Tag Archives: volunteers

Art

Interim’s OMNI Resource Center needs volunteers, donations for its annual Thanksgiving feast in Salinas

Leave a comment

For many the holiday season brings bountiful joy, but for others it can create loneliness, anxiety and depression.

Salinas, CA, October 04, 2019 – For many the holiday season brings bountiful joy, but for others it can create loneliness, anxiety and depression.

Each year the OMNI Resource Center in Salinas hosts a lunch on Thanksgiving Day, serving about 150 people hungry for more than food.

A program run through Interim Inc., which provides services and affordable housing for those with mental illness, OMNI needs volunteers and donations to help with this year’s meal on Nov. 28.

Guests at this special holiday lunch represent not only members of Interim’s housing program, but also the homeless, those with limited income, and/or those with no family.

The lunch gives attendees more than just a meal; they also make new friends, gain a sense of community, and get a meal to take home for later in the evening.

There are many volunteer opportunities to not only help brighten their day but also give hope for their future.

Donations can be dropped off at the Pajaro Street Wellness Center in Salinas (339 Pajaro St., Suite A). Deadline is Nov. 12 for non-perishables, and Nov. 15 for fresh food. OMNI needs everything from oval roasting pans to food items such as turkeys, spiral-sliced hams, boxes of stuffing mix, chicken broth, jars of cranberry sauce, cans of whipped cream and much more.

Volunteers are needed to cook food, but also to help register and usher guests, to serve food and clean up.

Volunteers (aside from cooks) will be asked to arrive at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 28 for a quick training followed by lunch. Cooks will be asked to bring prepared food by noon on Nov. 27.

Anyone interested in donating to the Thanksgiving lunch or volunteering their time, should contact Lisa Corpuz at (831) 800-7530 x431 or email lcorpuz@interiminc.org.

ABOUT INTERIM INC.

Interim’s mission is to provide services and affordable housing supporting members of our community with mental illness in building productive and satisfying lives. Interim is a private nonprofit organization that provides a unique combination of support services, housing and treatment for adults with mental illness in Monterey County. Services provided include affordable supportive housing, residential treatment, mental health and dual-recovery services, case coordination, therapeutic services, outreach and intensive support for homeless adults, supported education and employment, day treatment and peer support.

ABOUT THE OMNI RESOURCE CENTER

The OMNI Resource Center offers peer-led programs promoting wellness and recovery, as well as recreational and social opportunities. Wellness programs are free and open to anyone with mental health challenges. Programs are also offered off-site at other community locations. No referral is necessary. The OMNI Resource Center is located at the Pajaro Street Wellness Center, 339 Pajaro St., Salinas, CA, 93901. The center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

https://www.interiminc.org/omni/

Healthcare

National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month

Leave a comment

Dr. Morwood frequently volunteers on humanitarian missions to operate on children with cleft lips and palates in developing countries of the world.


Monterey, CA, July 02, 2019 – Dr. Morwood frequently volunteers on humanitarian missions to operate on children with cleft lips and palates in developing countries of the world. In the past 30 years he has traveled to treat these children with congenital deformities in many countries such as Peru, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Bolivia, China, and Vietnam.

Dr. Morwood has spent his time working 14 hour days in countries across the globe, sometimes performing up to 6 surgeries in a day. He helps families of the underprivileged who may need corrective surgery from birth defects, such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

His concern is that “many of these kids have been treated as outcasts” so his mission is to fix them one child at a time.

Here’s a short video (https://youtu.be/V3Lv6Oo1HEM) of Dr. Morwood helping kids in Asia.

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

https://www.drmorwood.com/

Art

Natividad Celebrates 59 Years of Volunteerism

Leave a comment

National Volunteer Week is April 7-13

Salinas, CA, March 15, 2019 — Natividad is celebrating National Volunteer Week from April 7-13 and honoring all of its volunteers with a Volunteer Recognition Luncheon April 10.

“For 59 years, Natividad’s Auxiliary volunteers have been the familiar and friendly faces for all of our patients and visitors,” said Natividad’s CEO Dr. Gary Gray. “Whether they’re helping hospital staff, selling get-well cards in the Gift Shop or assisting patients and visitors at the information desks, volunteers are essential to our hospital.”

