Adult Lead Spotlight :: Rob and Ellen Webb

Rob and Ellen Webb are this month’s Adult Lead Spotlight! Rob and Ellen Webb have been wonderful supporters of Hands4Hope. They volunteer as adult leaders for our GVCC Saturday Cafe on a monthly basis as well as various other outreaches and events throughout the year.  They are great role models and mentors for our youth volunteers.  We appreciate their time and efforts to keep this organization growing. Thank you Webb Family!

We recently interviewed the couple about their involvement with Hands4Hope, here’s what they had to say…

How long have you been participating with Hands4Hope?

We have been supporting Hands4Hope for 3 years.

What were the reasons you joined Hands4Hope?

We like the mission and wanted to support the youth in our area.  We love what you are doing and we love that Hands4Hope is youth/student led.

What are the outreaches do you usually volunteer with and enjoy the most? And why?  

We lead at the Green Valley Community Church (GVCC) Saturday Cafe, Town Center Holiday Sleigh Rides, the Haunted House & the food drives.  We like to support Hands4Hope because it connects our community and your organization's needs.  

What is your impression/experience with the H4H youth?  

We absolutely love this organization.  The youth we have been introduced to and work with are great/future leaders of tomorrow!  

Overall, what has your experience been like since joining?

We are very blessed to be a part of this organization and thank you for the opportunity to serve alongside of you!  

This is a picture of our family.  Our son, Ryan (23) and daughter, Ashley (20). 

Hands4Hope Sponsor Spotlight :: The Busch Family

Doug Busch has been involved with Hands4Hope since the beginning in one form or another.  As a mentor to Jennifer (our Executive Director), as an adult lead for all of the Haunted House projects, as a board member and, more recently, as the Board Chairman.  This year, the Busch Family decided to be an official sponsor of Hands4Hope to financially help further the efforts of the organization.  We recently interviewed Doug about his involvement with Hands4Hope and the reasons why they financially invested in the organization, read what he had to say...

Tell us about The Busch Family and what is the reason(s) for sponsoring Hands4Hope?

We (Doug and Julie) live in Penryn, CA, about 30 minutes from the Youth Center. We have two adult sons and a daughter-in-law in the Bay Area. We are semi-retired (very active in a variety of things, but no longer tied down to a full time job).  We feel very strongly that we should try to make a positive impact on the community, and that helping to form a next generation that is committed to community service is a great way to do this. 

The money and time we commit to Hands4Hope has a great return to the immediate needs of people in the community, and to the future.

What has been your involvement with Hands4hope? 

I got involved in Hands4Hope near the time Jennifer founded the organization. Julie and I have been friends of the Bassetts for many years, and Jennifer asked for my help organizing the Board of Directors for H4H.

I’ve served on the Board since it was formed, and been heavily involved in the Haunted House fundraiser every year. I also help out with a variety of smaller projects, building things the organization needs.  I began a two year term as Chairperson of the H4H Board in late 2015.

What has been your experience with our organization?

Hands4Hope has a unique mission, and a unique method of engaging young people.  It engages students at a very personal level, giving them the opportunity to find their own way of contributing to the community.  For many, it is their first exposure to helping people outside their family. For all, it is an opportunity to learn how to work in a team to meet community needs. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the growth in the students in the program, and to see the benefits they have created for others. Any donation of time and money to a philanthropic cause is worthwhile, but sponsorship of Hands4Hope has been exceptionally gratifying.

Anything else you would like to add.

As a Board member, I want to thank all the families who have contributed time and money to Hands4Hope, and ask for your continued support. I’d like to ask all of the families who have students in the program to consider supporting Hands4Hope with time as a volunteer adult, and with your financial support.

Hands4Hope Homeless Committee partners with Social Venture Partners (SVP) Kids of Sacramento

Social Venture Partners of Sacramento partnered with our Homeless Committee for the January Hands4Hope Homeless Outreach.  Together, the youth and adult volunteers from both organizations, made and passed out 500 sack lunches, along with toiletries, to the clients of Sacramento Loaves and Fishes.   Before the distribution, Sister Libby Fernandez took the youth on a tour of the L&F Dining Hall, which was an enlightening experience for all.  Both SVP and H4H members had a great experience working together to brighten the day of some of the homeless population in Sacramento.  

In a recent review of the outreach on their website, SVP says they "can’t wait to have the opportunity to work alongside Hands4Hope again in the future.  They truly are making a difference and teaching their youth that it is NEVER too soon to start a habit of giving back!"  (Read more at http://www.svpsacramento.org/svp-kids-volunteer-with-hands4hope/)

SVP Sacramento is a group of corporate executives, community leaders, volunteers, philanthropists, parents– a network of local partners connecting passion and purpose.  SVP Kids is a program for children of the partners. Since its inception in 2008, Social Venture Partners Sacramento has united the power of the business community with the passion of the nonprofit world. For more information on SVP Sacramento, visit:  http://www.svpsacramento.org/.

