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 Letter from the President/CEO
...At the Heart of Finding Time for Ourselves
There is a meme I've read online that describes how parents don't usually get mental health breaks - instead they have to be strong and pick themselves up, because their families are counting on them.
We've talked to many people who feel this way, but early in our research, we came across a great analogy for self-care, comparing it to the oxygen mask demonstration on airplanes. Those of us who fly regularly have this memorized - we always need to put our mask on first before we attempt to help someone else put on a mask. This is such a wonderful way to think about the importance of self-care and self-compassion, especially for parents and caretakers, even if it's just small actions or a moment of peace here and there.
Many people think of self-care as bubble baths and meditation, but it can be just as simple as doing something we love, like cooking, gardening or dancing; taking a moment to step outside and enjoy some fresh air; or even waking up a little bit early to enjoy a quiet moment before everyone else in the household wakes up, and the rush of the day begins!
In a recent Greater Good Magazine article, Why Parents Need a Little Self-Compassion, Susan M. Pollak, MTS, Ed.D. shares: "While taking time out for self-care might feel like a burden - who has time for one more thing you should do? - the research is clear: Self-compassion is good for us, and for our children. It can help reduce our stress levels and bring more joy to parenting, and we can get it in small doses that fit into our insane schedules... Furthermore, it's important to note that our state of mind impacts our children, and our kids do better if we practice self-compassion - and don't blame ourselves when they struggle." She also shares three practices to bring a little mindfulness and calm to your busy day.
In How to be kinder to yourself - part of TED's "How to Be a Better Human" series - Susan David, Ph.D. talks about the myths and realities of self-compassion, and shares ways to cultivate it. "When you are self-compassionate, you're actually doing something very specific for yourself - you're noticing difficult thoughts, showing up for them, and creating a sense of psychological safety for yourself." Read more here.
May we all remember to treat ourselves kindly and try our best to make time for ourselves,
Sara Myers
President/CEO
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More Screenings of the Documentary LIKE
...At the Heart of Creating a Dialog in the Community
We recently partnered with the CARS Foundation to present a screening of the documentary LIKE, followed by a discussion panel at Leuzinger High School. More than 100 students, parents and school - 98% of whom reported owning a cell phone/smartphone - attended the event to learn more about the impact of screen time and social media on our lives.
The panel, moderated by President/CEO Sara Myers, featured high school student Roberto Hernandez, parent Henry Martinez, District Social Worker Kevin Brown, Social Work Intern Kelly Lovejoy, and Associate Principal Jose Varela. Student Roberto Hernandez said the film portrayed the issue well. He admitted that he uses his phone before bed and has noticed how it affects his ability to get enough sleep. Associate Principal Jose Varela said the film definitely hit home, since he's the father of a teenager, and he shared that a vast majority of the conflicts at the school are caused by something someone said or saw on social media.
SAVE THE DATES!
We are hosting two upcoming screenings of the documentary
LIKE followed by panel discussions:
- Wednesday, April 29 in Long Beach, in partnership with the Junior League of Long Beach
- Friday, May 8 in Torrance, in partnership with the Torrance-South Bay YMCA
We hope you'll join us to learn more, reflect on your own habits, and consider changes you can make for yourself and your family - stay tuned for more details!
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Celebrating Community Support with Urban Plates
...At the Heart of a Mutually-Beneficial Partnership
Earlier this month, our friends at Urban Plates presented members of our Board and staff with a check for $9,000 - the total donations contributed through our community partnership during the trio of pre-opening events in Torrance, Manhattan Beach and Long Beach!
This feel-good story and donation was made possible by YOU - our wonderful community - who joined us "at the heart of helping" as we welcomed Urban Plates to the community! Your donations support our programs, and at the same time, you helped their teams prepare for the three restaurant openings. Special thanks to everyone at Urban Plates for selecting us for this partnership, and helping more local families enjoy healthy meals and conversations around the table. You can see coverage of the recent check presentation on last week's episode of Torrance Citi CABLE's This Week in Torrance.
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Honored with a Service Award from TCPTA
...At the Heart of Serving the Community Together
The Torrance Council of PTAs announced that the Volunteer Center was selected as one of this year's Honorary Service Award recipients at their February meeting. All of the recipients, including our wonderful community partners at Journey of Faith, will be celebrated at the Honorary Service Awards Dinner in March.
