July 2018 - Silicon Valley Family Volunteer Opportunities

July 2018 Silicon Valley Family Volunteer Opportunities

 
July 2018  - Silicon Valley 
 
Young Tree Care Survey
Canopy
 
Date/Time: Saturday, July 7, 9 - noon
 
Location: Rinconada Park, 777 Embarcadero Rd, Palo Alto

Each year Canopy volunteers and partners comb through Palo Alto neighborhoods to survey the health of hundreds of young street trees. The results of the survey help guide the City of Palo Alto Urban Forestry as they maintain and grow Palo Alto's vibrant urban forest. This is a fun, flexible volunteer opportunity for all ages--and a great way to learn your street trees!
 
Ages: All ages are welcome at most events. Minors under 18 require a parent to approve the online waiver when registering. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
 
Time Commitment: Three hours
 
Contact: Uriel Hernandez at uriel@canopy.org or 650.964.6110 ext. 4. Registration is available online.
www.canopy.org
 
 
Kelley Park Sunset Walk
Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful
 
Date/Time: Friday July 13, 7 - 9pm
 
Location: Kelley Park, 1300 Senter Road, San José

Summer is a time for family fun and celebration! What better way to do this than by enjoying a fun and educational experience together at Kelley Park? Cool off in the shade and listen to the water flow along Coyote Creek. At this event, you'll:
  • Celebrate the Coyote Creek with a mini-BioBlitz
  • Meet the Park Rangers
  • Explore some of the houses at History Park
  • Listen to campfire stories and make s'mores!
No waivers are needed and free parking is available. This event is sponsored by San José Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, and the Open Space Authority of Santa Clara Valley.
 
Ages: All ages are welcome to participate.
 
Time Commitment: Two hours
 
Contact: Deb Kramer, Program Manager, at deb@keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org or 408.372.7053. Registration is available online.
www.keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org

 
 
Summer Coyote Creek Cleanup at Olinder Park
Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful
 
Date/Time: Saturday July 14, 9 - noon
 
Location: Selma Olinder Park, 1117 Woodborough Dr, San José

Help keep Coyote Creek clean by participating in a creek clean-up this summer. Trash from nearby gutters, including cups, cigarette butts, and straws, come down the storm drains or blow around in the wind and into the creeks. You and your family can help remove this litter from Coyote Creek by joining a cleanup crew for a few hours. Be sure to wear long pants, sleeves, and closed-toed shoes since you will be near poison oak and around loose or muddy soil. All participants must bring a signed waiver.

Ages: Families with children ages 5 and older are welcome to volunteer. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult, with a minimum ratio of 1 adult to 5 kids; 13-18 are allowed with a signed waiver.
 
Time Commitment: Three hours
 
Contact: Deb Kramer, Program Manager, deb@keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org or 408.372.7053. Registration is available online.
www.keepcoyotecreekbeautiful.org

 
 
Help Provide Valet Bike Parking at Special Events
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC)
 
Date/Time: Sunday, July 22, 11:45am - 3pm or 3 - 6pm
 
Location: Levi's Stadium, 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara

The purpose of SVBC is to create a healthy community, environment, and economy through bicycling for people who live, work, or play in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. Valet bike parking is one of many ways that Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition encourages people to bike to public events. Volunteer responsibilities include accepting event attendees' bikes, placing them on bike racks, keeping a watchful eye during the event and then happily returning them to the attendees when they are ready to leave. Perks (such as snacks, free entry, or a meal) are usually provided for volunteers, depending on the event.

Ages: Families with children eight and older are welcome to participate. Volunteers age 13-18 may participate on their own with a signed waiver. If you will be volunteering with children, the expectation is that they can be independent and support the bike parking program without needing to be supervised the entire time. You will be working together but must be able to leave them unattended at times. If you are unsure if this is an age appropriate volunteer activity for your child, please do not hesitate to contact the Community Programs Manager.
 
Time Commitment: Approximately three hours
 
Contact: Kate Plant, Community Projects Coordinator, kate@bikesiliconvalley.org, 408.813.4485. Registration is available online.
www.bikesiliconvalley.org
 
 
Tree Care Work Day - Brentwood/McNair
Canopy
 
Date/Time: Saturday, July 21, 9 - noon
 
Location: Brentwood Elementary School, 2086 Clarke Ave, East Palo Alto

Join Canopy as they continue to do some much-needed tree care work on young trees. All tools and equipment will be provided and snacks will be provided in the morning. Volunteers must wear closed-toe shoes and are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles.
 