In 2018, the 375-member Auxiliary provided 40,917 hours of service to Natividad. These volunteers include young adults seeking work experience in a professional environment, college and high school students who have medical careers in mind, and retired seniors who wish to remain active and be of service to the community.

“More than half of our volunteers are fluent in both English and Spanish, which is a plus in our multilingual community,” said Natividad’s Human Resources Administrator Janine Bouyea. “They perform a wide range of essential, non-medical activities that help visitors and patients access the hospital and our services.”

In addition to welcoming guests at the front desk, volunteers oversee and coordinate other important activities and services. Volunteers provide concierge service to families in waiting rooms, Pet Therapy Service, assistance with patient portal sign up, spiritual care, Infant Cuddler Program, patient and specimen transport, staffing for the Gift Shop, clerical support for administrative offices, meal delivery to patients, guide hospital tours and support courier service within the facility.

“Volunteers can be a friendly face to patients and family members,” Bouyea said. “Sometimes just a smile or warm greeting can help our guests who are anxious or worried. Our Pet Therapy dogs, Bobo and Beah, also help distract patients and can be very calming for animal lovers. ”

Natividad is hosting a recognition luncheon for volunteers and auxiliary staff on April 10. Natividad Foundation President and CEO Jennifer Williams is scheduled as keynote speaker.

“Volunteering is vital in helping to create a healthy community and providing valuable services to Natividad,” Dr. Gray said. “Our dedicated volunteers provide thousands of hours of essential services to our hospital. We are extremely grateful and proud to honor our team of volunteers in tribute to National Volunteer Week and the Volunteer Auxiliary’s service to Natividad.”

For more information or to join Natividad’s Volunteer Auxiliary, please call (831) 755-4215 or email Sylvia Guzman at guzmans@natividad.com

About Natividad

Natividad is an acute care hospital and Trauma Center providing high-quality health care to everyone in Monterey County, regardless of ability to pay. Located in Salinas, Calif., Natividad is a public health care system offering a wide range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care. Founded in 1886, the 172-bed medical center has more than 10,000 admissions and 52,000 emergency visits annually. Home to the area’s only Level II Trauma Center, the hospital’s specialized personnel, equipment and services provide a vital local community service that saves lives and keeps patients close to home. Natividad’s Baby-Friendly® facility delivered more than 2,200 babies last year and is affiliated with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. It also operates an accredited Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, giving the tiniest and most fragile babies — some as small as one pound — the best chance for a healthy start. Through its UCSF-accredited Family Medicine Residency Training Program, Natividad is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast. For more information, please call (831) 755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.

Contact:

Marci Bracco

Chatterbox PR

831-747-7455

Salinas, CA

marci@chatterboxpublicrelations.com

http://www.natividad.com

Travel

MPA Watch in Need of Volunteers

Leave a comment

Learn How to Support Today

Monterey, CA, May 15, 2018 — California’s scenic and spectacular 840-mile coastline and ocean are among the country’s most treasured resources and is central to the state’s identity, heritage and economy. California also leads the nation and the world in ocean protection, ensuring the preservation of important ecosystems along its coastline.

Volunteers are often the lifeblood of the many and varied organizations, both public and private, that help preserve and protect the coast and ocean. One of those organizations is MPA Watch, a citizen science monitoring program that trains volunteers to observe and collect unbiased data on human uses of coastal and marine resources both inside and outside of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

By involving local communities in this important work, MPA Watch programs inspire and empower stewardship of the coast and ocean, and educate community members about California’s ocean ecosystems.

MPA Watch programs across the state of California are continually training a network of volunteers to monitor resource use inside and outside these protected areas. Volunteers use standardized protocols to collect relevant, scientifically rigorous, and broadly accessible data.

Not only do local volunteers learn about their coastal environment and become “citizen scientists” and stewards of the area, but they generate large quantities of monitoring data that would not be possible under the current state budget.

Citizen-science, also known as community science, is research conducted by trained volunteers from the general public who are interested in science, monitoring, and conservation of the marine environment. But, you do not need any scientific background to collect data for these surveys.

