or pay, people like to feel appreciated. The only thing that really matters when showing appreciation for volunteers is sincerity.

After all of the hard work is done, the volunteers will be hungry. Serving a meal to them can be cheap, simple, and greatly appreciated. If the budget allows, hire a catering company to cook and deliver the food so that bigger work can be done. If unable to afford that, ask some of the recipients of the volunteer work if they would mind cooking some easy-serve meals to a large crowd. Chili works great and can feed an army, a round of pizzas can go a long way, or try barbecue.

A great way to show appreciation is to hold a fun event after the volunteers have finished their work. For activities, try fun group games such as charades or karaoke. Organize a softball, kickball, or baseball game. If there are many people, set up stations where people can play bingo or shoot hoops. Any activity will work if it allows people to forget about the work or the challenges they might be facing and can bring them together for a good time.

An excellent way to highlight the great work of volunteers is by giving gifts; however, there is no reason to get ridiculous and shower them lavishly. Good, inexpensive gift ideas might include books, gift certificates, candy, desserts and anything sweet. Consider hiring a massage therapist to give short massages. This kind of relief will be extraordinarily welcomed on the most physically laborious volunteer work. When on a tight budget, a simple, honest letter letting them know how much they are appreciated will be enough, but also something tangible to cherish and remember. Consider creating award plaques with the recipient's name or another cheap option is to create a photo slide show of the events. Give each volunteer a copy of the CD.

If time and money do not allow big events or celebrations, think about sending a thank-you card or gift basket. Customize the letter to fit a theme and enclose a couple of movie passes or a gift card to their favorite sandwich or coffee shop. A great informal way to thank people is by creating a wall of fame. Take pictures of the volunteers and put the photos up on the wall so everyone can see just how important they are to those in need and the project.

The following is a list offering a variety of volunteer services to give back to the local valley communities. The Community and Senior Services of Los Angeles County Center located at 7555 Van Nuys Blvd. in Van Nuys is open Monday-Friday; 8AM-5PM. Call them at (818) 901-3501 to arrange volunteering with the staff to provide outreach services by networking with community agencies on collaborative projects. The projects are available to bilingual individuals and include many options for volunteering services.

The Emergency Food Pantry provides emergency food to residents of the community on Fridays from 9AM-1PM. I.D. is required for this activity. The Los Angeles County Office of Education is the Valley's regional education center for court, community schools, and alternative education. This site, open Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM, provides a community day center (CDC), school independent study program, resource, staff development and curriculum center. Open Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM, Adult Protective Services responds to crisis for adults in jeopardy as a 24-hour elder abuse hotline at (800) 992-1660. Friday Night Live encourages junior and senior high school youth in at-risk environments to choose an alcohol and drug free life style through assembly presentation, community service, alternate activities, and leadership training. For more information, call (818) 786-0603, hours varies.

The Parents' Fair Share Program is a collaborative effort by Los Angeles County, Department of Community and Senior Services, Office of the District Attorney, and State of California Employment Development Department to provide employment services to unemployed non-custodial parents of children whose custodial parent is receiving AFDC, so that they will be able to meet their child support obligations. If interested in doing volunteer work to help The Parents' Fair Share Program, call (818) 901-3377; Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM.

The Halcyon Center/Educare is a center for child and youth services. Volunteer-directed, non-profit counseling and educational organization for youths is offered here to collaborate with area schools. The center provides on-site early intervention counseling and support groups for underserved, at-risk youths, their families, and teachers. For more information, call (818) 781-7554, Monday - Friday, hours vary.

The I-ADARP is an outpatient chemical dependency treatment program that offers assessments, hospitalization, residential placement, walk-in urinalysis testing, individual, group and family counseling, and drug education. For more information on how to volunteer to help treat chemical dependency, call (818) 908-2020 Monday - Friday, hours vary.

(KYDS) or Keep Youth Doing Something is a community collaboration program that uses existing resources such as Los Angeles City Parks, libraries and LAUSD schools to involve at risk youth in recreational, educational, and cultural activities. For more information, call (818) 909-2029 Monday - Friday, hours vary.

