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

Warm and Fuzzy Drive 2015

Thank you to the four El Dorado Hills elementary schools involved in our school drive, William Brooks, Silva Valley, Lakeview and Oak Meadow.  The school drive ends on October 23rd, however we will take contributions through the month of November at our youth center located at 877 Embarcadero Drive, El Dorado Hills.  Cub Scout pack 465 is also involved, if there are other groups that would like to contribute, we would love their help! Please contact Laura Buehler at laura@hands4hopeyouth.org.

All of the donations will be used in the winter boutique which will be open for families in need in early December.  If H4H participants want to get involved with the planning of the winter boutique, please email laura@hands4hopeyouth.org.

Hands4Hope’s 2nd Annual School Supply Drive serves 394 students with essential school supplies for this year.

Youth Participants getting bags ready to go hand out fliers door to door in El Dorado Hills based neighborhoods.

Hands4Hope hosted their 2nd Annual School Supply Drive to benefit children in need in El Dorado and Sacramento Counties with essential school supplies for the 2015-2016 school year.  The drive collected 2298 school supplies that helped 394 El Dorado County students, grades Kindergarten through 12th.  This is 100 more local students served than last year.

Hands4Hope youth leaders & volunteers worked with local businesses, agencies and community members to collect items such as: backpacks, notebooks, pencils, pens, scissors and other school supply items.

The 2nd Annual School Supply Drive was led by Kelly McMillen, H4H School Supply Drive youth intern and Oak Ridge Senior, who was mentored by Nicole Craine, H4H Youth Development Coordinator.

Youth participants and Adult mentor at our Table Event at the Office Max in Placerville.

“All of the students were incredibly thrilled to be getting new backpacks and supplies. It was an awesome experience to see how excited kids were about the small supplies like a brand new pencil or binder. It made me realize how lucky I am to have school supplies that are easily accessible,” McMillen explained. “ At the end, right before we packed up, a second grade girl came in. She picked out a new blue backpack, gave me a giant smile, and proceeded to do that for every single thing she got. That experience was extremely humbling and gratifying for all the work put into the collection and distribution. She and all the other kids were so grateful for even the simplest pencil topper,” continued McMillen.

Youth Participant assisting an elementary school student pick out her school supplies.

Thank you to the community members who participated in this drive for bringing joy and confidence to local students this year.  Thank you also to the following local businesses and agencies: El Dorado Hills Library, Cameron Park Library, re: Visions, Placerville Library, El Dorado Hills CSD, California Welcome Center, Hangtown Skate Shop, Blue Shield of California, El Dorado Disposal, DST, Gift of Kids, USA Stars Soccer Academy and Ethos Soccer Club.

Our Annual Winter Boutique was a Success! Thank you to all who donated, volunteered and assisted with this great outreach!

This past October, El Dorado County elementary schools including Silva Valley, William Brooks, Lakeview, Oak Meadow, Green Valley, and Phoenix Private School in Folsom participated in the Hands4Hope Warm & Fuzzy Drive, encouraging students to donate warm necessities like clothing, shoes, socks, pajamas, coats, scarves and hats.  Combined, this community contributed over 4,000 pieces of warm clothing and other items. 

Upon completion of the Drive, students at Oak Ridge High School washed and sorted the clothes.  These donations stocked the 5^th Annual Hands4Hope Winter Boutique for foster and low income families held at donated space near the H4H Youth Center in El Dorado Hills. Individuals were invited to “shop” for necessary warm clothing and accessories,. 

The Winter Boutique project was led by a committee of youth, 6^th to 12^th grades, and adult advisors, who together decided on a theme and hours for the Boutique, and decorated and organized it for a positive and festive shopping experience. They also organized a marketing campaign to get the word out to local schools and agencies.

The boutique was open for two weekends in December, where youth volunteers were responsible for greeting shoppers as well as helping them find needed items, and "check out".  The youth volunteers ranged in grades from 2nd-12^th and came from schools throughout El Dorado and Sacramento Counties.

