At the Heart of Helping - May 2017 Update

At the Heart of Helping - May 2017 Update

In This Issue:

"Aloha" to Food Drive Donations | National Volunteer Week

Affinity Luncheon Features Singer | VolunTEEN Program Deadline Extended

Local Businesses Give Back | Learning at Annenberg Alchemy

Volunteers Say "Aloha" to Food Drive Donations

...At the Heart of Helping Hungry Families

Food Drive chairs Lexi Ley and Kathy Gray once again stepped up to lead an extremely successful Hawaiian-themed Spring Food Drive at four Smart & Final locations in the South Bay. Volunteers collected nearly 1,100 pounds of food, more than $2,100 in food vouchers and more than $500 in cash donations over 14 hours during the last weekend of April.

"Our pantry starts looking pretty bare this time of year, since we get a majority of our food donations during the holiday season," CEO Sara Myers shared. "We were thrilled at the generosity of the shoppers this spring!"

Special thanks to all the outstanding volunteers who ensured a successful food drive, including the National Charity League, the Rotary Club of Manhattan Beach, the North Torrance Warriors baseball team, students completing service hours, and Store Captains Karrie Ghezzi, Roman Khais and Lexi Ley. We also extend our gratitude to Kristi Arnett and Smart & Final employees for partnering with us on such a worthy cause.

If you weren't able to donate to our recent food drive, we also accept donations at our Torrance Office (1230 Cravens Avenue) Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Currently, our greatest need is canned pasta meals, like ravioli and SpaghettiOs.

Giving Thanks During National Volunteer Week

...At the Heart of Recognizing Volunteers

The Volunteer Center celebrated National Volunteer Week last month by thanking the many volunteers who help keep all of our programs running so smoothly. Founded in 1974 , National Volunteer Week is organized by Points of Light and celebrated the last week of April as an opportunity to recognize and thank volunteers who lend their time, talent, voice and support to causes they care about in the community.

When our volunteers arrived to complete their weekly activities, they found personal notes of thanks and goody bags waiting for them. Food for Kids drivers were presented with M&M cookies from Torrance Bakery, accompanied by a note thanking them for the "Miles and Miles" they drive to deliver the food to the schools each week. Volunteer Center board members arrived to the monthly meeting and found little gift bags filled with various minty items and notes thanking them for their "commitMINT and involveMINT."

"We enjoyed the thoughtful gesture. It's nice to be recognized for the work we joyfully do," said Board Member Lea Ann King, who has spent countless hours helping to lead the strategic planning process for the Volunteer Center.

How did you recognize your volunteers? We'd love to hear from you! Share what you did on Facebook and tag the Volunteer Center along with the hashtag #VolunteerThanks OR visit our Facebook page and post what you did on our wall!

Affinity Luncheon Features Acclaimed Singer

...At the Heart of Honoring Community Service


Jean Adelsman, Ann Buxton and Joyce Kochanowski

The Affinity Group is honoring Jean Adelsman, Ann Buxton and Joyce Kochanowski for their outstanding contributions to the community at a luncheon on Thursday, June 21 at the Palos Verdes Golf Club, benefiting the Volunteer Center's Operation Teddy Bear.

The luncheon will also feature a performance by internationally-celebrated artist Jeralyn Glass . Ms. Glass is passionate about service and guiding others, making her a perfect guest artist for the luncheon. She is Founder and Artistic Director of kids4kids World Foundation in Munich, Germany, which develops young talents, coupling artistic development with teamwork and social responsibility.

Ms. Glass has sung leading roles in many of the finest opera houses and concert halls of Europe, America and the Far East. She began her career on Broadway as the youngest cast member in the 25th anniversary revival of My Fair Lady, and has also performed regionally and on national tours.

Event sponsorships are available at two levels:

Platinum Sponsor: $1,000 (includes a table of 10)
Gold Sponsor: $500 (includes two tickets)

Single tickets are also available for $75. Email [email protected] to become a sponsor OR request an invitation (please include your mailing address with your request).

VolunTEEN Summer Program Deadline Extended

...At the Heart of Youth Summer Service

We are still accepting applications for our VolunTEEN Summer Program . We'll help train and find a volunteer match for students (ages 13-17) to complete 20+ hours of service this summer!

NEW Application Deadline: Mon., May 15
Program Fee: $35.00 per student
Kick-Off Training: Wed., May 31, 6:00 p.m.

Interested students should complete this form by May 15. Complete details can be found here or contact Melissa McCormick, Director of Volunteer Services, with questions: [email protected] or (310) 212-5009.

Local Businesses Partner Together to Give Back

...At the Heart of Corporate Philanthropy

The Corporate Volunteer Council 's (CVC) April meeting, held at Northrop Grumman, included an opportunity for CVC members to learn about the philanthropic activities that Northop Grumman's more than 8,000 employees engage in throughout the Southern California area. A big thank you to CVC members Phyllis Glock and Dan Neiman for hosting the luncheon.

In light of National Volunteer Week, CVC members brainstormed various ways companies could implement activities to recognize their volunteers. The group also decided that the next service project will be an arts and crafts booth at the Special Olympics Summer Games over the weekend of June 10 and 11.

The CVC meets the third Thursday of every month, and each meeting is hosted by a different local business. These meetings give members the opportunity to discuss employee volunteerism, plan joint community service projects and brainstorm ways to increase corporate philanthropy in our community. Learn more here; for information on how your business can become a member, please contact Melissa McCormick, Director of Volunteer Services, at [email protected] .

Learning from the Experts at Annenberg Alchemy

...At the Heart of Preparing for the Future

The Volunteer Center was recently chosen to participate in Annenberg Alchemy , a capacity building and leadership development program designed to assist Los Angeles-based nonprofit organizations and their leaders. CEO Sara Myers and Board Chair Toni Sciacqua took part in the Leadership Seminar - Alchemy's signature course - over three full-day sessions, where they heard from experts in the field on such topics as storytelling, brand management, board involvement and fiscal management.

"The program has been very enlightening," Toni Sciacqua said. "It has given us the opportunity to hear from other nonprofits in our area and presented us with new ways of thinking about how to reach out to more people in the community."

Annenberg Alchemy is open to 501(c)(3) organizations in the Southern California area with a functional Board of Directors and a budget of no more than $5 million. Organizations are selected to participate in the free program following a competitive application process. The program connects participants to a network of peers through learning communities and roundtable discussions where they can share best practices and innovative strategies.