January 2023

To all our lovely volunteers –

Happy New Year! We wish you and your families health and happiness in 2023 and look forward to another great year of working with you to make our Beach Cities the vibrant, health-conscious community that it is.

This year we are re-launching the Brain Buddies and MoveWell Older Adult Programs and need your help to make these programs a success. We are building the training programs to ensure you are comfortable in your roles while out in the field. In addition, we continue to add volunteers to existing roles and are working to ensure that your experience is purposeful and positive.

Redondo Beach Superbowl 5k/10k Run!



Join BCHD at the Redondo Beach Superbowl 5k/10k. Volunteers will help with running the BCHD booth, managing the inflatable and directing kids running in the 5k race. This is a fun way to help families get active!

Join BCHD at the Redondo Beach Superbowl 5k/10k. 

We are still looking for volunteers to help with the Kid’s Dash by cheering the kids on during their run and handing out medals once they finish. 

Date: Sunday, February 12, 2023

6:00am-8:00am Kids Dash 

For more information and to sign up click the following link

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/90e7419918a74b37b492e595ffb73fd3

Volunteer Opinion Survey

Each year, Beach Cities Health District surveys our volunteers to learn more about their volunteer experience! We launched our 2022 Volunteer Opinion Survey in October 2022. These survey results were then analyzed to see what improvements we can make to enrich our volunteer experience. There were no significant trends for this year and scores remained relatively the same as in 2021.  

The following action items were proposed based on the feedback received from the survey: 

• A survey comment from Older Adult Program volunteers indicates that some volunteers may not feel prepared to do their role on their own - Volunteer Services will revisit training materials for these programs to ensure volunteers are set up for success in their roles. 
• Volunteers expressed the desire to engage with other volunteers outside of their role - Volunteer Services will work to re-introduce Social Hour and other engaging events to build connectedness.
• A survey comment stated the BCHD website is hard to navigate and volunteer application is lengthy - Volunteer Services will work to improve our volunteer webpage and volunteer application to make it more user-friendly, as well as provide an opportunity to provide more specific feedback that can be forwarded to our Communications department.

You may access the survey results and details here.

Special Volunteer Social Hour

Back by popular request, we will be holding a Volunteer Social Hour on February 8, 2023, at Panelas Brazil Cuisine(2808 Phelan Ln., Redondo Beach, CA 90278) from 4 - 6 p.m. 

Join us to socialize, experience good company and practice some of Blue Zones Project’s Power 9 Principles of Longevity, including Down Shift and Right Tribe at a Blue Zones Project Approved Restaurant. 

This Social Hour is specially dedicated to our amazing BCHD volunteers. Volunteers who RSVP will receive a food ticket to redeem for a small appetizer.

Please RSVP by Monday, February 6 here.

Hope to see you there! 

Holiday Gift Bag Success

Since 1998, friendly volunteers have delivered holiday gift bags filled with practical and fun gifts to Beach Cities older adults, many of whom are homebound or live in isolation. We are so happy we were able to swing into full holiday gift bag delivery mode again this year!

• This year all recipients were provided with warm, fuzzy lap blankets, batteries, stamps, calendars, a small chocolate treat, pens and a puzzle book
• 245 older adults received gift bags which were delivered by 135 community members, including BCHD volunteers, and Redondo Beach & Manhattan Beach Fire and Police Departments

·       58 donors contributed $8,896.02 including:

• 33 organizations and individuals/families donated $100 or more each
• 16 members at the Center for Health & Fitness donated $900
• MinuteMan Press and South Bay Home Health donated custom calendars
• Holiday cards were decorated and provided to all recipients thanks to the generosity and care of the National Charity League and Hermosa Hermanos
• $3,640 of grocery gift cards were purchased and provided to our lower-income older adults

Interested in volunteering (getting back to it or taking the next step to volunteer) with BCHD? See below for what’s currently available and please stay tuned to our newsletters and website as new opportunities arise! Anyone interested is welcome to fill out our Volunteer Application at www.bchd.org/volunteer. If you are or have been a BCHD volunteer or if you have questions, you’re invited to email us at Volunteers@bchd.org.

Campus Greeter – High Need

Volunteers (14+) meet all guests who enter the 514 building while also providing general support and customer service for the full BCHD campus. Duties include greeting guests and tenants, providing information and referral to the public, walking visitors to/from medical appointments or allcove Beach Cities upon request, maintaining a clean and orderly area and tracking volunteer hours worked. Must be friendly, helpful and able to push wheelchairs and walk around the campus. Weekly 2- 3-hour shift required for one year; scheduling available Monday – Saturday. Expected commitment for High School students is a semester or over the summer.

AdventurePlex Camp Volunteer

AdventurePlex is looking for volunteers (14+) to help kids play their way to good health at our AdventureCamp! Duties include monitoring adventure room, keeping facility area clean and safe, assisting with activities (arts and crafts, classes and rock climbing) and checking in/out guests at front desk. One shift a week required, Monday - Friday, either 9 a.m. – noon or 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Available dates are as follows:

1. February 27
2. February 20 –24
3. April 3 – 7
4. April 10 ^-  14
5. May 29
6. June 19 – August 25

Administrative Office Front Desk Volunteer

Our Administrative and Community Services departments are looking for volunteers (18+) to help with telephone coverage; front desk screening of staff and visitors; periodic disinfection of shared spaces; mail and package distribution; badge making; supplies inventory; assembling marketing packets; assisting with Help Desk Ticket tasks and projects. Weekly 4-hour shift commitment on a regular basis is required. 

Conversation Companion: Support Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities

Volunteers (18+) are matched with older adult clients and/or adult clients with disabilities to visit and engage in socialization activities such as life review, watch movies at home or in the theater, play card or board games, take walks, go for lunch, etc. Weekly one to one-and-a half hour shift commitment.

Errand Volunteer: Support Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities

Errand Volunteers (18+) are matched with one of our Community Services Care Management clients and do weekly shopping for basic needs like groceries and prescriptions. Weekly one to one-and-a-half hour commitment for at least three months required. 

Event Volunteer Opportunities

It is important for Beach Cities Health District to be out in the community sharing our programs and resources with our residents. See below for the community events we’ll be participating in. Share with friends and family and volunteer together! You can sign up for as many events as you would like to volunteer!

The City of Hermosa Beach is Looking for Volunteers!

Individuals (15+) interested in volunteering with the City of Hermosa Beach for their local events can send their contact information to info@hbchamber.net to get on their distribution list. Please be advised that these events are not managed or operated by BCHD and any questions or issues should be communicated directly to the city. 

2022 Volunteer Hours

We appreciate all the commitment of our community to help others in 2022. Thank you all! 

January 1,041

February 2,033

March 1,105

April 959

May 1,840

June 738

July 2,397

August 1,738

September 2,083

October 1,307

November 1,587

December 1,411

Total: 18,239

Volunteer Anniversaries

Although many of you still are not back to actively volunteering in your usual roles, we are grateful for your commitment. The many collective years of efforts toward a healthy beach community from our volunteer corps is truly incredible.

January Anniversaries

Carol & Chuck Johnson, 22

Marilyn Rafkin, 11

Dennis Heck, 9

Joan Stolba, 4

Karen Dost-Heck, 3

James Brown, 2

Official years of service in BCHD system.