Volunteer Spotlight: Riley Peick

Riley is one of our college-aged interns, assisting Hands4Hope this summer.  Riley Peick currently lives in El Dorado Hills for the summer and will be returning to Saint Louis University (St. Louis, Missouri) in the fall to continue his studies in Business.  

Riley moved to California the middle of his sophomore year of high school and attended Sacramento-based Jesuit High School until graduating. Wanting to continue his Jesuit education, Riley decided to attend Saint Louis University. This is where his passion for service really kicked off!  Joining a learning community called Micah, he was able to find a permanent service site and a lot of other fun and rewarding service events, much like Hands4Hope has.

"I got to go on a service learning trip to Honduras in January that was focused on microfinance and poverty alleviation for those living in extreme poverty. Already wanting to become an economics professor one day, this trip added to my desire to learn more about economic development and use my business degree for something beneficial to help the world's 3 billion people who live on less than two dollars a day!" exclaims Riley.

As Riley returned home to El Dorado Hills, he wanted to continue his service work and asked to intern with Hands4Hope for the summer​.  "I chose to volunteer at Hands4Hope because it reminded me a lot of what I had done in college. I love to help plan service experiences and Hands4Hope was a perfect fit for me," says Riley.

Riley ​is in the process of leading Hands4Hope's first School Supply Drive and has done a phenomonal job!  "Riley has taken his summer internship with Hands4Hope to another level! His commitment to service and the youth involved with Hands4Hope is evident through his continued and tireless efforts.  Riley has been an instrumental leader in the 1^st annual Hands4Hope School Supply Drive. As a result of his commitment, coordination and planning we are confident that many students in El Dorado County will be prepared and ready for the 2014-2015 school year!" explains Nicole Craine, our Youth Development Coordinator. 

Mikan, our Outreach Coorindator, further adds "Riley’s enthusiasm and willingness to not just help, but to take on the responsibility of handling details, has made our summer events much more successful.  We’ll miss him when he returns to school!"

Thank you Riley for all your hard work and commitment to Hands4Hope!

Volunteer Spotlight: Ethan Weiner

Ethan and his family in their Hands4Hope t-shirts.

Ethan Weiner is an incoming freshman at Ponderosa High School and comes from a highly involved Hands4Hope family. His sister helped start the H4H Club at Union Mine High School and his mother serves on the H4H Board of Directors. After seeing their experiences, Ethan, along with some friends, decided to start a H4H Club at Herbert Green Middle School. Ethan said, “I saw the opportunity to start the Hands4Hope Club at Herbert Green as my friend and I were looking for a way to give back to our community and there were no opportunities to volunteer at our school that I knew of.” 

With guidance from Jennifer Bassett and the youth development coordinator, Ethan and his friends were able to hit the ground running. The first project the group voted to support was to help foster children with supplies they might need (clothes, school supplies, etc.). After a group breakout session and discussion, they decided to host a carnival, with games and prizes to bring in donations for their project.  “The carnival was a huge success and we learned how difficult it is to organize and promote an event. I believe the lessons learned will help me in the future when I join the Club at Ponderosa in the fall and then on in life,” stated Ethan.

When asked about his experience with Hands4Hope Ethan responded, “By being involved with Hands4Hope it has changed my perspective as to what a leader is and how anybody can be a leader. I look forward to continuing to give back to my community for years to come and bettering my leadership skills while continuing with H4H. I hope to assist in H4H expanding throughout our local community and more. I really enjoyed bringing the H4H Club to Herbert Green and hope it lives for years to come.”

Thank you Ethan for all you do with Hands4Hope!

To see the Hands4Hope Club at Herbert Green Middle School in action CLICK HERE!

Hands4Hope's 1st Annual School Drive

(Looking for distribution events?  Scroll to bottom)

The Details:

The 1st annual Hands4Hope School Supply Drive will benefit children in need in El Dorado County. Hands4Hope youth leaders & volunteers will work with local business, agencies  and community members to collect items such as: backpacks, notebooks, pencils, pens, scissors, glue sticks, binder paper, construction paper, Kleenex and other school supply items.

Our Goal:

The goal for this event is to provide a backpack filled with necessary school supplies to each child in need before school begins in early August 2014.  To match previous collection efforts made by The Placerville Union School District the drive will need to collect enough school supplies and backpacks to serve 240 students (K-8^th grades). However, the El Dorado Union High School District has expressed great interest in Hands4Hope expanding the drive to also provide school supplies to students in grades 9-12^th.

