 |
|
September 2020 - Silicon Valley
|
|
California Coastal Commission
Date/Time: Every Saturday in September, 9am - noon
Location: Your local happy place!
Ages: Everyone can participate
Time Commitment: Three hours
This year, California cleans the coast by cleaning up our neighborhoods. California Coastal Cleanup is typically the third Saturday of September. This year, we are adapting to current circumstances to honor the spirit of the cleanup while maintaining strict safety precautions. For safety reasons, there are no large, centrally organized cleanup sites this year. Instead, cleanups will be self-guided and close to home. Volunteers can help by cleaning their neighborhoods, local parks, streets, and storm drains for this year's Coastal Cleanup. Trash travels through storm drains, creeks, and rivers to become beach and ocean pollution. Your family can help clean the beach by picking up litter in your community with your household. Cleanups are happening every Saturday in September. If Saturdays don't work for you, don't let that stop you! You can clean up any day, any time. All cleanups in September will be included as part of Coastal Cleanup Month. Report your cleanup to your local coordinator and/or record it on the CleanSwell app. Practice physical distancing, and strictly follow both local ordinances and this safety document. Remember, beach cleanups start at your door. Thank you for staying safe, cleaning your neighborhoods, and protecting the coast! Click here to learn more.
|
|
Family Giving Tree
Date/Time: Now through September 9
Location: Your own location
Ages: Everyone can help
Time Commitment: Varies
There's still time to help with Family Giving Tree's Back-to-School Drive. We're always looking for people who want to have fun, are passionate about our work and love giving back to their community. You can help by leading your own donation drive. Click here for materials to help you get started. Don't have time for a drive? Your family can also help by donating filled backpacks. Browse this Back-to-School page and select the backpack(s) you would like to donate to local, low-income students.
|
Rotary PlayGarden Workday
Guadalupe River Park Conservancy
Date/Time: Tuesday, September 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, 9 - 11am. Volunteers are asked to arrive by 8:45am for a contactless sign-in, workday instructions will follow. Please arrive on time as the gate to the PlayGarden will be closed and locked promptly at 9am
Location: Guadalupe River Park, 438 Coleman Avenue, San Jose. Please park at the Rotary PlayGarden parking lot at 490 Coleman Avenue.
Ages: Families with children age 10 and older are welcome to participate. Chaperones are required for volunteers age 10-15.
Time Commitment: Two hours
The Rotary PlayGarden, the Rotary Club of San Jose's centennial gift to our community, opened in May 2015. The PlayGarden enables children with special needs to play alongside their siblings and friends. Many landscaping and maintenance tasks have been on hold while the PlayGarden has been closed. We are now looking for volunteers to help us get back into shape for when we are able to reopen. These opportunities are limited to the first 14 who sign up.
We will be adhering to County Public Health recommendations, which include:
- You must bring and wear a face mask at all times during the volunteer event. If you are unable to wear a mask for any reason this event will not be a good fit for you.
- Social distancing (6 feet apart) is required unless volunteers are from the same household.
- Please note, volunteers will not be able to play on the equipment within the PlayGarden under any circumstance. Playgrounds are not approved for opening yet and we are strictly working on landscaping and maintenance.
In addition, please note that:
- You must bring your own work gloves suitable for working in a garden, we are unable to provide any.
- Please bring a full water bottle (the water fountain will be unavailable).
- The restrooms will not be available for use.
- We will be providing necessary tools for cleanup and maintenance efforts:
|
Clean Up Your Neighborhood!
City of San Mateo
Date/Time: Flexible, at your convenience
Location: Your own neighborhood or local downtown.
Ages: Everyone can help!
Time Commitment: Varies
We are adapting our efforts this year for our annual cleanup. Due to the COVID-19 health orders, we are collaborating with our county partners to make it easy for San Mateo residents to organize their own neighborhood cleanup effort in September. We hope that our amazing volunteers will continue to take the initiative for cleaner neighborhoods, beaches, shorelines and boat ramp areas. For 35 years, volunteers from around the Peninsula join San Mateo's efforts to keep our shorelines free of garbage and recycling that belongs in recycling centers and landfills. Though this year will be different, we thank you for your efforts to keep San Mateo shorelines clean.
|
|
Project Linus
Date/Time: Make blankets on your own at any time
Location: Click here to find a chapter near you
Ages: Everyone can participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Project Linus provides comfort to children who are sick, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gift of a handmade blanket. Our blankets are lovingly made by adults and children from all walks of life, working individually or as a family or group. No previous craft experience is required. Click here to learn how to make no-sew fleece blankets. The need for blankets continues and in fact may be greater now than ever before. However dropping blankets off at blanket drop-off sites has become more of a challenge as some stores and locations may have temporarily closed. Others that remain open may have temporarily removed our drop off bins due to COVID-19 concerns. In addition, some locations such as shelters and hospitals for which we supply blankets have placed restrictions on what our chapter coordinators can distribute to them. Please contact your local chapter coordinator to see what specific blanket needs they have before you make your blankets. Be sure to ask if they are accepting blanket donations now and if so, where they should be dropped off.
