We're excited to announce that ticket sales for our interactive fall fundraiser are now open! Judging from the buzz, they will go fast, so don't wait to purchase your tickets (please note - advance purchase is required).

By now, you've hopefully seen our teaser video and heard that we're turning the basement of our historic, Old Torrance building - a real former mortuary - into a first-of-its-kind escape room fundraiser!

We're mixing together local history with spooky, fictional fun just in time for Halloween as we present South Bay Escape Room: Mortuary Mystery for 5 weeks only, Thursdays through Sundays, September 28 through October 29.  You will have 60 minutes to solve the puzzles and find the final clue to escape the room... but can you???

Whether you're a seasoned escape room enthusiast or you are excited to try an escape room for the first time, we hope you will join us! Click here to learn more, including more information about Escape Rooms and an extensive list of frequently asked questions.

A big, heartfelt thank you to our major sponsors - Bank of America, Griswold & Griswold Insurance Agency, Inc. and Steve Wilson - for helping us bring this unique and immersive experience to the local community!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS FOR  SOUTH BAY ESCAPE ROOM: MORTUARY MYSTERY - RUNNING 5 WEEKS ONLY!

Earlier this month, our Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC) created first responder appreciation baskets for local police and fire stations in honor of the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance. CVC member organizations DoubleTree by Hilton , GreenDart , John Deere , MOOG and Saatchi & Saatchi ran supply drives to collect the ingredients used to make s'mores, and then volunteers from these companies put the items together, along with patriotic touches and cards from our Coloring Cards for a Cause series.

 

Then, on Monday, September 11, volunteers delivered the gifts and words of thanks to 27 stations in Torrance, Redondo Beach, Carson, San Pedro, Wilmington and Harbor City. In coordination with this effort, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce created their own treats, colored cards we provided and made deliveries to the police and fire stations in Palos Verdes and San Pedro, in conjunction with Malaga Bank and Beacon House. Click here to see more photos of both packing and delivering the baskets!

 

If you would like to join the CVC and participate in coordinated, multi-organization volunteer service projects like this one, as well as increase the visibility of your business's community engagement AND learn new ways to promote corporate philanthropy and employee volunteerism at your organization, call us (310) 212-5009 or  click here to learn more.

...At the Heart of Appreciating Local Teachers

Thank you to our friends at Malaga Bank and Roseanney Liu of Scorpius and Write on, Roseanney for collecting boxes of supplies for our Operation Teddy Bear Teacher Appreciation Drive!

We've extended the deadline to donate to  Wednesday, September 27, so there's still time to donate...  click here to find out what we're looking for and where you can drop off donations.

...At the Heart of Filling Bags of Food

A huge thank you once again to Journey of Faith in Manhattan Beach for another generous donation: 119 boxes filled with 238 bags of food, plus additional food for our Food For Kids pantry, totaling nearly 3,000 pounds of food!

 

NEW DROP-OFF LOCATION! In addition to our Torrance Office, you can also bring Food For Kids donations to our booth at the Farmer's Market every Tuesday between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at Wilson Park.  Click here  for more information about Food For Kids, including a non-perishable food shopping list and more details about donation drop-offs.

...At the Heart of New Youth Volunteer Experiences

Local teenagers spent the 

summer volunteering in the community through our VolunTEEN Summer Program, and for many, this was their first volunteer experience. During the program wrap-up, they shared what they learned over the summer. Here are some of the quotes we heard from the newest members of our volunteer community about their experiences:

 

I learned...

• that volunteers save money for the organization - now they don't have to pay someone to do what I did
• that people who volunteer get jobs easier than those who do not
• how to interact better with others who are different from me
• how to be a better conversationalist
• how to be more generous
• about leadership by helping others
• about a new subject, which led me to join a new club at school
• about marine biology and I am excited about possible career options
• how to sew!