Paramount Equity Mortgage employees volunteered June 19, 2008, to complete a two-day repainting project at the
Winter Shelter at Cal Expo. Volunteers included (from left):
Courtney Thomas, Jeff Marks, Cindy Breedlove, Jason
Hensley, J.D. Nordberg, Kelly Kashoba, Darlene Hall,
David Baird, Michele Magee.

Paramount Equity Mortgage, a longtime supporter of Volunteers of America’s mission to reach out and uplift all people, reiterated its commitment when staff members picked up brushes and rollers June 19, 2008, for an afternoon of painting at the Winter Shelter at Cal Expo.

Cindy Breedlove, Paramount's Director of Procurement, led the eight-member team in repainting the men’s and women’s sleeping areas.

Team members were: Breedlove, Michele Magee, Kelly Kashoba, J.D. Nordberg, Darlene Hall, Jeff Marks, Courtney Thomas, Jason Hensley and David Baird.

Paramount Equity Mortgage employees had previously visited the Winter Shelter in 2007 as part of the volunteer force taking part in the Operation Backpack packing and sorting party.

For information on how you can volunteer on behalf of Volunteers of America, please see our “Volunteering” page, or contact Volunteers of America Community Relations Manager Kim Castaneda at (916) 442-3691 or KimC@voa-sac.org.

     

   

 

 

Eighteen employees of Sacramento-area Starbucks stores,
as well as six Volunteers of America clients, took brushes
and rollers to the walls of the Winter Shelter June 18, 2008,
for an off-season spruce-up. Starbucks staff included Tina Black, Erin O’Neill, Jen Cuniglio, Dena Williamson, Amy Caskey, Chelsea Betti, Carmela Maldonack, Jenn Mountjn, Melissa Usher, Brandi Sanders, Nate Sengmany, Fahimeh Sarang, Susan Than, Rhonda Vega and Rob Daehn.

Sacramento-area Starbucks stores and their employees have supported Volunteers of America for more than six years.

Employee volunteers have pitched in to paint and decorate transitional housing and emergency shelter facilities, adopted families at Christmas, helped renovate housing facilities for Hurricane Katrina survivors, and collected hats, scarves, gloves and socks for the Gift of Warmth drive, as well as backpacks and school supplies for Operation Backpack.

On June 18, 2008, 18 Starbucks staff members, led by district manager Tina Black, traded biscotti for brushes and went to work on phase one of the Winter Shelter interior repainting project.

Assisted by five Volunteers of America program clients, the group gave the shelter a fresh look just in time for an upcoming series of Operation Backpack staging events, which will be held at the shelter during its seasonal closure.

“It’s part of our culture to be involved with the community that surrounds us,” said Black. “We love what we do and want to share it with others.”

Participating Starbucks employees included Black, Erin O’Neill, Jen Cuniglio, Dena Williamson, Amy Caskey, Chelsea Betti, Carmela Maldonack, Jenn Mountjn, Melissa Usher, Brandi Sanders, Nate Sengmany, Fahimeh Sarang, Susan Than, Rhonda Vega and Rob Daehn.

Sacramento-area Starbucks will again host Operation Backpack collection boxes this summer, with 39 stores participating in the July 11 to 25 campaign (see the list of Operation Backpack drop-off locations). “Being able to support children and families in need that reside in our local communities, and the ability to make a lasting difference in the lives of these children is something we aspire to do as we participate in activities such as Operation Backpack,” said Black.

For information on how you can volunteer on behalf of Volunteers of America, please see our “Volunteering” page, or contact Volunteers of America Community Relations Manager Kim Castaneda at (916) 442-3691 or KimC@voa-sac.org.

   

   

   

 

Top: Brothers Bobby and Cody McDonald (left),
join parents Kelley and Dave, to volunteer together
on behalf of Volunteers of America. Above: John
Buttz (right) says it's much more enjoyable to
volunteer with son Evan.

Volunteering together as a family – whether the unit is the traditional mom, dad and 2.4 children, a husband and wife, or a significant other and significant other – adds another dimension to the satisfaction gained when giving to those in need.

That’s the consensus of Volunteers of America supporters who have made donating time and effort on behalf of Volunteers of America clients a family affair.

“It is much more enjoyable to volunteer with my son,” said John Buttz, who followed up his volunteer debut during Volunteers of America’s Wrap It Up! event in December, with multiple stints at Volunteers of America’s seasonal Winter Shelter with 13-year-old son Evan. “The chance to provide him with the life experience, and for the two of us to share it, makes it much more valuable. I can’t think of anything more valuable for a family to do together than to give to others.”

That’s a sentiment shared by Kelley McDonald, who has been a repeat Wrap It Up! volunteer (with son Cody) for some four years. This year, Kelley and husband Dave were joined by Cody and his older brother Bobby at the Winter Shelter, where they added to their volunteer résumé.