The Los Angeles Commission on Assaults against Women is a Violence Prevention Center that has a violence prevention, community action program funded by the California Wellness Foundation's Violence Prevention initiative. Opportunity through Education is a non-profit organization created to provide scholarships to students residing in the San Fernando Valley so that they can obtain a college or vocational education. If interested to help prevent domestic violence or help Valley students receive financing for their education, call (818) 901-3501 Monday - Friday, hours vary.

The Department of Community and Senior Citizens Services/Voluntary Mediation Services offers confidential, fast, and effective mediation to help people resolve disputes as an alternative to the courts. For more information on how to volunteer, call (818) 901-3169 Monday - Friday, 8AM - 5PM.

The SRLA 18-mile Friendship Run is open to community runners of all ages to join the students and their leaders as they take on an 18-mile challenge. This event is co-sponsored by Los Angeles City Council District 7, Sunday, February 21, 2010. The cost is $60 on race day. The 5 freeway can best reach the Hansen Dam Recreation area. Exit at Osborne and go east approximately 2.5 miles to the Dronfield entrance to the park. Dronfield is approximately ½ mile past Glenoaks Blvd., but before Foothill Blvd. Make a right into the park and follow instructions, or look for street parking. Hansen Dam can also be reached form the 210 and 118 freeways. The address is 11770 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar, CA 91342. Free parking available inside the park; however, cars will not be able to depart the event until after 1PM. The 18-mile Run designed to be a training run for the LA Marathon, begins at 8AM. The course consists of two 9-mile loops starting in Hansen Dam Park, going out along the streets, crossing the two-mile dam, and then after the second loop the run finishes in the park. Water stations and toilets will be located every mile on the course, except on the dam. Water and toilets will be available at the dam entrance and exit. All participants will receive a t-shirt and finisher's medal upon completion of the event. Overall awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers, and age group awards will be given to the top three male and female in each division (12 & under, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85 & over). Go to active.com to register. Otherwise, registration begins at 6:30AM at the Hansen Dam Park.

Participate in the Mobile Pet Adoption in Moorpark Park on Feb 21, 2010 from 11AM - 4PM. If looking for a new pet or just want to save one from the pound, come out to Moorpark Park in Studio City where the East Valley and South LA Animal Care Centers will have a variety of adorable puppies, dogs, kittens and cats for adoption. The Moorpark Park is located at 12061 Moorpark Ave Studio City 91604

From now through March 30, 2010, 11:30AM - 2:30PM, the Off Track Youth Enrichment Program offers a free program for children ages 5-18, providing kids with a healthy lunch, learning opportunities, and fun in a positive, safe, and supervised setting. For more information to find the nearest Off Track Enrichment Program, call the LA Kids Off Track Youth Enrichment Office at (213)485-9288 or email Carolyn.James@lacity.org
Over the years, the degree of blight in the mid-valley communities has diminished thanks to the efforts of the Chamber's Graffiti Busters. Headed up by volunteers Lefty Blasco, Frank Jones, and Walter Schulte, groups of volunteer community citizens and courts workers paint out graffiti and clean up trash from the city's streets each week. The program is funded solely through monetary contributions, donated paint, and other necessary supplies. Over the past three years, the Chamber has raised over $35,000 to support the community beautification efforts with over $33,000 spent on insurance, gasoline, equipment repairs, supplies, maintenance of the graffiti hotline, and project management. Only 22% of the monies raised have actually been used for project management, and that portion has been exclusively for the Annual Clean-Up Day, the program's main funding source. The Graffiti Busters program has been in operation for over 10 years and Blasco, Jones, and Schulte have been with the program since its inception. If interested in participating in a weekly clean up, serve on the Clean-Up Day Committee, donate to the program, or have Graffiti that needs to be removed, please call the Chamber office at (818) 989-0300.

Please, find time to give time to your local community today.

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