Ages: All ages are welcome at most events. Minors under 18 require a parent to approve the online waiver when registering. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
 
Time Commitment: Three hours
 
Contact: Uriel Hernandez at uriel@canopy.org or 650.964.6110 ext. 4. Registration is available online.
www.canopy.org/
 
 
Meal Serving Volunteer Opportunities
Loaves & Fishes
 
Date/Time: Varies, Weekdays 3:30 - 6pm. Availability is very limited. Check online calendar for available dates.
 
Location: Catholic Charities Eastside Neighborhood Center (ENC), 2150 Alum Rock Ave, San José

The mission of Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen is to provide hot nutritious meals that are prepared, delivered and served to disadvantaged individuals with a special concern for children, families, seniors, veterans, and the homeless. All are welcomed, no questions asked. Loaves & Fishes provides hot meals at no cost, Monday through Friday at Catholic Charities' Eastside Neighborhood Center and Goodwill Industries, targeting low-income families, seniors, single women, couples, and the homeless. In addition, Loaves & Fishes partners with 30 nonprofit agencies from as far South as Gilroy to as far North as Palo Alto to provide free hot meals to their guests. 

Ages: Families with children age 10 and older are welcome to volunteer. Children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
 
Time Commitment: Two and one-half hours
 
Contact: Hyru Gau, Volunteer Manager, volunteer@loavesfishes.org or 408.922.928. Registration is available online.
www.loavesfishes.org/
 
 
Community Garden at Goodwill
Loaves & Fishes
 
Date/Time: Varies, Friday mornings 9 - noon. Check online calendar for dates and availability.
 
Location: 1080 North 7th Street, San José

The Loaves & Fishes Farm, located on the Goodwill of Silicon Valley property provides fresh vegetables for their dinner service program. Volunteers are needed to help with weeding, planting, and harvesting vegetables. The mission of Loaves & Fishes is to provide hot nutritious meals that are prepared, delivered and served to disadvantaged individuals with a special concern for children, families, seniors, veterans, and the homeless.
 
Ages: Volunteers age 12 and 13 are welcome to participate when they are accompanied by an adult; volunteers 14 and older can participate on their own.
 
Time Commitment: Three hours
 
Contact: Hyru Gau, Volunteer Manager, volunteer@loavesfishes.org or 408.922.9285. Registration is available online.
www.loavesfishes.org/
 
 
Grassroots Ecology July Events
Grassroots Ecology
 
Date/Time: Varies by event
 
Location: Varies by event
 
Grassroots Ecology leverages the power of volunteers to create healthy lands across Silicon Valley. They restore native plants to open spaces and neighborhoods, steward creeks and watersheds, and provide hands-on nature education. While volunteering with Grassroots Ecology, you will learn interesting things about the natural world while making a positive impact on the environment. Grassroots offers opportunities for people of all ages and skill levels to help with planting, weeding, creek monitoring, or installing rain gardens and rain barrels. Use the clickable links below to register for the right volunteer opportunity for you and your family:
Ages: All ages welcome at most events. Minors under 18 require a parent to approve the online waiver when registering. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
 
Time Commitment: Varies by event
 
Contact: Jeremy Merckling, jeremy@grassrootsecology.org, 650.384.5314
www.grassrootsecology.org
 
 
Volunteer Mentors for Refugee, Immigrant, or Asylee Families or Individuals
At Home Humanitarian
 
Date/Time: Ongoing
 
Location: Throughout the Bay Area
 
At Home Humanitarian is a grassroots effort focused on socially integrating refugees, asylees, and immigrants while building tolerance and understanding throughout their new communities. Our core work focuses on mentor matching, community acculturation events, and providing extracurricular opportunities.
  1. Help newly arrived people feel "At Home" in their new communities.
  2. Provide U.S. citizens with opportunities to serve "At Home."
  3. Guide newly arrived persons through becoming self-sufficient and preparing for prosperous college educations and careers.
  4. Foster friendships, learning, tolerance, understanding, and healing among all participants
Programs and Volunteer Opportunities:

Mentor + Mentee Matching: Volunteer families can be matched with newly-arrived individuals and families to help answer any questions relating to American culture, customs, processes, laws, or community resources that would help their match feel more connected; help find solutions to needs such as finding a job, preparing for college, filing for FAFSA, fixing a car, or passing a driver's test; and provide opportunities to get out, explore surroundings, make new friends, learn a new skill or hobby, and connect to others within their communities.

