At the Heart of Helping - June 2018 Update
In This Issue:
Find Your Perfect Fit
letter
Letter from the President/CEO
...At the Heart of Finding Your Perfect Fit

We are now in the final month of our 2017-2018 fiscal year, making it a great time for you to catch up with our organization and find your "perfect fit" to support us:
  • If you are a social butterfly who enjoys a lovely party, I want to personally invite you to join me at our Affinity Group's Kids For Kids Reception on the evening of Sunday, July 8 at a private home. You will delight in the parade of goat "kids," featuring mini goat statues hand-painted or otherwise customized with delightful designs by some of the most talented artists in the South Bay, all benefiting Operation Teddy Bear! Tickets are $100 and space is limited - please contact Liz Reinhardt for an email invitation.
  • If you are a bargain shopper who loves unique finds, join our Affinity Group this Sunday, June 24 at the Torrance Antique Street Faire located on Sartori Avenue in Old Torrance from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Members of the Affinity Group will be selling lovely jewelry - stop by, say hi and pick up something pretty to wear!
  • If you are a mystery lover who enjoys a challenge, form a team with five other players and try your hand at solving our Mortuary Mystery Escape Room, back for a limited engagement through the end of July! Or if puzzles aren't your thing, consider gifting a session to a group of six local youth, so they can enjoy a "screen-free" hour of fun and connect with their peers. Book a session here or contact Liz Reinhardt to arrange a gifted session for local youth.
  • If you are a volunteer with a big heart who loves a good cause, has leadership talent and a great network, we are currently adding new members to our committees, Board of Directors and Affinity Group. Contact Sara Myers to find out which group might need your time and talents the most.
  • If you are a passionate donor who loves a strong investment and opportunity to give back, we just launched our Spring campaign! Make an impact by supporting our organization, especially our new initiative to help combat the youth mental health crisis by reconnecting families.

    With a gift to this Spring campaign, you will be among a select group - the first to hear updates as details about our new focus unfold. Read more in our Annual Report below and then make a one-time or monthly gift today!
We are so grateful to ALL of you for the many ways you continue to support us, so that we can remain "at the heart of helping" our community's most urgent needs!
 
Sara Myers
President/CEO
annualreportPresenting our 2017-2018 Annual Report
...At the Heart of Celebrating Our Past and Looking to the Future

The Volunteer Center_s 2017-2018 Annual Report

We recently distributed our 2017-2018 Annual Report - if you haven't had a chance to review it, click here to help us celebrate our achievements in the past year and learn more about the next chapter in the Volunteer Center's 50+ year history!

After you read about our past and future, we hope you'll join us in making an impact with a donation by June 30. With a gift to this Spring campaign, you will be among a select group - the first to hear updates as details about our new focus unfold!
escaperoomDon't Miss A Chance to Solve the Mortuary Mystery
...At the Heart of Quickly Finding the Last Clue

Will you join these teams by successfully solving the puzzles and finding the final clue in less than 60 minutes??? Gather your team of 4 to 6 people and find out during our new, limited engagement of South Bay Escape Room: Mortuary Mystery, now open through July 28!

South Bay Escape Room_ Mortuary Mystery

Click here to check out the time slots available on Thursdays, Fridays and select Saturdays, and then coordinate with your team, but don't wait to book... space is limited and advanced purchase is required.

Do you have a larger group? Book multiple slots and reserve our community room for the perfect team-building activity! Click here to learn more, including an extensive list of frequently asked questions.
foodforkidsFood For Kids Donations Keep Coming
...At the Heart of Collecting Food For a Worthy Cause