List of Greatest Needs:

• Backpacks
• Composition books
• Pens
• Pencils
• Red Pens
• Folders
• Enclosed pencil sharpeners
• Glue sticks
• Construction paper
• Kleenex
• Binder paper
• Dry erase markers
• Highlighters

Events & Actions:

Community Donation Bins:

Hands4Hope donation bins for community donations of school supplies will be available July 14-August 3, 2014 at the following business and/or agencies:

•    Starbucks (2215 Francisco Dr, EDH)
•    Starbucks (4311 Town Center Blvd, EDH)
•    El Dorado Hills Fire Station #84 (Francisco Drive, EDH)
•    El Dorado Hills Fire Station #85 (Wilson Dr, EDH)
•    El Dorado Hills Fire Station #86 (Bass Lake Drive, EDH)
•    El Dorado Hills Fire Station #87 (Golden Foothill Pkway, EDH)
•    St. Stephens Church (Olsen Ln, EDH)
•    Lakehills Church (Rossmore Ln, EDH)
•    EDH Library (Silva Valley Pkwy, EDH)
•    California Welcome Center (Town Center, EDH)
•    Round Table (Town Center (Town Center, EDH)
•    Zia’s (Town Center, EDH)
•    Community Service District (El Dorado Hills Blvd, EDH)
•    Rock’n Frogs (2201 Francisco Dr, EDH)
•    US Bank (1020 White Rock Road) 
•    El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department (300 Fair lane road Placerville)

Neighborhood School Supply Blitz:

On July 19^th (9:00am-12:00pm) Hands4Hope youth volunteers will lead a Neighborhood School Supply Blitz by Distributing 1,200 Hands4Hope School Supply Fliers along with donation bags to residents in three local communities (Blackstone, Promontory, and Four Seasons). Volunteers will return to those neighborhoods on July 29^th (9:00am-12:00pm) to collect donation bags. 

Tabling Events:

Office Max-On July 27th and August 3^rd (12:00-2:00pm) youth volunteers in partnership with Office Max will set up a donation table in front of the Office Max located at 3041 Forni Rd Placerville. Patrons will be able to purchase prepackaged supply kits ready for donation.Sam’s Club- On July 27^th (12:00-2:00pm) youth volunteers will set up a donation table in front of the Sam’s Club located at 2495 Iron Point Rd, Folsom. Patrons will be able to purchase requested school supplies and donate as they leave the store.

How you can help:

     1. Purchase the items in greatest need
 

     2. Drop off at any of the Community Donation Bins.If you live in the El Dorado Hills' communities for the Neighborhood School Supply Blitz, leave the items on your doorstep during the collection time.Or visit us at any of the Table Events.

Distribution Events:

To register for either event, click here.

Sponsor Spotlight - Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield employees volunteering at the  Winter Boutique

 

As a mission-driven company, Blue Shield of California has dedicated itself serving the community. Through our “Shield Cares” program, we empower employees to become active volunteers where they live and work. The El Dorado Hills office supports several organizations in the Sacramento area, including the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, Center for Violence Free Relationships, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Twin Lakes Food Bank, Triumph Cancer Foundation and Hands4Hope.

Blue Shield first supported Hands4Hope three years ago as a sponsor of its Haunted House. Blue Shield Director of Finance Charles Sharp joined the organization’s board of directors in 2012, and in February, a dress drive was held in El Dorado Hills. Later this summer, Sharp’s team will work with H4H to provide lunch, toiletries and clothing to the homeless population in the Sacramento area. Blue Shield’s sponsorship also contributed to the H4H youth center.

“I was introduced to Hands4Hope by T. Abraham and Jen Bassett in 2011, and was immediately drawn to their mission of social responsibility and bringing hope and opportunity to young people,” said Sharp. “Hands4Hope is all about making a difference for the next generation.”

About Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield of California, an independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health plan with 3.3 million members, 5,000 employees and $10.8 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 and headquartered in San Francisco, Blue Shield of California provides health, life, dental, vision, and Medicare insurance and health care service plans in California. Blue Shield of California was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The company has contributed more than $325 million over the past ten years to the Blue Shield of California Foundation, one of BusinessWeek's most generous corporate foundations. Contact your local agent or broker about Blue Shield of California products and services, or visit www.blueshieldca.com. 

Introducing Our Youth Development Coordinator and Communications Coordiantor

The Hands4Hope Administration team has added two new employees and we are pleased to say, we are fully staffed!  We recently hired a new Youth Developement Coordiator, Nicole Craine, and Communications Coordinator, Samantha DeLeon, to our staff.  

