We Give Thanks, November 24th, 2011 More Pictures

Me and Dalia, we worked together on the carrots and zuchinni all day

 Group picture of our group of volunteers

 The tables set up...

 The center pieces were gorgeous

 Very serious, very hard at work :)

 Big crowd waiting to get in, the line wrapped around Honda Center

 Volunteers of all ages helped out

 Grandpa Jerry tasted a carrot from each batch, to be sure they were ready ;)

We Give Thanks, November 24th, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

This morning I participated in "We Give Thanks".

http://www.wegivethanksinc.org/home/

This was their 25th year!!!

I was assigned in the "kitchen" area.  Everything was outside, in the parking lot of the Honda Center.  I was with a few other people and we were in charge of the vegetables.  Carrots and Zuchinni.  We had to cut the bags, and drain them... as "Grandpa Jerry" said, "Just stick the knife in and twist, the way the do in a stabbing in New York City".  He was wearing a biker jacket, with a Prison Gang emblem.  I laughed nervously, and moved away from Grandpa Jerry and his knife  :)

We would cook 12 bags of carrots and 4 bags of zuchinni at a time.  Once they were done, we drained them again and passed them off to another group of people who dumped them into containers ready to be served.  I got burnt a few times, but its all good.

They were expecting 18,000 attendees today, for a free Thanksgiving meal.  The line was long and the area was packed!

We were able to sneak away at the end and get a little taste of the food.  It was amazing.  The stuffing had onions, celery, rice, bread, crushed tortilla chips and so much else in it.  I watched them make it all day, I was glad I got to taste it.  The mashed potatoes were done with a machine that looked like a huge power saw.  It was all so neat.  Channel 9 was there, as were every other channel, but Channel 9 spent a lot of time over by us, so maybe my face will be in their coverage somewhere :)

I have always wanted to volunteer on Thanksgiving day, and I have never been able to, because everything fills up so fast.  I am thankful I got to do this today!  Now, I should probably shower and head to south county for my Thanksgiving feast :)


Inside the "Kitchen"... Volunteers

Early, before anyone arrived...

Two of the girls I volunteered with on the vegetables... Dalia, and I dont remember the girl in the middles name.

"Grandpa Jerry" tested a carrot from every batch, to make sure they were ready :)

The girls, again

This, was the stuffing.  SO good!

Grandpa Jerry on carrot patrol

A view from the street, as I left

The vegetable end product

The t-shirt they gave us volunteers

The tables all set up before the event started

Special Olympics Fall Games - Saturday, November 12th

I volunteered with the Special Olympics, Fall Games this past weekend.  They were in Fountain Valley and I chose to volunteer for the bowling.  

In the orientation meeting, they mentioned there were two lanes that would have bowlers using ramps - because they might be in wheelchairs, or on a gurney, and they couldnt lift the ball.  I will admit, in orientation I was hoping I would get one of these two lanes.  And I did  :)

I started out with three bowlers and one was removed.  I had two girls, one was in a wheelchair and one was able to walk.  

Frances, was in a wheelchair.  When she arrived, I asked her caretaker if she had a ball and shoes already.  Her caretaker just looked at me funny.  Shoes?  Sigh.  Oops.  I asked Frances her favorite color, she said pink.  I went to get her a ball, and made sure she liked it before I put it on the lane for her.

Wendy was able to chose her own ball, and she chose a really pretty blue / silver one.  

My alley and the one next to mine, had ramps.  Frances was wheeled up to the ramp, and I would retrieve her ball each time and put it on the ramp for her, and then she would push it down, and it would go down the lane.  She was really funny - she talked to the ball.  "Come on ball, help me out ball, lets do this ball..."  It was awesome.  When Wendy didnt have a good bowl, she would tell her to talk to the ball.  

The girls were REALLY big on high fives, and Wendy liked to hold my hand.  She got really close to my face and was studying my makeup... pointing out everything I was wearing, and wanted to know why I dont wear lipstick.  Ive never really thought about that, so I just told her it seems to come off fast, so I dont bother wearing it.

After they bowled, two games each, they did the awards ceremony. Usually they are outside, but due to the rain, they did them right on each lane.  We were lane #1 so we went first.  Both of my girls got first place medals.  I was so proud.  They really had a great time, and so did I.  It was pretty humbling, and I teared up a few times just sitting there watching everyone.  

Golden Future 50+ Senior Expo - November 5th, 2011

On November 5th, I volunteered at a Golden Future 50+ Senior Expo event.  I have never volunteered with them before, so I had no idea what to expect.