“My motivations for getting Cody and Bobby involved in volunteering is simply that I know the feeling that it gives you to help others is really second-to-none,” said Kelley. It is a feeling that cannot be bought, or simply given to you – you must earn it. My family is very fortunate, and I never want my children (or me) to forget that.

“Sometimes it takes seeing what others don’t have to really appreciate what we do have!”

Helping a child realize how fortunate they are, was what prompted Dawn Cornell to bring 13-year-old daughter Erin Lindner to help out at the Winter Shelter this year.

“When Erin was a couple of weeks old, we were having money issues and Erin’s dad lost his job and we ended up in a homeless shelter for families,” said Cornell. “I have talked to her about it a couple of times, but I wanted her to see firsthand that not everyone may be as lucky as she is at the moment, and that just because you may be in a certain situation doesn’t make you a bad person or mean you have to stay in that situation.”

As grateful as parents are for the opportunity to work with their children in service to the community, their kids – ranging from sixth-graders on their Christmas holiday to college students off for spring break – report being equally glad to pitch in.

“Volunteering … was a great way to spend three hours of my day,” said Tammy Arnaiz, who accompanied her parents Cynthia and Francis, as well as brother Francisco to Volunteers of America’s Bannon Street Shelter to serve Christmas Eve dinner. “Normally, I would be on the couch watching TV in that amount of time, but instead, I was given the opportunity to lend a helping hand, meet a lot of grateful people, and feel good at the end.”

Young couples sans children also are finding volunteering together to be a more fulfilling experience than going solo.

“I believe that when you serve others, even during the hard times in your life, your troubles may not disappear, but will somehow miraculously appear minimal,” said Phanh Maksong, who this year became a regular dinnertime fixture at the Winter Shelter with boyfriend Eric Morales. “Eric and I, just like other couples, will have days when we will not like each other very much, but heartwarming moments such as last Saturday night will help us remember the love that exists in the world; a love that so many people overlook because they are too scared to reach out and embrace it. And the memories will help us overcome whatever obstacle we encounter.”

For information on how you can volunteer on behalf of Volunteers of America, please visit www.volunteersofamerica-sac.org, or contact Volunteers of America Community Relations Manager Kim Castaneda at (916) 442-3691 or KimC@voa-sac.org.

 

 

 

 

   

       

       

Macy’s Galleria at Roseville vice president and store manager Jeff Richardson was accompanied by 11
of his staff for the Partners in Time painting party.

Macy’s Galleria at Roseville Partners in Time coordinator Tim Collins and store manager Jeff Richardson were among the dozen Macy’s staff members who visited Halcyon Place April 10 to put a coat of soothing blue paint on the walls of the facility’s recreation room.

For many of the crew, which included Charlie Brenner, Carissa Ward, Toni Chronicle, Kathy Melnikov, Jeanette Sinclair, Farzana Sanatyar, Terry Jorgensen, Jessica Baily, Gary Page and Juliet Hutchins, it was a return visit as the store has made the facility one of its regular beneficiaries.

“Everything went great,” reported Program Director Juanita Daniel, who counts Macy’s Galleria at Roseville among Halcyon’s guardian angels. “They’re just always so willing to help us out. We just love them.”

Early reaction to the newly redecorated dining hall was positive, said Daniel. “It’s cheerful and the residents really like the color.”

Collins said he hopes to bring his crew out soon to add some color to the property’s gazebo.

Now in its 19th year, Macy's Partners in Time has donated 1.3 million hours in community service nationwide.

In 2006, 67,000 employees, families and friends volunteered more than 130,000 hours to complete 2,200 Partners in Time projects on behalf of nonprofit organizations like Volunteers of America.

        

Daisy Sugiyama, Melissa Liou, Alanna Leake and Michele
Liou were among the volunteers serving dinner at the
Winter Shelter Feb. 23.

When Volunteers of America Senior Accountant Melissa Liou was asked if she might be free to lend a hand during the Feb. 23 evening meal service at the Winter Shelter, she didn’t just volunteer her services, but that of family and friends.

Along with sister Michele Liou, friends Alanna Leake and Daisy Sugiyama joined Melissa for the two-hour service. Also volunteering on the Saturday were couples Rachel and Greg Arendt, Phanh Maksong and Eric Morales, and Shane and Julie Cornatzer (along with their three children).

The dinner menu may have featured Sloppy Joes, but with such a deep bench of volunteer talent manning the pitchers and steam tables, there wasn’t anything sloppy about the evening service.
 
The 150 men and women in attendance that night were treated to kind and attentive table service as well as homemade cookies baked by the Cornatzers.