Council President Denise Spellman shared: "The Volunteer Center epitomizes this special award and serves as an inspiration for all you have accomplished in and around the South Bay. We are thrilled to honor your 50 years of devoted service to those in need and excited to see what your latest projects (mental health awareness and screen time education) will yield."
This award is the highest honor given by the PTA organization, recognizing an individual or organization for outstanding service to the students and families in the community - in pursuit of better things for all of us - according to Honorary Service Award Chair, Nannette Nolan, who was also featured in the Daily Breeze/Press Telegram article on our new focus last fall. We are honored to join the distinguished list of recipients, which reads like a 'Who's Who' of Torrance, and we are grateful to Council Board Member Cindy Shields for nominating us!
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A Record-Breaking Food Donation
...At the Heart of Partnerships in Helping Others
There are many reasons why our friends at Journey of Faith are wonderful partners in the community. One in particular is how they demonstrate such compassion for others when they join us "at the heart of helping" by hosting their Pop-up Pantry benefiting Food For Kids three times a year.
They recently dropped off their ninth food donation since they began supporting us, which is cause for celebration itself. Then we started counting the bags and weighing the food they brought over in TWO trucks... and found that this most recent donation also marks their largest donation to date!
Their members collected, sorted and packed 489 bags of food, plus they brought us an additional 1,106 pounds of food, making the total donation more than 6,200 pounds of food for the families we serve! We are beyond grateful to the families who were part of this generous donation and monumental accomplishment!!!
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Additional Food Donations
...At the Heart of Families Supporting Families
We are grateful to the members of our community who continue to show generosity and compassion by making donations to our Food For Kids program!
- The Beta Iota Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International in Long Beach, an honor society of women educators, once again collected and donated food - 154 pounds in all!
- Girl Scouts Troops 7905 and 71645 from Hermosa View School in Hermosa Beach collected and donated 249 pounds of food.
- The Inner Empowerment Center in Torrance dropped off an additional 89 pounds of food from their holiday food drive.
- The Ramachandran Family of Torrance donated 120 pounds of food following their son's birthday party, where they asked for food donations instead of gifts!
- Trinity Lutheran Preschool collected and donated 73 pounds of food.
Click here to learn more about Food For Kids, including a downloadable copy of our Shelf-Stable Shopping List, and learn about the latest Food For Kids donations by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can also donate food using our Amazon Wish List!
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Heart-warming Moments in our Community
...At the Heart of Practicing and Discussing Kindness
Thank you to everyone who created cards for the recent Valentine's Day Kindness Project led by South Bay Mommies and Daddies. The second annual card drive was a huge success, resulting in nearly twice as many cards as last year - more than 1,600 cards were created for patients at Providence Little Company of Mary and Torrance Memorial!
We were proud to partner on this project once again, giving parents a wonderful way to teach "a lesson in kindness that can be learned at any age," combined with an opportunity to have conversations about kindness and empathy. Learn more and see reactions from the community, including a patient who received one of the cards, on last week's episode of Torrance Citi CABLE's This Week in Torrance. |
Featured Kindness Opportunity
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Assist the Southern California Regional Occupational Center with Mock Interviews
Each semester, the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SCROC) partners with their friends in the community to provide students a chance to participate in mock job interviews. This builds the students' skills and confidence, and it's a great networking opportunity for volunteers!
Interviews are scheduled for Monday, March 23, and they are looking for volunteers in one of two time slots: 4:00 - 6:30 pm and 7:00 - 9:30 pm.
Volunteer interviewers will be provided with sample questions and a how-to sheet to conduct the brief 10 minute interviews, as well as what to look for to give feedback. They request professional attire, and of course, good communication skills are essential.
If you are interested in volunteering for one of the time slots, contact Victoria Westerskov at (310) 224-4238 or vwesterskov@scroc.k12.ca.us with your name, email, phone number and time preference.
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THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR SPONSORS:
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The Volunteer Center
South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach
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Recognizing the value of empathy and service to others, the Volunteer Center has been "at the heart of helping" for more than 50 years. The heart of our mission lies in knowing the most urgent, local needs. We learn these needs by regularly listening to the members of our community. When we discover a critical need is going unmet, we lead the response by assembling a team of caring, talented volunteers to create signature programs, such as Operation Teddy Bear and Food For Kids, offering members of our community the opportunity to contribute to the solution. Click here to learn more about our new Youth Mental Health focus and how we're helping youth, families and the community gradually reduce screen time, while increasing face-to-face connections, empathy and resilience.
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