Behind The Cause - Green Valley Community Church Outreaches

Green Valley Community Church (GVCC), located in Placerville, is one of the largest food distribution points in El Dorado County.  The church serves between 150-300 people every Saturday, preparing and serving them a warm meal while they wait to go through the grocery food line.  There is also a clothes closet where people can shop for free.  In 2008, Jennifer Bassett, our Hands4Hope founder and executive director, learned about GVCC and their outreach through the Food Bank of El Dorado County and wanted to get youth involved in this heartfelt effort.  Since then, youth and adult participants have served and continue to serve alongside GVCC volunteers on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month, helping distribute food, run carts, bag clothes, serve the meal, clear tables, etc.  

While volunteering, Hands4Hope youth participants noticed a need - a need for a safe place for children to be cared for while their parents/guardians shopped.  GVCC members also noticed this need.  In 2011, Hands4Hope and GVCC collaborated to create the Kid’s Oasis.  This is a safe, on-site place for the children of the Saturday Cafe clients to go while their parents go through the grocery line (which can take as long as 2 hours) and shop for clothes.  Hands4Hope runs the Kid's Oasis the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.  Our youth and adult participants implement kid-friendly activities each week, including crafts and games.  All crafts are provided by Hands4Hope volunteers and staff.  

To participate in one of these outreaches, check out the Upcoming Events page on our website.

Welcome UBS Buckendorf Wealth Management

http://financialservicesinc.ubs.com/team/buckendorf/

We are pleased to announce one of our newest sponsors UBS Buckendorf Wealth Management!  We recently interviewed Todd Buckendorf to learn more about him and his business…

Tell us about yourself and your company.

My name is Todd Buckendorf.  I have been in the financial services industry for over 27 years, and my specialty is helping individuals achieve their goals and dreams through wealth management and estate planning strategies. My hope is to simplify peoples' lives so they can spend more time enjoying it. On a personal note, I have lived in El Dorado Hills for 22 years with my wife and two, now-adult daughters. In my free moments I enjoy family time, photography, skiing, and tennis.

What has been your involvement with Hands4hope?

My involvement with Hands4Hope began first through my two daughters and then my wife, shortly after the organization began in 2008. As they got more and more involved, it inspired me to give back and make a difference too. It became something positive we could do as a family. Hands4Hope has numerous ways to get involved. Over the years, I have volunteered at the Homeless Outreaches in Sacramento, the annual Haunted House at Town Center, Mercy Senior Housing, the Youth Board Dinner, Blanket Making, and at the Veterans’ Breakfast in Placerville.

What is the reason(s) for sponsoring Hands4Hope?

My reasons for sponsoring Hands4Hope are, generally speaking, three-fold: First, it a local, non-profit, youth-driven organization unlike any of its kind! Second, it empowers over 1,200

youth members from kindergarten through 12th grade to explore opportunities, get involved, and take on leadership roles. Third, these youth truly make a difference in the community. These experiences, I believe are important to help develop good qualities in children. They are our future.

What has been your experience with our organization?

My experiences with Hands4Hope have always been positive. I have experienced firsthand not only the growth my own two children made through participation in this organization but the growth that hundreds of other youth have made as well. Whenever I volunteer I really enjoy working with the youth. They are genuinely good hearted and a pleasure to be around.

As a family, we have been involved in numerous other organizations from sports to volunteering in other countries; however, I simply cannot say enough good things about what youth are doing through Hands4Hope.

Welcome Yoko Kono, Hands4Hope's New Program Assistant

Please help us welcome our newest addition to the Hands4Hope staff, Yoko Kono.  She is our Program Assistant and will assist the Outreach Coordinator with communication and coordination of adult and youth volunteers. The Program Assistant will be a strong supporter of the organization’s cause, collaborate with other non-profit agencies for the benefit of the community, and be responsible for completing diverse administrative tasks and for collaborating with other Hands4Hope staff.

Yoko and her family have been very active with Hands4Hope for the last 6 years.  In a recent interview, we learn more about Yoko...

Tell us about your family:

My husband, Danton, and I have three boys.  Brayden, 14, is a freshman at Oak Ridge High School; Rylan,12, is in 7th grade at Rolling Hills Middle School; and Tristan, 9, is in 4th grade at Silva Valley Elementary School.  

We are a very active family and love to be outdoors.  Brayden and Rylan play lacrosse and soccer competitively, while Tristan enjoys cross country, swimming, and mountain biking.   As a family, we love to ski and to go up to the mountains every chance we get!