 

Macy’s Downtown Plaza employees Pat Stevens,
Tequila Angelo, Jeremy Moats, Andy Wasserman, Samantha Greenleaf, Jackie D'Anna, Mikey
Carrico and Darrell Kelly volunteered as meal
servers Feb. 21 at the Winter Shelter.

No strangers to Volunteers of America, having previously assisted in 2007’s Operation Backpack and Gift of Warmth campaigns, the employee volunteers of Macy’s Downtown Plaza were a welcome presence when they turned out in force to serve the evening meal at the Winter Shelter Feb. 21.

”It’s our way of giving back to the community,” said Andy Wasserman, coordinator for the store’s “Partners in Time.” “It’s very important to us that we show that we’re not just a store, but part of the community.”

Eight employees of Macy’s Downtown Plaza’s two stores, as well as its warehouse, donned Volunteers of America aprons to plate and serve the 143 men, women and children in attendance.

 

 

Brittny Matthews, Sharon Saechao and Ann Phan
share a holiday laugh with a Winter Shelter client during the Valentine Day dinner service Feb. 14.

More than 18 community volunteers, Volunteers of America staff and their friends joined together Feb. 14 to treat Winter Shelter clients to a very special Valentine’s Day meal service.

Already designated as a volunteer meal service date (two to three are held weekly), the day was made more special with an array of homemade cupcakes and cookies festively decorated for the holiday, as well as dozens of similarly homemade Valentine’s Day cards made specially for the residents by children in Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services programs.

Led by Development Officer Shauna Ross, Cristina Stoyle, Alexis Raymond, Karen Brown, Rachel Mowry, Kelly Siefkin, Cynsi Clark, Elaine Siegel, Gay Caputo and Kacie McDaniel baked and frosted more than 150 cupcakes and almost as many cookies to serve the men and women in attendance that evening.

Guitarist/vocalist Marcus Rivers was among the four Skyline Christian Center musicians who performed Jan.
26 at the Volunteers of America Winter Shelter.

More than a dozen members of the congregations of Skyline Christian Center and Bayside of West Roseville paid a repeat visit to Volunteers of America's Winter Shelter Jan. 26, bringing desserts and song to the 148 men and women in residence at the Cal Expo facility.

Performing for the near-capacity crowd were Skyline musicians Marcus and Maggi Rivers, Daniel Knight Jr. and Patty Kashiwamura, whose appreciative listeners could be heard yelling out "One more song!" at the conclusion of the group's one-hour set.

Assisting with the food service were Shane and Julie Cornatzer, Jerry Cornatzer, Kirby and Carolyn Loo, Glenn Kashiwamura and Dan Meyerpeter.

The Church Volunteer Network, which organized the Saturday night event, will be continuing its twice-monthly series of dessert and music programs at the Winter Shelter through its entire season, which ends March 31, 2008.

Kathi Burns was among the volunteers who served the evening meal Jan. 15 at the Winter Shelter.

We’re not sure if the recent interest in volunteering at our Winter Shelter for homeless men, women and children has been prompted by a New Year’s resolution, school-based community-service requirement or simply a desire on the part of parents to share meaningful time with a son or daughter, but we couldn’t be happier about the result.

The volunteers seem to agree.

“Definitely time well spent,” said Kathi Burns, who made the first of her visits to the shelter Jan. 15. She was joined by eight other volunteers, some of whom were also making their debut as meal servers, and some – like Cynthia and Francis Arnaiz – who were repeat time givers.

Rounding out Jan. 15's crew were Stephanie Graham, Jack Howe, Jim Evans and son Brandon, Susan Whalen and Jillian Wiseman. Wiseman was introduced to the activity by co-worker Cynthia Arnaiz – something we’re happily finding to be a frequent occurrence.

Volunteers of America Board Chairman Steven
Green (fourth from left) was among those giving
of their time to help serve Christmas Eve dinner at
the Winter Shelter at Cal Expo.

More than two-dozen volunteers spent their Christmas Eve at the Winter Shelter bringing yuletide joy to the some 150 homeless men, women and children who sought warmth and safety at the seasonal overflow facility.

Volunteers of America Board Chairman Steven Green, a senior vice president for F&M Bank, led the 5 p.m.  meal service, assisted by fellow F&M vice presidents Lily Tang and Tom Cook, along with community volunteers Diane Sindt, Dan Tschannen, Adam Tschannen, Cliff Brabant, Mark Ivers, Julia Donhost, Shani Davis, Arthelle Porter-Davis, Erinn Davis and Aysha Douglas.

"It was a wonderful experience serving the men and women of the shelter," said Sindt, president of Roseville's PSA Realty. "They truly appreciated the experience, being served at the tables instead of waiting in line. The thank you’s that we received were very sincere and heart warming."
 
"The shelter itself is a wonderful habitat for these people," Sindt continued. "What I thought about – as we were working – is some of these people could have been in my position last year, lost their job in 2007 and now (have) no place to go. Only one day could make a difference between them and me."

