Volunteer Center eReport - September 2022

September 2022 Report

"Touching Hearts and Opening Minds"

Letter From the President/CEO

I was speaking on the phone this morning to one of our supporters and we were both expressing shock at how quickly Fall is flying by. She exclaimed, "I don't know about you, but it really seems like it should still be October 4th!" I couldn't have agreed more. Suddenly the air is getting cooler, the rain is coming, the nights are shorter, and we are all scrambling to wrap our heads around how fast the impending holidays are approaching.

We had a lively September, as schools started back in session. We welcomed our Food for Kids volunteers back to their regular weekly schedules. Then we kicked off our fall cohort of the Impact Makers Building Skills for Life high school service program. I have personally had a chance to observe and meet some of the students, and I am so touched by this program and the growth the students are already showing after just three short weeks. I have so much empathy for their personal stories and the experiences they had during COVID. It's wonderful to have the building full of excited voices, laughter, and cheering once again. You can read more about the program and this year's selected students down below. We are also really grateful for the outpouring of donations from so many of you in response to our continued pleas for more food- thank you!

We moved our annual Trunk or Treat event to November, so we could participate in several other important community events also scheduled for October 27, including the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce's western-themed Business Expo and Showcase. We hope you will don your cowboy hat and boots and stop by our booth to say hi and take a moment to help prepare an item for our Operation Teddy Bear schoolbags.

Then please join us on November 17 for our newly expanded Day of Giving. (More info down below!)

Wishing you continued kindness & empathy,

Impact Makers Building Skills for Life Now Underway

When we advertised openings for the fall cohort of our new teen program we were overwhelmed by the number of responses we received! Nearly sixty local high school students applied for just 15 slots. Gratefully, we were able to expand our program so that 20 lucky students were selected to join us as we kicked off our first meeting on Tuesday, September 27th. Our fall cohort represents an incredible cross-section of our diverse community with students from eight cities and nine different high schools.

The student participants will spend 12 weeks learning important life skills, identifying their strengths, unlocking their leadership potential, building their character, and learning about our community's needs during their Tuesday night sessions. They will also apply those skills and empathy to their volunteer placement sites to complete more than 60 hours of service learning. We are proud to be partnering with Toberman Neighborhood Center and Family Promise to help our Impact Makers learn first-hand where care is needed most in our community.

Plans are already underway for our spring cohort which will kick off in February and be held at the new Allcove student center in the beach cities. Applications will open in January, so please monitor this newsletter and https://volcenter.org/youth-teens/ to learn more.

You're Invited: Fall Day of Kindness - November 17

The need for food donations is still urgent, so we are excited to invite you to participate in our Fall Day of Giving on Thursday, November 17. This is our third annual drive-through food collection where we ask you to donate urgently needed shelf-stable food for our Food for Kids children and families.

This year's event will be even bigger, as we will also be opening our doors to invite the community in for family-friendly volunteer activities to help us prepare materials for our Operation Teddy Bear schoolbag program.

Whether you quickly drive by just to drop off food or stop in to learn more about us and help make a learning clock, math tool, or teddy bear tag- we hope to see you! There is no fee to participate, however, to help ensure we have enough supplies, snacks, and prizes, please sign up here if you are interested in joining! Please help spread the word!

We Need an Operation Teddy Bear Packing Location!

It's that time of year when we put out an urgent call to our community to help us find a donated site where we can ship more than 60,000 items and pack more than 3,000 Operation Teddy Bear bags.

We need 3-4K square feet of space in or near the city of Torrance for three months December 1 - February 28, 2023. A complete list of desired specifications is available here. Please spread the word to any property owners, real estate brokers, or other community leaders that you know who might be able to help.

Please contact (310) 212-5009 or sara@volcenter.org with any leads.

Our Basement Door Remains Closed...

After lots of hard work and close partnership with the City of Torrance, unfortunately, we've determined that our basement mystery game must remain closed to the public. After a recent walk-through with representatives from Building and Planning and Fire and Safety, we realized that the investments needed to change the use permit and keep up with the rapidly changing codes are way too cost-prohibitive. We will revisit the drawing board and see what other unique ideas we can come up with!

Together, We're Feeding Our Community!

Our new school year is well underway and it was a wonderful month for donations- thank you! We especially need peanut butter and jelly, canned and packaged fruit, and breakfast items including packets of oatmeal, boxes of cereal, granola/fruit/protein bars.

Donations can be dropped off any time between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. For after-hour donations, please schedule a time with Jon Phelps: jon@volcenter.org. You can also order donations off of our Amazon Wishlist below, just please list your name in the delivery information so we can thank you!

Anonymous - 45 meals

Dianne & Hans Bozler - 173 meals

Denise Beggs - 22 meals

JoAnn Frisch - 128 meals

Josh White's Bar Mitzvah Collection - 1,287 meals

Liz Reinhardt - 9 meals

Phelps Family - 101 meals

Renee Moilanen - 98 meals

Rubin Family - 101 meals

Sandpipers - 153 meals

South Bay Food Initiative - 511 meals

Torrance Woman's Club - 172 meals

Total Meals Donated: 2,799 meals!

Our Amazon Wishlist

FEATURED KINDNESS OPPORTUNITY

The annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk is a HUGE community event that has thousands of walkers and an ambitious goal to raise $2.5 million for local schools and organizations that serve local children.

The event still has volunteer positions available to assist with vendor check-in, hydration for the walkers, and tear-down. Click on the logo to learn more and browse through the opportunities!

Thank You to Our Loyal Hearts

Monthly Donors:

Anonymous

in honor of all the children and families

Jean Adelsman

Barbazette Family Trust

Pauline Beecroft

Denise & Vince Beggs

Dianne & Hans Bozler

in loving memory of our nephew

Colin Tyler Arbuckle

Jacqueline Crowley

Anne & Ray Destabelle

in honor of Dianne and Hans Bozler

Heather and Kevin Goyan

Sue Herbers

The Holt Family

Mildred Jones

Susan Kettel

in honor of Richard Kettel

Ellen and Bob Kircher

Sherry Kramer

in honor of Lilyanna Kramer

Trish Krusee

in honor of Adam Heath

Cari Lesser

Lisa Lunde

Cheryl Morrow

Sue Munson

Pamela Popovich

Liz Reinhardt

Susan Rubio

Fern Ruiz

Steve & Beth Wilson

Maureen Vague & Richard Tovo

Steve Yeager & Samuel Sampson

Thank You to Our Major Corporate and Foundation Grantors:

(Gifts Made in Support of July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023 Programs)

The Volunteer Center galvanizes the community to create an umbrella of care where it is needed most. We use six decades of collaboration and partnerships to broaden our impact and truly understand the most urgent needs. Right now, those needs are youth mental health, food insecurity, and social inequality. We offer programs that use the power of empathy to touch hearts and open minds through meaningful volunteer experiences and service. We know that a community of lifelong, resilient volunteers will create a more kind, connected, and equitable world where we all can thrive.

To learn more about our programs and impact, visit volcenter.org.