Volunteers will be trained to collect valuable data on ocean users and their activities, such as surfing, kayaking, fishing, boating, running, etc. Specifically, the MPA Watch volunteers will observe and record both consumptive and non-consumptive offshore and onshore activities in and around MPAs, which will improve our understanding of how people are using these new MPAs.

Data are meant to inform the management, enforcement, and science of California’ MPAs and allow us to see how human uses are changing as a result of implementation of these MPAs.

From 2010 to 2015, more than 850 MPA Watch volunteers were actively engaged in surveying MPAs from Mendocino County to San Diego County, resulting in more than 10,000 surveys.

Organizations in your community are always looking for volunteers to do this important work. To get involved, contact organizations that are operating MPA Watch programs in your area. Current organizations and their contact persons include:

Heal the Bay – Los Angeles County (Land-Based)

Jenna Segal, jsegal@healthebay.org

Los Angeles Waterkeeper – Los Angeles County (Boat-Based)

Michael Quill, mquill@lawaterkeeper.org

Orange County Coastkeeper – Orange County

Ray Hiemstra, ray@coastkeeper.org

Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC) – Marin County

Morgan Patton, morgan@eacmarin.org

California Academy of Sciences

Rebecca Johnson, rjohnson@calacademy.org

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper – Santa Barbara County

Penny Owens, penny@sbck.org

WILDCOAST – San Diego County

Angela Kemsley, angela@wildcoast.org

Greater Farallones Association – San Francisco and Surrounding Counties

Kirsten Lindquist, klindquist@farallones.org

Eagle Eyes of False Klamath Cove – Del Norte County

Ruthie Maloney, ruthiemaloney@gmail.com

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

http://www.mpawatch.org

Business

FPL Volunteers Help Restore Historic Three Chimneys Plantation in Ormond Beach

Leave a comment

This event was just one in a series of activities conducted this week as part of FPL’s fourth annual Power to Care initiative. More than 900 volunteers, consisting of employees and their families, participated in 22 community volunteer projects throughout Florida, including the Three Chimneys project.

Juno Beach, FL (March 31, 2012) — As part of FPL’s “Power to Care Week,” today 35 FPL volunteers helped restore the trails on the beautiful Three Chimneys Sugar Mill plantation, giving visitors better access to four centuries of history in Ormond Beach.

Three Chimneys is the oldest British sugar plantation in the United States, encompassing several historical landmarks dating back to the 1700s. FPL volunteers built a pathway linking the plantation compound to Fagan Tree, a massive oak estimated to be well over a century old. Further plans for improvement of the Three Chimneys include creating a park to promote Florida’s history and multicultural heritage, which spans four centuries on this location.

“The age and wealth of the Three Chimneys Sugar Mill Plantation’s history makes the site a state treasure worthy of care and preservation, and also a natural focus for local FPL employees’ volunteerism during Power to Care Week,” said FPL External Affairs Manager for the area, Larry Volenac. “Our efforts to improve the site are an extension of an ongoing partnership with the Ormond Beach Historical Society to ensure we can all enjoy and learn from the Three Chimneys well into the future.”

This event was just one in a series of activities conducted this week as part of FPL’s fourth annual Power to Care initiative. More than 900 volunteers, consisting of employees and their families, participated in 22 community volunteer projects throughout Florida, including the Three Chimneys project. Throughout the week, volunteers across the state rolled up their sleeves to help clean beaches and restore dunes, landscape nonprofit facilities, spruce up parks, beautify gardens, and more.

“The Ormond Beach Historical Society is very honored that FPL is working with us to promote the Three Chimneys site and its associated landmarks as an educational resource for both residents of Florida and our visitors,” said Dr. Philip Shapiro, chairman of the Ormond Beach Historical Society preservation committee. “Without FPL’s assistance, the trail would not be safe or accessible to the public.”

Three Chimneys and Fagan Tree is open year-round to the public via guided tours sponsored by the Ormond Beach Historical Society. For more information about Three Chimneys visit http://www.ormondhistory.org.

About Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with approximately 10,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla. – based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit http://www.FPL.com.

Media Contact:
FPL Media Line
Florida Power & Light Company
700 Universe Blvd.
Juno Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888
amelia.gomez@rbbpr.com
http://www.fpl.com
To view photos click here: http://on.fb.me/GTJshe