Tenth Grader and Hands4Hope youth volunteer Devin Garber explained it best, “Many people tell me that by volunteering for those in need, I am helping change lives for the better. Little do they know, though I am helping people, it is they who are really helping me.  I have taken notice of so such in my life: my blessings, all I have to be thankful for, and I have become aware of difficulties within this community and surrounding communities. My time at the winter boutique was an amazing experience!  I met great people who had the brightest smiles on their face even through their times of difficulty. These smiling, thankful, and simply wonderful people are the reason I so thoroughly enjoy volunteering with Hands4Hope!”

Devin’s brother, Greyson (grade 7) adds, “The shoppers were very friendly people who were always smiling, laughing, and saying "thank you".  They were very grateful.”

The 2014 Winter Boutique almost doubled its numbers from last year in regards to assisting individuals in the community.  This year, a total of 87 families were served, representing 374 individuals, and 2,000 items were distributed. Agencies who partnered with Hands4Hope to get the word out were: Cameron Park Community Center, Mercy Housing, New Morning Youth & Family Services, Women’s Center, El Dorado County, Sierra Child and Family Services, El Dorado Mental Health, WIC, El Dorado Caring Hearts, Twin Lakes Food Bank, Lilliput, Wake Program, Early Head Start, El Dorado County Help For Christmas Facebook Campaign, and Foster Family Services. 

Hands4Hope volunteers also distributed 450 pieces of clothing and blankets at their annual Powerhouse Ministries Thanksgiving Dinner distribution, and 1,200 pieces of clothing, shoes and other accessories to some of their partner agencies including to Green Valley Community Church, Twin Lakes Food Bank, and New Morning Shelter, as well as directly to homeless on the street.   Without the community’s support, this could not have happened. Hands4Hope extends a huge Thank You to all who were a part of this effort.

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.

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.

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.

A heartfelt perspective from one of our youth...

 Education and serving my community are two of my biggest passions. My freshman year I joined a community service club at my school called Hands4Hope. Little did I know the complexity (I will try to not be too confusing) and value of this organization that has made a huge impact on my life. This organization is unique in that it is completely youth driven and provides the highest level of service learning where youth work and communicate directly with adults to start projects, drives, and outreach opportunities. Since joining Hands4Hope around three years ago, I have put in over 350 hours, and have learned so many valuable skills.

Starting out, I was very shy and uncomfortable, but nevertheless, I signed up for my first outreach, which was a daycare for kids while their homeless or low-income parents shopped around for warm clothes and food in a churches’ warehouse. It is so easily forgotten how much we take for granted, and I was, and still am, constantly reminded how lucky I am to have a roof over my head and food to come home to. Since this experience, I have become so passionate about helping others, especially children, because some of us were not as lucky as others in the “birth lottery.”

Hopefully it is okay for me to not focus on just one experience or one project, because I have truly been humbled by the variety of opportunities, and each one I find equally important. Each outreach and meeting slowly raised my confidence in myself and brought out skills I never knew I had. The first time I had to engage a large group of children in Project Birthday, where we throw birthday parties for children who cannot afford one, I found that I have the ability to lead. For a year, I have been mentoring kids in a shelter for single mothers who have had drug and alcohol problems. Here I found my ability to empathize. 

The way I can find time with four AP classes, a job, and leadership positions in school clubs, to cook a meal once a month for the homeless and mentally disabled women at the Sister Nora’s House, has showed me time management and organization. Visiting and entertaining the elderly at a local home has taught me patience. By leading monthly meetings with about 20 elementary school kids to brainstorm ways to raise money for the community, I learn from their innocence and honesty. 

The homeless teen I had the honor meeting and serving at a youth shelter; the one that has pretty much raised herself and her siblings for years. She has taught me what it means to be independent and strong. My pen pal, Birungi, from Uganda reminds me everyday how lucky I am to go to school and her passion to become a doctor inspires me. Now you know what I mean by the humbling opportunities I have had with Hands4Hope, and the list does not stop there. 

A few years ago I would have never dreamed I would be secretary of the high school Hands4Hope club, service hour coordinator for the National Honor Society, treasurer of the Hands4Hope Youth Board, or president of the Team Hope elementary school Hands4Hope club, but here I am. I am always encouraged to step out of my comfort zone and I feel that I have grown so much as a person because of it.  When asked why I volunteer so often, I say that by volunteering I receive more than I can ever give. It may sound selfish, but it is true. I am forever in debt for the priceless things these people have taught me and I will continue volunteer for the rest of my life. 

-Haley Lehtola