Families Helping Local Families

Another Way to Give Thanks

By Suki Wessling

Though we talk a lot about doing good deeds at our house, sometimes it seems like the details of daily life get in the way. But November is the month when we give thanks for what we have, and a great way to give thanks is to give help to others. Our local Santa Cruz charities offer diverse opportunities for families to help other local families.

This year my son and I finally got around to going to the Coastal Cleanup Day sponsored by our local organization Save Our Shores (saveourshores.org). Coastal Cleanup offers a useful lesson bundled into a day at the beach. It’s pretty impressive for kids to see people of all sizes coming together to work. My son and I received several personal thankyous from visitors enjoying our clean beaches.

Another local non-profit that offers us the opportunity to care for our shared open space is Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (thatsmypark.org). You’ve probably benefited from their work already: they run the Wilder Ranch interpretive programs and animal care, and are responsible for many of the great additions to our parks such as the Pacific Migrations Visitor Center at New Brighton State Beach.
“The Animal Program at Wilder is really a shining example of families that have a weekly time together when they care, feed and clean for the farm animals,” says Randy Widera. But even if you can’t commit to helping on a weekly basis, “showing up for our free programs is the best benefit we can hope for or imagine.”

For many of us, being in nature is as easy as walking out of our house. But for the less fortunate, our county supports a variety of programs that could use your help. Camp Krem (www.campingunlimited.com) is a summer camp for the disabled located in Boulder Creek. Volunteers 15 and older can help provide memorable summer experiences for children and adults whose disabilities make it difficult for them to do it on their own. Shared Adventures (www.sharedadventures.org) offers activities such as kayaking, surfing, art, and sailing for people with special needs and physical challenges. Volunteers help in all aspects of planning and bringing about events such as their annual Day on the Beach.

The Core (www.thecoresc.org) is a young and vibrant organization that seeks to provide a positive outlet for the youth of Santa Cruz. “Our motto is ‘by the youth and for the youth’,” explains co-founder Kim Clary. She and husband Jake grew up surfing off Pleasure Point. “All the good things it gave us we want to pass on to these kids,” Clary says. “All the bad things it brought—the drugs and alcohol—we’re trying to give them alternatives.”

As The Core’s original group of kids is growing up, Clary wants to see the organization grow with them. They need volunteer parents, young adults who like to work with kids, and board members to help the organization make its next step into offering year-round events.

An important lesson learned by kids who volunteer is that life offers different challenges to different people. The Diversity Center (www.diversitycenter.org) offers programs to help queer youth transition to adulthood. You can support them by attending the pride parade with your kids. The Familia Center (www.familiacenter.org) helps Spanish-speaking families in Santa Cruz County with food, health, education, and parenting. Volunteers can do such diverse work as helping with the afterschool homework club or delivering food.

Community Bridges (www.communitybridges.org) administers a number of familiar programs such as Meals on Wheels and the Live Oak Family Resource Center as well as several low-income childcare centers. Adult volunteers can assist at the centers; family volunteers can donate materials and plan activities that adults will lead at the centers. And all families can take part in their free family programs.

Grey Bears (www.greybears.org) does more than recycling! Kids can pay tribute to their grandparents, or if they don’t have any, benefit from interacting with and supporting our local seniors. Volunteer opportunities abound, from harvesting fresh produce to donating to the thrift store.

Many vital organizations in our community can’t offer ways for children to be directly involved, but do sponsor events to support their services. The Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley (www.pvhealthtrust.org), which offers low-income health services, earned thousands of dollars pledged through The Human Race (humanracesantacruz.kintera.org) in May. Defensa de Mujeres/Women’s Crisis Support (www.wcs-ddm.org) offers counseling, lodging, health and other services to families in crisis. Though they mostly need adult volunteers, they offer events such as last month’s screening of The Wizard of Oz to families who wish to support their efforts.

GUISC’s  2008 May issue featured the great yearly event at Willow Pond Ranch (WillowPondRanch.org) that in part supports CASA, a program to help children in our foster care system. Sometimes just having fun is a good way for families to support other families in need.

If you haven’t found something that inspires you in the suggestions above, perhaps the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County (www.scvolunteercenter.com) can help. The Volunteer Center provides in-person referrals for people of all ages. Their Youthserve program empowers and supports young people to get involved in the community, participate in service projects, take leadership, and voice their opinions. Contact Christina Thurston, Youthserve Coordinator, at 427-5066.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Suki Wessling is a local writer and the mother of two children.


Resources:
Public Library Community Information Database:
http://www.santacruzpl.org/cid/public/quicklists.php?name=Youth
Food Donations:
http://www.compostsantacruzcounty.org/Business_Composting/food_donations.html
Volunteering Listings:
http://www.1-800-volunteer.org
Guide to Family Volunteering:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/volunteer.html

November Family-Friendly Volunteer Events:
EcoFest Santa Cruz
November 14- 15, 2008
Time:  9AM-5PM
EcoFest Santa Cruz is a free family friendly event to celebrate the City of Santa Cruz’s numerous environmentally focused programs and green practices. To volunteer for this event you can contact the Volunteer Center Cityserve Program at 420-5403.
 
Adopt-A-Family Program
Nov 15th – Dec 18th, 2008
“Be the Difference” this winter and share the spirit of the Holiday Season by adopting a family less fortunate. We would like to encourage families, businesses, clubs, or churches to open their hearts by adopting one of the families still in need. For information on how you can bring holiday joy to a needy family, please contact The Volunteer Center’s Adopt a Family Project at 427-5075 in Santa Cruz or 722-2364 in Watsonville.