Food For Kids Donations June 2018

We are so grateful for the support we continue to receive from the local community for our Food For Kids program!  These recent donations will help us continue to feed hungry families over the summer months in partnership with local nonprofits, easing the "summer gap" that occurs for eligible families when school is out of session.
  • Girl Scout Troop 17165 followed up last month's donation with an additional 26 pounds of food!
  • Members of the Leadership Torrance Class of 2018 coordinated a food drive as their annual project, benefiting our Food For Kids program, the Healthy Bag program at Community's Child and the Warrior Food Pantry at El Camino College. The portion donated to Food For Kids contained 1,279 pound of food and reusable bags from sponsoring organizations. Click here to see a video of the delivery!
  • NEOGOV/Warburg Pincus donated more than 200 pounds of food!
  • Theresa Nguyen donation 153 pounds of food!
  • Torrance Adult School collected and donated 248 pounds of food!
  • Our local Torrance Post Office followed up last month's donation with an additional 366 pounds of food!
Visit www.volcenter.org/food-for-kids to learn more about this program, including what, how and where you can contribute. You can also learn about the latest Food For Kids donations from the community and more on our Facebook page!
cvcCVC Celebrates Special Olympics Athletes
...At the Heart of a Picture-Perfect Moment

CVC Special Olympics Summer Project

The Corporate Volunteer Council (CVC) once again sponsored a booth at the recent 2018 Special Olympics' Southern California Summer Games in Long Beach, continuing a summer service tradition for the group. CVC members from DoubleTree by Hilton Torrance-South Bay, Green Dart, John Deere, Malaga Bank, MOOG and Saatchi & Saatchi helped athletes from across Southern California celebrate the two-day event with a photo booth, complete with special handmade photo frames that the athletes decorated to display their photos!
durfeeEight Durfee Family Scholarships Awarded
...At the Heart of Helping Students Embrace Bright Futures

Durfee Scholarship Recipients 2018

The Volunteer Center recently awarded eight $500 Durfee Family Scholarships to local high school seniors to assist them with the cost of classes and materials during their first year of college, in collaboration with the College Access, Readiness and Success (CARS) Scholarship Foundation at Leuzinger High School, the Palos Verdes Junior Women's Club Scholarship Program and the Sandpipers College Scholarship Program

In addition to strong academic performance, these students were selected for showing a continued passion for serving their community despite personal and family challenges:

CARS Scholarship Foundation
  • Ana Perez - Leuzinger High School/UCLA
  • Alexis Rodela - Leuzinger High School/Cal State Northridge
PV Junior Women's Club Scholarship Program
  • Katherine Cruz - Peninsula High School/LA Harbor College
  • Grace Gay - Chadwick/Syracuse University
Sandpipers College Scholarship Program
  • Emily Diaz - Hawthorne High School/UC Santa Barbara
  • Kyndall Dowell - Leuzinger High School/UC Berkeley
  • Stevie Schlosser - South High School/ Point Loma Nazarene University
  • Udochi Okori - Hawthorne High School/Kalamazoo College
The Durfee Family Scholarships were established in 1998 thanks to a generous endowment gift made by the late Ev Durfee, a past Volunteer Center Board Member and longtime supporter. We wish all of our scholarship recipients success as they embrace their bright futures ahead!
voloppsVolunteer Opportunities Available 24/7!
- Featured Volunteer Opportunity -

Become a Los Serenos de Point Vicente Docent!


Prospective New Docent Open House - August 29
New Docent Training Course - Beginning September 12
THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR SPONSORS:
The Affinity Group
Battle Creek Community Foundation
Crail-Johnson Foundation
John Deere Foundation
Keenan _ Associates
Kinecta
Los Angeles Trial Lawyers_ Charities
The Molina Foundation
Moog_ Inc.
The Rudolph J. and Daphne A. Munzer Foundation
The Port of Long Beach
The Port of Los Angeles
Torrance Refining Company
Saatchi _ Saatchi
Valero
Watson Land Company
Carl E. Wynn Foundation
Whitney Young Children_s Foundation
The Volunteer Center  South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach
Phone: (310) 212-5009 | Fax: (310) 212-7201 |  www.volcenter.org


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The Volunteer Center South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach recognizes the valuable role volunteers play in our society and has been "at the heart of helping" for more than 50 years. We recruit and refer volunteers to more than 400 nonprofit organizations in our service area, as well as for our own signature programs, Operation Teddy Bear and Food For Kids. Potential volunteers can contact us to obtain information and connect with just the right service experience, fulfilling our mission of "mobilizing people and resources to deliver creative solutions to community needs." Visit www.volcenter.org to learn more.