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 Letter from the President/CEO
...At the Heart of Feeling Lucky
Whew, what an incredible, busy and rewarding month it's been! In
true March form, we had so much to feel lucky about this month. As more and more of our Board members, staff, and volunteers continue to receive the vaccine, we are relieved to have finally made it through the most challenging parts of the past year. We look forward to continuing to safely see more of each other in person and continue our programs.
Read on to hear about our lucky Heart to Heart Scavenger Heart winners, the surprise in store for more than 2,500 lucky students, the application open for lucky scholarship winners, how lucky we feel to have so many of you continuing to support us... and more!
It's clear when hard work is combined with good luck and good timing.. it's a recipe for solid gold!
Thank you for being "at the heart of helping!"
Sara Myers
President/CEO
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Heart to Heart Scavenger Hunt A Success!
...At the Heart of zany poses, fierce competition, laughter and fun
By Brook Virostko, Team Scorpions
On Saturday, March 20, my kids and I participated in the Volunteer Center's first Heart to Heart Virtual Scavenger Hunt. We started by watching a video that explained the hunt and how the funds would help support the Volunteer Center, and I completely missed the mission to find the Baby Yoda figure hidden behind TUSD School Board President and Volunteer Center Board Member Betty Lieu! At 9 A.M., we were given our first set of challenges which ranged from building a tower of pantry items, to lip syncing, to stuffing a teammate into a suitcase (these were some of the funniest pics, see above) to learning about what types of jobs exist at the Port of Long Beach. Sponsor missions like taking a photo in front of a Kinecta branch, building something out of Amazon boxes or naming cities served by the Water Replenishment District, were worth hundreds more points. We documented evidence of a successful mission with a video or picture. New challenges were released periodically throughout the day, and teams were awarded bonus points for creativity or for adding in items relevant to the Volunteer Center, such as teddy bears or pantry goods. In addition to being a really fun day, the Scavenger Hunt was a brand new COVID-safe fundraiser for the Volunteer Center, in a year that erased all of in-person get-togethers. Netting over $8,000, this experience brought together about 140 team members.
A special shout out to team I Tried- they slid into first place in the final hour, causing a three-way tie for second place! The more challenges that a team finished, the more chances they had to win a prize. The three prize winning teams ended up being Monarchy, KristaSpen, and Tomithy, K8 & Fam. They will be receiving a variety of gift cards, including a generous donation from sponsor, In-N-Out.
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Parent Education Series Offered At No Cost in April
...At the Heart of Helping Families With Important Topics
Now that our second Connect cohort with 12 teen participants is meeting regularly, the Volunteer Center is excited to announce a new, second partnership with Macy Grim Therapy.
Parents of middle and high school aged teens are invited to sign up at no cost for an educational virtual series. Presenters Ariel Mendelson, MS, APCC, and Amin Momand, MS, APCC, PPS, will offer the following topics:
Session 1:
Your Teen's Love Language Thurs. April 22, 2021 at 7:00 pm PDT
Explore ways to connect and communicate that resonate with your child.
Session 2:
Decoding Teen Behavior Thurs. April 29, 2021 at 7:00 pm PDT
Learn the science behind teen brain development.
Session 3:
Teen's Stress Toolkit Sat. May 8, 2021 at 9:00 am PDT
Learn specific skills to help your child cope with stress.
To register, go to macygrimtherapy.com. Click " request appointment." Enter your information, and in "messages" indicate which classes you'd like to join. You will receive an email containing your Zoom invitation.
To request a private session for a larger group such as Scouts, faith community, or service club, contact Sara Myers at 310-212-5009 [email protected]. |
Operation Teddy Bear In Full Swing!
...At the Heart of Providing Students Gifts as They Return to Class
Our Operation Teddy Bear program is in full swing. This month, thanks to the INCREDIBLE support of several groups and volunteers including: our Affinity Group, our Board of Directors, John Deere, Kinecta, L3Harris, Quinstar, Manhattan Beach Rotary Club, National Charity League, Phelps Family, South Bay Chapter, NES Fircroft, South Bay Food Initiative, we were able to finish packing more than 2,500 schoolbags in our wonderful warehouse donated by Sares Regis, and pre-deliver them to more than 28 schools in five nearby school districts.
The first grade students will receive twenty items including tools for science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM), dried fruit thanks to the County of Los Angeles, toothbrushes donated by Amazon, books about social emotional wellness themes by award-winning author Mo Willems thanks to the Molina Foundation, all packed into a sturdy schoolbag donated by Herbalife Nutrition.
In addition to the schoolbags, the Volunteer Center was thrilled to provide several nonprofits including South Bay Children's Health Center, 1736 Family Crisis Center, and Pediatric Therapy Network with boxes of hundreds of early learning and elementary school books for the families they serve.
Our sponsors have begun to help us provide online lessons to the students about kindness, volunteering, empathy and expressing emotions which will continue into April.
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Scholarship Applications Now Open
...At the Heart of Supporting Students
The Durfee Family Scholarship provides financial assistance to deserving young people who, despite personal challenges, are striving to attend institutions of higher learning. Five $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to university or college-bound students in South Bay, Harbor and Long Beach school districts.
Interested students must be US citizens who are graduating seniors from a school within our service area and be accepted into an accredited university or college. Preference will be given to students attending colleges, community colleges or technical schools within the state of California.
Fitting with our mission, students must demonstrate a willingness to make a positive contribution to their community through volunteerism and/or acts of empathy and compassion for those in need.
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Grateful For Our Donors
...At the Heart of Keeping Up with the Need
The need continues to increase, and we recently increased our weekly meal distribution to more than 2,800 meals each weekend! We couldn't have accomplished this without you!
South Bay Food Initiative - 144.5 lbs
Sira Velame - 43 lbs
Sandpipers - 27 lbs
1736 Family Crisis Center - 35 lbs
Carson Lions Club - 139 lbs
Girl Scout Troop 4795 - 197.5 lbs (Partial Pictured Left)
Want to see your name here next month? We are currently continuing to accept food donations by appointment only to ensure everyone's safety.
Click here to learn about our temporary donation procedures, download our non-perishable food Shopping List, find a link to our Amazon Wish List to have donations shipped directly to us, and more!
Please also consider a Financial Gift to help us manage the program.
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THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR
CORPORATE & FOUNDATION GRANTORS:
(Gifts Made in Support of July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 Programs)
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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 55 years. Our mission is to increase social and emotional wellness in youth and families in our community and we measure this impact through a rise in empathy and resilience for those we serve. To learn more about our programs and history, visit www.volcenter.org.
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