Afterschool Youth Project Committees Are Off To A Great Start

Hands4Hope has over eight youth-led project committees that run regularly throughout the year.  These youth-led committees provide youth opportunities to lead, gain real-life experience, work as a team, learn conflict resolution and so much more.  

School Supply Drive Committee

This committee ran May 2016-August 2016 and included three high school participants.  This committee collected over 4,000 school supply items through multiple drives, a Neighborhood Blitz, and a Stuff the Bus event.  Volunteers sorted and distributed backpacks and supplies to 207 children at a one day event on August 5th.

Haunted House Project  (Scare4Hope)

The largest and most complex Hands4Hope youth-led project  is Scare4Hope.The Scare4Hope Team designs and produces the annual haunted house. Scare4Hope is designed  as a youth led production company that  plans, builds, markets, and operates the Hands4Hope Haunted House.  

The Scare4Hope Team started planning in May, with true dedication to creating something incredible for the community to enjoy.  There are six committees involved: Construction/Engineering, Marketing, Creative, Finance/Legal, Front of House, and Volunteer Coordination. Each committee, made up of three to six youth, is led by a youth lead with one-two adult mentors.  In total, there are 30 youth actively involved with 10 adult mentors.

This year, Scare4Hope scared 2,057 visitors during the month of October.  The project netted over $17,000!  This funding will be used to support the Hands4Hope’s Service Learning Program, as well as our Outreach Program. Tickets were discounted when patrons brought a canned food donation . . . because of this, over 500 pounds of food was collected and donated to the Food Bank of El Dorado County.

Hands4Hope Youth Board

Our Youth Board consists of 17 participants, which are the presidents and vice presidents from each of the High School Clubs, as well as committee leaders from each after school committee.  In addition to their school clubs and committee projects, these youth leaders plan and develop a Youth Board community service project.  Their area of focus this year is to support the organization  Sweet Dreams Foundation with their mission to “improve the quality of life for children who have been diagnosed with a life threatening disease through the creation of their Dream bedroom”. The Youth Board is planning to have a spring fundraiser that will benefit the Sweet Dreams Foundation.

Project Birthday! Committee

Project Birthday! has 4 participants and their area of focus is Cross-Age Mentoring.  This committee provides a birthday party to children ages 4-10 years of age, who are current residents of the White Rock Village, a low-income housing development in El Dorado Hills.  This committee also provides birthday parties for children at Hope House, a faith-based, long term, transitional housing program for women and their children that are homeless or soon to be homeless. Staff and the Project Lead are working to recruit more participants for this committee.

Homeless Committee

This is a new youth-led committee to assist with our Homeless Outreach Program.  There are five high school participants, and their area of focus is food and supply collection for individuals and families living on the street.  They plan to fundraise and hold supply drives in order to purchase rain ponchos for individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as aim to partner with local grocery stores to donate excess food to the surrounding food banks.  This committee has already assisted in partnering with Sacramento Loaves and Fishes to coordinate making and handing out lunches and toiletries to those they serve.

Kids Oasis Committee

The Kids Oasis Committee has 3 High School participants and their area of focus is Cross-Age Mentoring.  They provide a bi-monthly children’s program to families visiting the Saturday Cafe at Green Valley Community Church.  The participants play with toys, create crafts, practice basic math and reading skills, and socialize with other children. This provides committee members and other youth volunteers the opportunity to engage with and mentor younger children.  Staff and the Project Lead are working to recruit more participants for this committee.

Winter Boutique Committee

The Winter Boutique Committee is comprised of 10 high school participants with a focus on providing foster and low-income families with warm essentials for the winter months.  The committee uses clothes donated through our Warm and Fuzzy Drive held at local elementary schools, as well as various local businesses and churches.  The Committee decorates and organizes the shop for a positive and festive shopping experience. They are also in charge of the marketing campaign to get the word out to local schools and agencies about the Boutique.  The Boutique will be open for two weekends in December.  Youth volunteers, ranging from second-graders to high school seniors, will be responsible for greeting shoppers, as well as helping them find needed items.

Welcome Caroline!

Before we welcome our newest staff member, we would like to share a bit of news.  Maureen Pfeifer, our Office and Fund Development Coordinator for the past two years, has decided to take more time to be with her family and we wish her all the best.  She has been an intricate part of the H4H team, as well as many fundraising events including the 2015 and 2016 benefit dinners.

In her place, we would like to welcome Caroline Taylor.  Caroline and her family have been involved with Hands4Hope for multiple years and she is excited to now be apart of our staff.  Caroline will oversee clerical and administrative tasks to help our organization run well, as well as assist with fundraising events.  Learn more about Caroline and her family below:

My name is Caroline Taylor, and I am married with three boys, a junior in college, and a senior and freshman at Oak Ridge High School. I have been a freelance writer for Village Life for a few years, as well as a Marketing Coordinator for a Painting and Design company in Roseville. I worked in advertising and sales for many years and am very connected in the EDH community through sports and my own work.