Following the meal service, several members of Skyline Christian Center, recruited by the Church Volunteer Network, arrived to serve a variety of desserts and perform a program of Christmas carols.

 

The residents of Greenbriar Apartments, Volunteers
of America’s affordable-housing complex for low-income families, enjoyed a merrier Christmas thanks to the efforts of Tom Lee and Sacramento
Asian American Ministries members.

Volunteers of America board member Tom Lee led more than 40 members of the Sacramento Asian American Ministries, their friends and family in putting together almost 150 Christmas baskets for the residents of Greenbriar Apartments.

The Dec. 22 packing event, now a tradition for the church’s congregation, saw an assembly line of caring and concerned men and women, boys and girls, prepare and hand out bountiful baskets of yuletide food staples and treats, as well as gifts, for the families of the affordable-housing complex.

“It’s a wonderful event,” said Community Administrator Patricia Burfford. “The volunteers are enthusiastic, and they really care about what they’re doing. The baskets are graciously accepted and appreciated by the residents here – it makes their holiday special.”

When asked what motivated him to lead the activity year after year, Lee replied: “I do this every year to remind myself and the church of all that we should feel grateful for. A resident’s smile is all I need to remember ‘why’ (I do it).”

Macy’s Galleria at Roseville Partners in Time
included Charlie Brenner, Toni Chronicle, Tim Collins, Stephanie Foster, Jeff Richardson and Carissa Ward.

Store manager and vice president Jeff Richardson and  the Macy's Galleria at Roseville Partners in Time – including Tim Collins, Charlie Brenner, Stephanie Foster, Toni Chronicle and Carissa Ward – did a fair impression of Santa Claus and his elves when they came to Halcyon Place Dec. 21, 2007.

The Roseville store’s employee volunteers made a noontime gift run with armfuls of wrapped delights for the residents of the permanent supportive housing facility.

In 2006, 67,000 employees, families and friends volunteered more than 130,000 hours to complete 2,200 Partners in Time projects on behalf of nonprofit organizations like Volunteers of America.

Quarry Oaks seniors gathered for a holiday party Dec. 17 complete with turkey dinner
and gifts courtesy of Village RV.

Village RV, a longtime supporter of Volunteers of America, followed up its extraordinary, employee-driven Adopt-a-Family donations at Options for Recovery Transitional Housing Program, with a Dec. 17 Christmas party at Volunteers of America's Quarry Oaks apartment complex.

Village RV bookkeeper Valerie Kinyan coordinated the event at the Rocklin senior complex, from distributing the residents' wish lists to her fellow employees, to organizing a Girl Scouts troop to help serve the turkey and cranberry sauce.

Manning the steam trays was Volunteers of America CFO Joe St. Angelo, who played host along with human resources director Bruce Quick.

Sandy Sheedy

Sacramento City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy (District 2), citing her longtime admiration for Volunteers of America's Options for Recovery Residential Treatment Program, hosted a holiday dessert party for clients and their children Dec. 17, 2007.

Program Director Paula Schmidt was on hand to introduce Sheedy and her executive assistant, daughter Tyson Sheedy, who assisted with serving the bakery-fresh cakes and tarts, which many of the younger children happily used for impromptu "face painting."

"The Volunteers of America Options for Recovery Program offers hope and a brighter future for mothers and children in need of a helping hand and human kindness," said Sheedy. "This program deserves and has my full support."

Reza Peigahi, Kara Synhorst, Susana Siqueira and
Tracy Fisk were among the volunteers participating
in 2007's Wrap It Up! event.

Originally scheduled to last five hours, Volunteers of America's 2007 Wrap It Up! event Dec. 15 "wrapped up" early thanks to an army of more than 40 "elves" who proved industrious beyond all expectations.

Spread out throughout the conference rooms and offices of Volunteers of America's administration suite, the volunteers merrily took on the task of wrapping the hundreds of new hats, scarves, globes, socks and ponchos donated during the Gift of Warmth drive.

The gifts will be given to homeless men and women on Christmas Day at Volunteeers of America's Winter Shelter, A Street Shelter and Bannon Street Shelter.

Wilton Christian School teacher Joni Peets (second
from left) and students Rachel Smith, Sydney
Shuey and Joslyn Rozema are among those
who have recently volunteered to serve dinner at
the Winter Shelter at Cal Expo.

Wilton Christian School students Sydney Shuey, Rachel Smith and Joslyn Rozema and teacher Joni Peets joined the growing list of community-minded supporters who have discovered the joy of volunteering at the Winter Shelter at Cal Expo.

Their Dec. 12 meal service had a holiday glow about it thanks to the lights of the community hall's Christmas tree and the good spirits of Peets and her students, who set tables, served the barbecued chicken dinners and refilled beverages.