Thank you to all who supported us - 2015 Benefit Dinner and Costume Gala

Our 6th Annual Benefit Dinner and Costume Ball, the “Twisted Carnival”, dedicated to supporting the nonprofit’s youth development program and numerous outreach activities, was a success!  Thank you to the Event Committee:  Cam Francis, Deanna Santana, Jamie McCullough, Jessie Baratta, Julie Busch, Laura Leszinske, along with Eric Zeps and many youth and adult volunteers for working so hard to create an amazing night.

(Photo Credit: Menka Belgal, see all night’s photos here)

Diane Wilkinson Catering provided a stellar dinner and assortment of appetizers.  Youth participants greeted and served the attendees in the most professional manner, gaining real life experience.  The “Rock Monsterz” entertained guests and Southern Wine & Spirits, Wine Warehouse and Madrona Vineyards provided the wine and Placerville Brewing Company provided the beer.  Thank you all!

(Photo Credit: Menka Belgal, see all night’s photos here)

There was a silent and live auction, a dessert auction, dancing, and a fun photo booth provided by Martell O’Neal/KellerWilliams (see photos here). “Good Day Sacramento” television personality Mark S Allen emceed the event in his usual spirited and fun fashion.  Hayley Lehtola, past H4H Youth Board President, told her story of how her involvement with Hands4Hope has impacted her life from the time she joined as a young high school student to how she lives her life now as a college student at UC Berkeley.

Due to the generosity of attendees, the live and silent auctions, in addition to our Fund A Need, Hands4Hope raised just over $30,000!

Thank you to our Platinum and Gold Sponsors - Wells Fargo, US Bank, El Dorado Disposal, Seafloor, Blue Shield of Ca., El Dorado Hills Town Center (A Development by The Mansour/Nagle).  Thank you also to our event Table Sponsors - Fergerson Financial, KMAX-TV/CW31, Romo Incentives Group, Tech Shop, and Western Sign Company for making this event possible.

Thank you to our raffle and auction donors (listed below) for providing amazing items that brought in over $15,000 to support Hands4Hope’s life changing programs:

Anne Rhea	El Dorado Hills Fire Department	Lava Cap Winery	Sacramento Zoo
Anisha Belgal	El Vaquero	Leszinski Family	San Francisco 49'ers
Art Haus Cinema	Esquire IMAX Theatre	Mama Ann's Deli	Sienna
Asante Spa	Fine Arts Museums of San Francsico	Madrona Vineyards	Sierra Nevada Recreation Corp
Atlantis Casino Resort & Spa	Fit Ride	Mark S Allen	Silva Family
Bassett Family	Funderland	Morris Law Group	Snooks
Bill Wild	Golden Gate Park	Museum of Natural History Los Angeles	Sugar Bowl Corporation
Blue & Gold Fleet	Granite Arch	Outhouse Collection	The Melting Pot
Brice Station	Granite Bay Golf Course	Peterson Family	The Rink
Buckendorf Family	Harvey's Casino & Hotel	Pham Family	Time Out Spa
Cache Creek Casino Resort	ICE by Donna Burke	Pier 39	Timeless Home Gallery
Chantom Vineyards	Ideal Impressions	Placerville Brewing Co	TraVigne, St. Helena
Charles Mitchell Winery	Ironstone Winery	Purple Place	Urban Wax
Crystal Basin Winery	Jessie Baratta	Rainbow Orchards	Weiner Family
David Morris Law	KidzGear	Relish Burger Bar	Wells Fargo
Doug & Julie Busch	Laughs Unlimited	Sacramento Republic FC	Whole Foods

Please Consider Hands4Hope In Your Year-end Giving! Thank you!

Hello Hands4Hope Families, Friends, and Ambassadors!

As 2014 comes to a close, I’m sure you join me in thinking, “where has all the time gone!?” As we each reflect on this year – with our families, at our jobs, and in our communities – I’m proud to share some of the amazing accomplishments the Hands4Hope youth, leadership teams, families, and friends have achieved:

• Partnered with 15 local schools to engage 400 students in service learning projects which included: clothing and toiletries drives, fundraising projects benefiting the needs of local agencies and serving the less fortunate. Hands4Hope Clubs completed 26 projects during the 2013-14 school year, all to improve the lives of others.
• Planned, prepared and served 3,255 meals to homeless on the streets, to senior residents living in low income housing developments, and to mentally challenged women at a local shelter.
• Mentored children bi-weekly at a transition home for recovering moms and their children, where they built positive relationships with the children and served as positive role models demonstrating good and caring behavior.

“Hands4Hope provides an opportunity for youth to see and participate in the needs of others that they may have never seen or may never see and experience. Their efforts have produced many solutions to many of the social ills that plague our society.”   Ron Sachs, Job’s Shelter of the Sierra

To learn more about the many accomplishments of Hands4Hope youth, please watch our most recent video: http://www.hands4hopeyouth.org.

