Highlights from our annual Hands4Hope Youth Leadership Camp

Seventeen high school Hands4Hope Club leaders participated in the 4th Annual Hands4Hope Youth Leadership Camp, spending 2 nights and 3 days at the Coloma Outdoor Discovery School (CODS) in Coloma. This camp provided an opportunity for all of the Hands4Hope (H4H) High School Club leaders to come together from six local high schools including: Union Mine, El Dorado, Ponderosa, Oak Ridge, Folsom, and Mira Loma. 

Hands4Hope High School Club Leaders participated in both the low and high ropes courses at CODS. In addition, the H4H Leaders participated in a series of workshops focused on strength-based leadership development, meeting and project development skills, and site-based teambuilding. We were also fortunate to have El Dorado County Sherriff D’Agostini as our camp closing speaker. 

These teambuilding and leadership development opportunities provide an excellent opportunity for Hands4Hope youth leaders to build foundational skills essential for running a successful service learning club in the 2014-2015 school year. Hands4Hope staff will continue to support and offer additional progressive leadership skill building opportunities for our young leaders throughout the year. 

Haley Lehtola, this year’s Youth Board President, had this to say about Hands4Hope’s Leadership Camp, “I have gone to camp for the past two year and can honestly say that I use the skills from camp everyday. With Hands4Hope, I am pushed past my comfort zone and grow as a leader. I also love getting the opportunity to bond with my fellow leaders so we can work together throughout the year.”

Our high school H4H Club leaders are excited to kick off the 2014 - 2015 school club year; many have meetings scheduled for as early as mid-September.

My Experience At NTLP

NTLP (National Teen Leadership Program) is a motivating, inspiring and fun three-day camp at Sacramento State University.  We've been sending youth for years and we always enjoy sharing their great experiences.

NTLP was without a doubt the highlight of my summer.  The life lessons are definitely going to stick with me throughout my life.

I came into NTLP expecting it to be another boring camp where the speakers are all the same and speak on the same thing, but I was definitely surprised with how good of speakers NTLP provided, especially Calvin Terell. 

Listening to Calvin speak was pretty much a life changing experience, he's such a powerful speaker who really made me think and evaluate myself... my parents even said I came back home more mature, just after those three days. 

It was also really exciting getting to be a college student for a little bit.  We stayed in dorms and all had roommates and we all had to make it to the different seminars or events on time. We also did a lot of team building activities, pretty much always done in silence, which really strengthened our communication skills and brought us all closer together.  

I loved NTLP and I can't wait for the next one and to be reunited with the friends I met there and to also make new ones. I really enjoyed how everybody was themselves and I got to truly express myself.  I don't think I've ever danced like that at my own school's dance before, I really felt comfortable and at home at NTLP and can't wait for the next one!

-Writted By: Kellien

Youth Volunteer Spotlight: Haley

{Haley, right, at the Spring Food Blitz 2012}

Haley started volunteering in September of 2011 after hearing about it from a friend and joining the ORHS Hands4Hope club. She said she was hooked on it after her first few Outreach Activities. Since September, Haley has volunteered nearly 50 hours.

Haley said Hands4Hope has had a positive impact on her life. “I have really come to appreciate more of what I have,” she said. “Volunteering has made me a better person because it opens my eyes to how fortunate I am, even for the simplest things like food and clothes.” She said it has also changed the way she looks at things. “Before I joined H4H, when I saw a homeless person I didn’t really think much of them. But now, when I see a homeless person, I think… how can I help?”

“I enjoy all of the outreach activities, but my favorite is working with White Rock Village doing Project Birthday and making lunches with them,” she said. “When I am at White Rock, it feels like everyone is a big family and I have grown close to some of the kids. I look forward to visiting them and I know they will always find a way to make my day.”

Haley said she’s had many memorable moments volunteering. “When I was volunteering at GVCC, I met a 7-year-old girl and her father. Her dad was telling us about how she makes him sandwiches for dinner and helps him all the time because it’s just the two of them,” she said. “I will always remember this because I was amazed at how mature and responsible this girl was at 7.”

“I have definitely stepped out of my comfort zone by being a part of Hands4Hope,” she said. “Being part of the youth committee at Oak Ridge has taught me responsibility and communication skills. Before joining I was not expecting to have so much responsibility with helping plan activities like Project Birthday. It has also taught me to become more open in expressing my ideas.”

Haley said Hands4Hope has given her an idea of what she wants to do in her future. “I'm not exactly sure what I want to be when I grow up, but I know that I want to help people. Hands4Hope has really helped me realize my passion for wanting to help others.”

{Haley and team serving cupcakes at the Gifts of Mercy dinner in 2011}

{Haley, right, helping out at the Winter Boutique}

Thank you for all of your hard work, Haley!  We are so lucky to have you.

My Journey As A Mentor

The first day I started working at the Hope House I was incredibly nervous. I had never been great when it came to watching little kids and making sure they didn’t run with scissors in their hands or decide to finger paint a wall. However, when I was asked to become a mentor for a little girl (Sophia) who had a tough going in the recent years, I knew I couldn’t refuse. Four months later, my two mentor friends (Connor & Andrew) and I still go to hang out with our buddies. We had thought our goal would be to simply help the kids stay on the right track; it turned out to be much more than that. As our visits progressed, the kids began to open up to us in ways we had never expected.

When we played hide and seek, each child paired up with one of us and would refuse to leave our side, even if that meant giving away our hiding spot every time. Sometimes when Connor played prisoner with his buddy Israel, the seven year old would yell for Andrew or I to save him from “the monster.” In a way I believe we have become the kid's heroes. During the most recent time we visited the kids, Charlie who is the youngest, began to cry for no apparent reason. We tried to comfort him and ask him what was wrong, he simply replied, “I don’t want you guys to leave,” and then clung on to us. Every time we have to leave the Hope House, my friend Sophia, the oldest of the three, gives me a giant bear hug for three seconds, let go of me for two seconds, and then hug me again. She repeats this process about nine times, or until I was outside of our car. The last time she did this she looked me straight in the eye and said, “I love you.”

At first I was in shock of her statement, I had never expected to become this close to the kids. Although, when I thought it over I realized that I did in fact love those three little monsters right back. Originally I had been brought to the Hope House to help the kids stay on track with school and teach them right from wrong, but each time I come to visit I also become more of an older sister to the three of them. Talking to Connor and Andrew, I know they both feel the same way as well. Both of them have done so much for the kids whether they bring their guitars to teach the kids how to play, or allow the children to draw mustaches and uni brows on their faces simply to allow them to have a good time. We all three have become very attached to our kids, in a way very much like a family. I know I would do just about anything to see a smile appear on Sophia’s face.

Written by: Mackenzie

Hope House Mentor

(Hope House is an alcohol and drug free transitional housing program that provides a more comprehensive solution for homeless single women and their children. For more about Hope House, please click here)