- All blankets must be new, handmade, washable, and smoke-free
- Materials used (fleece, fabric, yarn, etc.) should be new and odor-free.
- All colors and patterns suitable for children are fine.
- We accept tied fleece blankets, knitted and crocheted afghans, quilts, tied comforters, sewn receiving blankets, and any other kind of handmade blanket.
- Please keep materials and blankets away from pets!
- The best sizes for blankets are between 30" x 30" and 40" x 60" but we accept any blanket in sizes suitable for infants through teenagers.
|
|
One Warm Coat
Date/Time: Flexible
Location: Click here for a list of local drop off locations.
Ages: Everyone can help
Time Commitment: Varies
One Warm Coat is the only national non-profit organization focused on coat drives. One Warm Coat supports individuals, groups, companies and organizations across the country by providing the tools and resources needed to hold a successful coat drive. Coats are distributed in the communities where they are collected, to children and adults in need, without charge, discrimination or obligation. This year, the need for coats will be greater than ever before. Your family can help by holding a Warm Coat Drive or a Virtual Coat Drive:- Register to hold a coat drive in the coming weeks or months. While physically holding a coat drive might be different this year, One Warm Coat has provided social distancing tips and tools to help you make the process easy and fun.
- Register to hold a virtual coat drive. Follow the same registration steps for holding a physical coat drive, receive access to all of the great tools, but instead of collecting coats, collect only dollar donations. Every $1 donated warms 1 person through the Coat Drive Program.
|
|
Wigs for Kids
Date/Time: Ongoing need
Location: Mail your hair donation to:
Wigs For Kids - Hair Donations
24231 Center Ridge Road
Westlake, OH 44145
Ages: All ages can participate
Time Commitment: Varies
Wigs for Kids is a non-profit organization that helps make wigs for children who have lost their hair due to illness. If you're interested in donating your hair to kids in need, your first step is to set a length goal. While we accept hair donations of 12 inches or longer, we encourage you to donate 14+ inches of hair; the more length you can donate, the more of an impact you will make. Please read the hair donation and how to cut and donate your ponytail information thoroughly to make sure that you meet the Wigs for Kids guidelines.
Contact: Click here for the contact request form.
|
Virtual: Kids Reading to Kids
Words Alive
Date/Time: Ongoing
Location: Your home
Ages: Families with children age 10 and older
Time Commitment: Varies
Words Alive provides essential literacy services to underserved students and families. Their mission is to open opportunities for life success by inspiring a commitment to reading. Kids Reading To Kids is a wonderful way for children to volunteer to help other kids during this time of need! Help bring comfort, normalcy, and storytime to children without access to books at home. When you read to other kids, you are a role model for kids just like you! They will feel your enthusiasm and joy for reading, and they will share it with you as you read. When you're reading, the most important guideline in reading aloud is to have fun and enjoy yourself! Want to watch an example? Click here! You can record the storytime using the device of your choice (computer, cell phone, tablet). Volunteers can view additional instructions, information on what books you can read, a script to start and wrap up your storytime, and a media release form to complete here.
|
|
Samaritan House San Mateo
Date/Time: Saturdays and Sundays in September, 9am - noon
Location: 4031 Pacific Blvd, San Mateo
Ages: Volunteers must be age 12 or older and be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Time Commitment: Three-hour shift
Samaritan House is leading the fight against poverty in San Mateo County. Parent and child teams of volunteers are needed to help to fill brown grocery bags with supplies to give to our clients when our pantry opens on Mondays.
Contact: Ricky Davis, rdavis@samaritanhousesanmateo.org 650.294.4331. Spaces for this role are very limited so please confirm that there is space available before you volunteer.
www.samaritanhousesanmateo.org
|
|
EXPLORE our growing list of at-home projects you can do whenever you're ready, each with conversation starters, book ideas, and more! Follow along on social media as other families tackle this month's projects and share their stories! Simply join our Facebook group or find us on Instagram (@doinggoodtogether and #sharekindness)
|
|
|
Share simple kindness tips with families in your school, faith group or organization.
Let's encourage more kindness in the world with free kindness and service ideas! Does your organization have a newsletter or website geared to families? Our new set of Service and Smiles kindness tips (one for each week of the school year) can provide an uplifting opportunity for social-emotional development during times of hybrid and distance-learning.
You'll find service projects, kindness cues, and other simple ideas that teach children about giving, caring, and compassion - and how to take action - right from their own homes. It's free - just acknowledge Doing Good Together as the source! To sign up, visit our Service and Smiles web page.
|
|
   
If you received this email from someone else and would like to subscribe, please click here.
|
| 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.
© 2020 Doing Good Together™
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