The commitment from our youth and families is the foundation of Hands 4 Hope; none of these results could be achieved without YOU, your imagination, creativity, passion, and support! I am deeply grateful for your many contributions.

Our numerous youth-led programs also depend on resources and funding. As you consider making your final tax-deductible donations for the 2013 year, or perhaps consider donations in a family member’s name as a holiday gift that keeps giving, please put Hands4Hope at the top of your list. Please donate directly through our website today: http://www.hands4hopeyouth.org/donate/. We are happy to supply a Certificate of Donation for those dedications. Checks are also gratefully accepted.

For a little as $20, your donation can fund a blanket, hand-made by our youth, to keep someone warm this winter. A donation of $50 allows our youth to prepare and deliver 25 meals to someone who otherwise would go hungry. A donation of $100 funds a “youth in action,” allowing a youth member to participate in our service learning and outreach programs for one year. And, a generous donation of $400 provides a scholarship allowing a youth member to attend our H4H leadership camp next summer, providing an at-risk youth to experience something that could change their lives forever.

I know this time of year is especially difficult to find the extra money in your household budget to give to local nonprofits, even those you love like Hands4Hope! My only ask is that you make every effort to support our organization by donating today at http://www.hands4hopeyouth.org and in doing so, support the more than 1200 youth involved and the thousands of community members who benefit from our programs.

Thank you for your support and commitment as we continue to develop programs that directly benefit our community, as well as the people we serve. We are making a difference every day, and that is something worth investing in!

Warm wishes for a happy & safe holiday season,

Jennifer Bassett

Jennifer Bassett
Founder/Executive Director
Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference
916.919.5695
www.hands4hopeyouth.org

Empowering youth to make a positive difference in the world around them through Exploration, Action, and Leadership.

Team Hope will be back in session on Wednesday September 17th.

Team Hope is the Hands4Hope afterschool program for the students in elementary school.  Team Hope meets once per month to discuss upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.  The meetings are fun and allow for members to explore ways to give back to the community, plan group outreach projects and volunteer in the community.

Team Hope's first informational meeting will be held on Wednesday September 17, 2014 from 3:30pm - 4:30pm at the Hands4Hope Youth Center, located at 877 Embaradero Dr., El Dorado Hills (next to the El Dorado Saloon).

For more information about Hands4Hope, visit www.hands4hopeyouth.org or call 916-294-7426.

For information about Team Dream and Team Inspire, our school club programs for middle school students and high school students, visit www.hands4hopeyouth.org, click on Get Involved, School Clubs.

Our 1st Annual School Supply Drive was a success!!

This summer we held our 1st Annual School Supply Drive to benefit children in need in El Dorado County. In the weeks leading up to the start of the 2014-2015 school year, Hands4Hope youth and adult volunteers, led by college intern Riley Peick, collaborated with multiple local businesses, organizations and residents to collect backpacks and school supplies. Supplies were then distributed to over 400 students during two events, one for students in grades K-8^th and one for students in grades 9^th-12^th.

Led by a committee of five young volunteers committed to this cause, another 111 volunteers were put into action, handling the marketing of the drive, and collection and distribution of the supplies. In all, youth and adult volunteers worked over 130 hours to plan and implement the school supply drive.

We are proud to report that over 400 students were provided with new backpacks filled with necessary school supplies. With generous donations from businesses and community members alike, Hands4Hope received an estimated total of $29,517 worth of school supplies, including over 500 backpacks! In addition, Hands4Hope received a total of $1,557 in cash and gift card donations.

Hands4Hope Youth Development Coordinator NicoleCraine expressed her gratitude for the generosity shown by the community, “We are grateful for the incredible support from local businesses and residents. Together we have most certainly made a contribution to the well-being of the children who have benefited.”

Hands4Hope would like to acknowledge the local businesses and agencies that supported the school supply drive: Blue Shield of CA, California Welcome Center, Community Service District, DST, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department, El Dorado Disposal, El Dorado Hills Fire Department (All locations), El Dorado Hills Library, Hangtown Skate Shop, Holy Trinity Parish, Lakehills Church, Office Max (Placerville), Rock’n Frogs, Rolling Hills Church, Round Table Pizza (El Dorado Hills Town Center) Royal Tattoo VI, Sam’s Club (Folsom), St. Stephens Church, Starbucks (Francisco), Starbucks (El Dorado Hills Town Center), The Gift of Kids, US Bank (White Rock Road),  Ethos Soccer Club and Zia’s.

Also, a huge thank you goes to the Placerville Union School District and the El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE) for allowing Hands4Hope to utilize space at Schnell School and EDCOE to distribute the donated school supplies to students in need. Without the support of local residents, and these business and agencies, 400 El Dorado County students would not have been well prepared for their first day of school.   

We are already making plans for its 2nd Annual School Supply Drive. If you are interested in participating in this resource collection and distribution effort, please contact Nicole Craine,  nicole@hands4hopeyouth.org.

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!

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.