Community Acculturation Events: Community managers, mentors, and mentees plan engaging quarterly events. Events can be sponsored by corporations or partner NPOs. Some upcoming events include career panels sponsored by Google, family dinners, beach and sightseeing outings, and a night at a Giants Game.

Ages: All ages are welcome to volunteer. Children 18 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
 
Time Commitment: One-year commitment, eight to ten hours per month
 
Contact: Allison Zollinger, allison@athomehumanitarian.org
 
 
Help the TCV Foodbank
Tri-City Volunteers
 
Date/Time: Monday through Friday, 8am - 4pm
 
Location: 37350 Joseph St., Fremont

Volunteers are essential to Tri-City Volunteers food bank's daily grocery cart preparation and distribution. We need approximately 40 warehouse volunteers a day to ensure that as many as 350 client families per day receive adequate nutrition. Volunteers also help us sort and hang donated clothing and attractively merchandise our boutique thrift store, which provides very low-cost items to struggling families. Community volunteers are the heart of our agency. Not only do volunteers work directly with low and very-low income families, they bring to life our vision of a community united together to ensure that every child and adult in our area is not just free from hunger but can access pathways to financial stability and self-sufficiency. While volunteers assist families in Tri-City Volunteers' food bank and thrift store, they are also mentoring and deeply connecting with others. That is the real strength of our work.

Ages: Families with children ten and older are welcome to volunteer.
 
Time Commitment: Minimum of two hours
 
Contact: To learn more and to sign up for volunteer orientation, contact Gloria Lara, glara@tri-cityvolunteers.org, 510.793.4583.
 
 
Santa Clara County Parks - Weekly Weeding Party
County of Santa Clara
 
Date/Time(s):
Saturdays, 9am - noon, Hellyer Park
Sundays, 9am - noon, Santa Teresa Park
 
Location(s):
Hellyer Park (Meet at Visitor Center), 985 Hellyer Ave, San José
Santa Teresa Park (Meet at Pueblo Day Use Parking Lot), 260 Bernal Rd, San José
 
There are many ways to keep your park beautiful! If you are looking to get outside and connect with new people right in your backyard, this is the opportunity for you. California native plants play an important role in the health of our parks. To help them thrive, we have to work together to remove non-native and invasive plants. The Maintenance Crew greatly appreciates the work that volunteers have done all around Hellyer Park over the past year, so let's keep it up!
 
Ages: Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Minors 13 - 18 require a signed waiver. Minors with special needs must be accompanied by an adult.
 
Time Commitment: Three hours
 
Contact: Julie Lee at julie.Lee@prk.sccgov.org or Julie Kahrnoff at julie.kahrnoff@prk.sccgov.org. Registration is available online:
Hellyer Park registration
Santa Teresa Park registration
www.sccgov.org/sites/parks/Pages/Welcome-to-Santa-Clara-County-Parks.aspx
 
 
Write Letters to a Soldier
Doing Good Together
 
Date/Time: Flexible, at your convenience
 
Location: Contact A Million Thanks or Operation Gratitude for information on where to mail your letters

Practice gratitude as well as kindness. You and your family can send some appreciation and cheer to men and women who are serving our country far from home. Reach out to a soldier that you know or contact A Million Thanks or Operation Gratitude, two nonprofit organizations that  make it easy to send letters to soldiers eager for mail from home. Visit the Doing Good Together Write a Letter to a Soldier project page for reflection questions and other ways your family can make a positive difference for soldiers.

Ages: Everyone is welcome to participate
 
Time Commitment: Varies
 
Contact: mail@doinggoodtogether.org. If you have specific letter-writing questions please contact www.amillionthanks.org/contactus.php or info@operationgratitude.com directly.
www.doinggoodtogether.org

 
As the crisis at the border floods the news, your children may have questions. You may feel helpless to respond. Our latest blog post can help you navigate this heartbreaking issue with your kids. As our blogger concludes, "Doing Good Together has always relied on two essential truths. In every crisis, there is something you can do to make a difference. And your family's actions, along with your empathy, will help shape the next generation of helpers and heroes."

 

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This list was compiled by Doing Good Together™ (www.doinggoodtogether.org)
 When calling to volunteer for any of the opportunities listed above, please let the coordinator know you found it through this listing. You are encouraged to ask any questions you may have of the sponsoring organization before committing to a project.
Disclaimer: This list is provided as a service to families. Inclusion of organizations in this listing does not imply affiliation, endorsement or quality assurance on the part of Doing Good Together.™ Doing Good Together™ bears no responsibility whatsoever for the activities and actions of the listed organizations. 
                                                                            

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