I love to hike, run, swim, and watch my boys play water polo and swim at their meets. I am in 3 book clubs, and love reading when I have time. I am very involved in the ORHS High School aquatics program and do a lot of volunteering with them. As a family, we adopt a few families in need each year at Christmas through Rolling Hills Church and other organizations, and enjoy giving back as much as possible.

I got involved with H4H through my kids, and them working at various events and outreach programs.

My goals are to learn more about the organization and also to become more involved in helping in the community. I am really looking forward to getting to know the staff, as well as the Board members at H4H, and looking forward to making a difference in any way I can.

Adult Mentor Spotlight - Madeleine Vadenais

We recently interviewed adult mentor, Madeleine Vadenais (pictured right) and asked about her experience with Hands4Hope. Here's what she had to say...

How long have you been participating with Hands4Hope?

I have been participating for over 3 years.

What were the reasons you joined Hands4Hope?

I joined H4H because I wanted to give back to the community with an organization separate from my son's activities. Previously all my volunteer work centered around my son - from school activities to Scouts. I wanted my own place to volunteer. Ironically, I chose an organization where most of the adult volunteers are volunteering with their kids! I love working with youth of all ages so H4H was a great fit.

What outreaches do you usually volunteer with and enjoy the most? And why?  

I originally began volunteering for the Haunted House 3 years ago. Jennifer needed someone to create processes and manage ticket sales for the Haunted House. I'm an organizational geek so it was fun to create the process. I love working with the public so that was an amazing experience too. Many of the people visiting the Haunted House didn't know anything about Hands4Hope so it was an opportunity to do some community outreach for an amazing organization.

Later I started volunteering for Sister Nora’s with another amazing adult volunteer Gen Walk. Each month we and 4 youth make a dinner and share it with the ladies who reside at Sister Nora’s Place.  Sister Nora's Place provides long-term shelter and case management for women with a history of homelessness, trauma, and serious mental and physical illness. These women are often times society’s most vulnerable and forgotten people.

As much as I love the Haunted House, Sister Nora’s gives me more pleasure than I can even express. When I get down on myself or am feeling ungrateful for all the amazing things in my life, I see these amazing ladies and how much they have overcome. It gives me a shot of reality and another reason to be thankful for all the gifts I have been given. We cooked them cheeseburgers a few months back and you would've thought we served them filet mignon! They were incredibly grateful.

What is your impression/experience with the H4H youth?

My impression of the Hands4Hope youth is that they are amazing and incredibly high achieving young people! I'm continuously amazed that even with AP or advanced classes they still put in many hours volunteering. Many of them far beyond what they need for community service hours.

Overall, what has your experience been like since joining?

My experience has been incredibly positive since joining. I'm continuously impressed with the organization's mission and values. They're not just words, they are put into practice and modeled by the Executive Director. These youth are continually learning through their experiences both good and bad. My job is to advise them and keep them safe. Sometimes that means I allow them to make mistakes, and hopefully they learn from them. The youth don't always do what I would do as an adult but often times I'm surprised at the positive outcomes from a different approach. Volunteering for Hands4Hope has helped me learn there is more than one way to do things and my way isn't always the best way (but don't tell my husband that).

We are reaching more in need in Sacramento’s Homeless community

We have revamped our Sacramento Homeless Outreach so that it will touch even more lives...at least 500 people living on the streets or lacking access to sufficient food!  

We have partnered with Loaves and Fishes to serve those in need. Loaves and Fishes serves between 400-600 homeless people every day.  Hands4Hope volunteers will make and provide 500 take-away meals, including sandwiches, fruit, snacks, as well as toiletries and other needed items to pass out as the clients leave the dining hall.  Many of these people only get one meal a day, so providing them with extra food will no doubt be appreciated!  We are very excited to begin working with Sister Libby at Loaves and Fishes to serve these men, women, and children seeking survival services.

We are partnering with Loaves and Fishes going forward as a result of new guidelines implemented by the City of Sacramento that require organizations serving meals to partner with an established agency that provides a full range of services.Through this partnership, we are able to reach more of the homeless community on a consistent basis.

Loaves and Fishes was founded in 1983 and is a private charity located in Sacramento.  It is not a government funded program. Loaves and Fishes is run entirely on private funding and provides 15  survival services such as medical clinic, advocacy, meals, wash house, just to name a few.  Sister Libby, the executive director, and her staff work tirelessly to serve each person with compassion and without judgment.

For more information on Loaves and Fishes, go to http://www.sacloaves.org/.  To sign up to participate in our homeless outreaches, click http://www.hands4hopeyouth.org/register-for-upcoming-events.html.