Nicole oversees the development and implementation of service learning and leadership programs for Hands4Hope in El Dorado and Sacramento Counties. She has more than 16 years experience in the fields of education and youth development, and has worked in direct service, program coordination and administration. Prior to her work with Hands4Hope she worked as a district level administrator with San Juan Unified School District overseeing multiple state and federally funded programs.  Nicole was also an active leader/ trainer in the after-school program field, as well as a member of the California After-School Network Leadership Team. She studied psychology and sociology at Sacramento State University.  

​Nicole resides in El Dorado Hills with her husband Rick and two children Liv (10) and Jack (7), who attend Jackson Elementary School.  Nicole is also a personal chef and caterer. 

Samantha oversees the coordination of all organization communication including the newsletter, social media posts, ​​for fundraisers and projects, as well as other promotional material.  Samantha has more than 10 years experience in communications and marketing.  With a degree in Communications and an eye for design, Samantha will help promote Hands4Hope and the wonderful work our youth are doing to the greater community. Samantha and her family moved up north from Southern California almost ​four years ago. She, her husband and two daughters, Jordan (6) and Anniston (4) reside in El Dorado Hills.  Samantha is also a family and child photographer.

Shan Harkleroad remains as the Office Manager and Mikan G​osuico as our Outreach Coordinator.

 ​ ​
​We are thrilled to have gathered this incredible team, with such an array of talent, to take Hands4Hope to the next level.​

Adult Volunteers Needed!

Dear Volunteers & Supporters,

Have you seen the #HashtagLunchbag commercial by Well's Fargo (one of our main sponsors)?  If not, click on the above video to watch it.  

Did you know we do something VERY similar to that commercial?  Our Sacramento Homeless Outreach is one of our on-going monthly outreaches.  Each month, our youth and up to four adult volunteers make sack lunches and go out to designated streets of Sacramento to bring lunch and much need personal items to the homeless.  A couple volunteer hours and a kind gesture makes a lasting impression to those unfortunate in Sacramento.  

This very outreach has been canceled in past months and could continue to be canceled in upcoming months.  And it's not the only outreach that is in danger of being canceled.  Why?  Lack of adult volunteers.  We have many youth, ready and willing to lend a helping hand and reach out to our community, however, we desperately need the adults to lead them.  

What exactly is an Adult Lead?

The Adult Lead volunteer role varies, but for the most part they are in charge coordinating the necessary items at the outreach, and most importantly overseeing our youth volunteers to make sure they are safe and helpful.  Carpooling is sometimes involved, especially in outreaches outside of El Dorado Hills, like in the Placerville and Sacramento areas.    For most outreaches, like the Sacramento Homeless outreach, there are two experienced adult volunteers co-leading  the event.

Who is this adult lead a good fit for?

Ideally for adult volunteers with middle or high school age youth or adult volunteers who enjoy working with youth.  We welcome adults over 18, college students, retired persons, and everyone in between. A Live Scan clearance (finger printing) is required.

Do I have to commit to volunteering every month?

No, we do ask that you volunteer at least once every other month for a commitment of three to six months.  However, if our pool of adult leads increases, we can spread out the commitment.

Do you train adult leads before they lead their own group?

Yes! We will never send you out to lead any outreach unless you are experienced and confident. Our Outreach Coordinator will give you all of the information and support you need. Some of our seasoned adult leads are available to mentor and guide you as you learn. We also host Adult Lead training sessions at our Youth Center periodically.  The best training is experience so please get started now by signing up to attend an outreach.

For more information on becoming an adult lead volunteer, questions or concerns, please contact Mikan Gosuico at 916.548.4499 or email mikan@hands4hopeyouth.org.

Want to join an outreach and check it out for yourself, click here to view a list of current outreaches.

June Volunteer Spotlight: Claire Snyder

In 7th grade Claire Snyder's friend asked her to join the Hands4Hope Club at Rolling Hills Middle School. She quickly realized exactly what a good choice she had made and served as the Club's Secretary. "My favorite part about being involved with Hands4Hope is how everyone is really connected and is part of something bigger," explains Claire.

Claire has just completed her sophomore year as Oak Ridge High School. She has been involved with Hands4Hope for more than three years. During this time she is pleased to say, "I have learned better leadership and communication skills, and to appreciate everything that I have."  One of her most meaningful experiences with H4H was when she did her first homeless outreach. Claire said that "just seeing the smiles on the people's faces and how a simple act of kindness can really brighten someone's day was a great feeling." 

When not volunteering with Hands4Hope, Claire, like most teens, enjoys spending time with her friends and running. Claire looks forward to continuing to participating in her school H4H Club and volunteering for outreaches, and summer internship. While doing this she hopes to continue to gain valuable and meaningful experience.

 Thank you Claire, for all you do with Hands4Hope!