The expo took place at Angels Stadium, and I believe this was the first time it was held there... and I dont think they were very well prepared.  When I arrived, I was seated at a table at the entrance to the expo.  I was checking in vendors first, then was checking in attendees.  It was very chaotic, and due to not being fully prepared, the expo started late.  Im not sure how often you are around Seniors who are looking for a ton of free things, but... they are not your most patient group of people :)

When checking in attendees, they had to fill out a registration form, and then I had to give them a goodie bag, a card to get stamped inside the expo with an explanation that they were to get it stamped and bring it back when it was full to be entered for a chance at a door prize.  I personally felt like I did a good job with crowd control and handling the not so happy seniors when the expo was delayed by 15 minutes.  I ran out of goodie bags quickly and was not told there were four more boxes of them behind me, so that caused some mass hysteria for a short while.  Its upsetting when you dont get free literature, a free CD and a free pen.  :)

I had THREE gentlemen ask me if I was the door prize.  When I said I was not, they gave the cards back to me and said they were not interested.  Flattering?  Weird?  Awkward?  Yeah, probably all three.  I had a woman laughing so hard at one point, she had to walk away.  One gentleman wanted to know what exactly was in the bag, and was explaining what he did and didnt want.  I told him he was free to take what he wanted and leave what he did not.  It was a very long, drawn out process for him.  He wanted the CD and the pen, but not the papers, but he had to discuss each paper with me and why he didnt want them.  I, honestly... didnt care either way :)

I kept a positive attitude the entire time, I woke up in a good mood, and Corner Bakery was there selling coffee, but the volunteers got it for free... so I was buzzing along.  I think had it been a little more organized, it would have went a little smoother... but all in all it was a neat experience.  I also received a pretty cool "Certificate" and a $5 gift card to Target.  Sometimes volunteers dont even get a thank you, so this was pretty neat!

If you would like to volunteer with Golden Futures:

http://www.goldenfutureexpos.com/SeniorExpoVolunteers.html

Foster Care Auxillary Picnic - September 18th, 2011

On September 18th, I volunteered with Orangewood Children's Foundation for their Foster Care Auxillary Picnic.

This event was for foster children and their families to attend.

There were crafts for the kids to do, and games for them to play.

There was a small water area where the kids could do bumper boats.

I was in charge of one of the games, where you threw bean bags into slots and got tickets.

The game I worked, was everyones favorite.  I think because it was the easiest to get tickets.  

There was one little girl, who was my favorite child of the day.  She had her face painted and she was adorable.  She kept coming back to our game, and counting her tickets.  I asked her what she was playing for, and she said her cousin was not able to come to the picnic, so she wanted to get enough tickets to buy her cousin a stuffed animal.  I thought that was so sweet, I asked her how many tickets she needed.  The picnic was ending about 5 minutes later and she needed 10 or 15 more tickets.  She played the game, and I handed her the 10 or 15 tickets she needed and she ran off SO excited to be able to get her cousin that stuffed animal.  It touched my heart that she was so excited to do something for someone else... at her age.  

This event was so organized, they provided so many things for the kids to do, they provided lunch for everyone who attended and everything went so smoothly.  I am looking forward to volunteering with Orangewood again.

If you are interested in volunteering with them:

http://www.orangewoodfoundation.org/volunteer.asp

Volunteer Opportunities

Do you want to volunteer?

There is no excuse of why you cant.  :)

Go here, search your area, and submit a request

http://www.volunteermatch.org/search

Every day / Everywhere:

Holiday Mail for Heroes

http://www.redcross.org/holidaymail

In Orange County?

Here are more opportunities:

Saturday, November 12th  10:00am

(and)

Sunday, November 13th  10:00am

Special Olympics - Fountain Valley

Fountain Valley Recreation and Sports Park

16400 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, CA

Go cheer on the athletes!

Soccer, Volleyball, Softball and Tennis

You do not need to register, just show up, bring a chair, and cheer on all of the athletes for as long as you want!!!  Rain or Shine!  They could use the support!

I am volunteering for this event, but signed up for bowling, so I will be at another location.

Sunday, November 13th  1:30pm - 3:00pm

(and)

Sunday, December 11th  1:30pm - 3:00pm  (I am attending this)

Bring Cheer to Senior Citizens - La Habra

Whitten Heights Assisted Living

Join Meetup and RSVP here:

http://www.meetup.com/VolunteersUnited/events/dlgsdcyppbrb/

Saturday, November 19th  8:00am - 12:00noon

Foodbank of Southern California (Long Beach)

1444 San Francisco Ave, Long Beach, CA

Dress comfortably in clothing you dont mind sweating in and getting a little dirty

Wear closed toed shoes

When you arrive, just let them know you are an individual, not with a group.

Leave your personal belongings in your car, there is nowhere to keep them.

Every day:

Holiday Mail for Heroes

http://www.redcross.org/holidaymail

Happy Veterans Day!

I have decided to start a blog where I can document my volunteering experiences.

I think over time it will be nice to look back and see what I have done.

Happy Veterans Day to all past and present military...

Thank you for my freedom!