What has been your involvement with Hands4Hope?

We began participating in Hands4Hope programs about 6 years ago.  My kids were very young at the time and we started with local outreaches such as blanket making and helping with the Warm & Fuzzy Drive and the Toiletries Drive at Silva Valley.  

As we got more involved, we branched out to do other services such as Sacramento Homeless Outreach, which has been our favorite for many years.  The boys are also involved with the Hands4Hope school clubs.  I began getting more involved as well by joining Hands4Hope's Parent Advisory Committee a few years ago.  Since then, I have seen Hands4Hope help hundreds of people in need in this community.  I have also witnessed the youth volunteers develop leadership and communication skills as well as compassion for people less fortunate.

What does your family like to do together?

For the past four years, we have gone camping with many families from El Dorado Hills over Labor Day weekend.  We also went on our first family backpacking trip in Ansel Adams Wilderness last summer and will be making that an annual trip as well!  Many trips to Disneyland and family reunions in Hawaii are also things we enjoy as a family.

You've been involved with Hands4Hope for a while, what are the reasons for that?

We joined Hands4Hope to teach our kids to help people who are in need and to have unconditional love for those less fortunate.  In return, my boys are learning how to assess the needs in our community, plan fundraisers and drives, and see the impact they can make.  They are also exposed to the realities of homelessness and have hands-on experience making their lives a little better by giving them food and basic needs such as socks and toiletries. The experiences we have had through Hands4Hope are priceless!

Behind The Cause - Homeless Outreach

Our homeless outreach has been a staple outreach since the beginning of Hands4Hope.  The Sacramento Homeless Outreach project started in June 2008.  At the time, Jennifer Bassett, Founder and Executive Director, administered a survey asking youth participants involved at that time what areas of need they wanted to  focus on.  The homeless community was one of the top two choices.  

The Sacramento Homeless Outreach always starts with food donations.  A list of needed items is posted to the website and individuals or families select items they would like to donate and deliver them to the H4H Youth Center. On the day of the outreach, youth and adult participants sort the donations and make a plan for preparing the lunches and gathering other needed items for the outreach, such as socks and toiletries. They work as a team to pack the lunches and then pack the cars for caravaning down to Sacramento, near Loaves and Fishes.  Before leaving the Youth Center, participants do quick introductions and discuss what to expect and safety guidelines for the outreach. Once in Sacramento,  participants set up tables and organize distribution of food, drinks, and other basic need items in stations, manned by the youth and overseen by the adult mentors.  The participants pass out the lunches, along with dog food, toiletries, sock, and blankets (during the cold months).  The preparation for the outreach was originally done in the Mercy White Rock Village community center, then later moved to the Raley’s Community Room,  and is now done in our Youth Center off of Embarcadero Drive.  

The popularity of the Sacramento Homeless Outreach led into the Placerville Homeless Outreach, which started in 2009.

On average, each of the homeless outreaches have occurred nine times a year since they started.  Since the beginning, Hands4Hope has facilitated over 120 homeless outreaches with over 1,500 youth participants, parents, and adult mentors,serving over 13,000 meals in the homeless communities of Sacramento and Placerville.

The Sacramento Homeless Outreaches continues to be a popular outreach.  To serve at a homeless outreach, check out the Upcoming Events page on our website.

Check out some pictures from homeless outreaches done throughout the years...

Hands4Hope youth participants receive The El Dorado Community Vision Coalition Youth STAR Awards

The El Dorado Community Vision Coalition held its 9th Annual Youth STAR Awards on January 23rd and four of Hands4Hope’s high school youth were nominated and received prestigious award for their time and efforts in helping the community and making a difference in the lives of others.

The Youth Star Award ceremony is an event dedicated to recognizing youth for their outstanding contributions of leadership, mentoring, and participation or volunteerism in making a positive difference in El Dorado County. Through community sponsorships and fundraisers the Vision Coalition is able to host a three hour gala event for the youth who do so much in our community. They receive a trophy and a State Assembly Certificate signed by Assemblywoman Beth Gaines, along with a complimentary dinner.

Congratulations to Sarah Connor, Kelly McMillen, and Madeline Simko who were nominated by Hands4Hope and received a STAR award that night!  Sophia Sanchez, a Hands4Hope Youth Board member and one of the youth leads for Project Birthday, also received a STAR Award.  She was nominated by Eddie Zacapa, resident program coordinator for Mer

cy Housing, El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park.