Habitat For Humanity

By Tyler Reed

Throughout my life, I have had opportunities to volunteer with different causes for different reasons. Truthfully, a majority of these experiences were facilitated by invitations from various judges who thought it would be beneficial for me to get involved in these causes during my wilder days as a young man. However they were initiated, the times I spent volunteering were always glimpses at reasons to be grateful and how other people live their lives, or a chance at perspective.

When I was 25 living in Delray Beach, Florida, I was inspired to volunteer for a different reason. I had a friendly debate with some friends concerning some issues in the community. These issues had been occurring and affecting the community for years and I am confident that they are still occurring, just as I am sure that the same debates continue to take place as well. When I left the conversation I was overwhelmed with what a waste of time it was to debate a topic that will never change nor be affected by the conversations had around it. I felt the need to affect something.

That night I looked up volunteer opportunities in my local area and found Habitat for Humanity’s web site. I signed up to volunteer on a Saturday morning, not knowing anything other than I was ready to influence something for the better. I could not have known how much my life would be affected by this moment.

I showed up and was introduced to some volunteers, including Ana Neira, the coordinator for the program I was going to be helping out with, A Brush With Kindness. A Brush With Kindness paints houses within a certain radius around the new home constructions to bring up the average aesthetic value of the neighborhood. The program helps to make not just one house in a neighborhood look better, but the whole neighborhood itself.

I met Ana and some other volunteers, heard their preliminary introduction explaining Habitat for Humanity, and got to work. In a little over 5 hours, we primed the entire house, which was to be painted the next weekend. I had a great time, met new people, and felt relief concerning my need to be an agent of change in some way.

The next week I returned to the house and painted with a new volunteer group, but many of the same volunteers from the week before were there. Steady volunteers and prospective homeowners who are working off their “sweat equity” hours make up the backbone of Habitat’s workforce. So I saw some of the same faces, worked another 5 or 6 hours, and stayed after to help clean up. As I was getting ready to leave I was struck with an amazing moment of clarity. I had lived in Delray Beach, a small, beach community, for 5 years at that point. I had never been in that neighborhood. I had never seen how much poverty existed, in pockets among million dollar homes and affluent developments. Even more striking was the fact that the poverty stricken neighborhood I had entered into the week before, after two days of work, looked dramatically better than it had before. People from the community got together, worked hard, and improved the lives of others in the community drastically. In these neighborhoods, pride of ownership of your home cannot be calculated or valued the same way as in other places. To give this gift of rebirth to the home we worked on and in turn to the people who lived there was a power that felt as if it should be reserved for God Himself. The fact that I had gotten to meet new people and be emotionally recharged from the work of those two days was a close second to the fact that we had helped change someone’s life forever for the better.

So instead of leaving there that day content with my involvement and the change I had helped bring about, I came back again. I worked on another house in another neighborhood. I met more volunteers and potential homeowners. All were there for their different reasons, but we all kept coming back for the same reason. We were a part of something truly good, something bigger than ourselves.

I became a crew leader and volunteered most weekends for the next calendar year. I had a hand in transforming dozens of homes, neighborhoods, and lives in the time I gave to Habitat for Humanity. What I got in return was simply staggering. I developed a confidence and inner peace that I never had before as I began to comprehend that every week I was a part of something so undeniably good. I was given a quality of perspective that I had never known, starting to understand that my problems and worries were never as bad as those of people less fortunate than me, and in turn never as bad as I thought. But most important of all, I became part of a family. Ana Neira, my boss in the A Brush With Kindness program, became my older sister. Teja and Periel, two young girls who started coming every week to help out, became my younger sisters. Jason and Jennifer Williams, a beautiful couple working towards owning their own home, became my close friends. When I decided 5 months ago to move to Los Angeles, one of the hardest parts of my decision was to leave this cause and these people behind. My going away party with the Habitat for Humanity crew was one of the most gratifying emotional experiences of my life. I came to Habitat to help someone else, and what I got was so much more than I could have ever imagined.

Volunteering is not something than can be done; it is something that should be done. There is nothing quite like giving freely of your resources for the benefit of others. There is no excuse. Volunteering is not about money, although it can always help get more accomplished. It is about the things we all have to give: time and energy. There are no barriers that your time and energy cannot overcome when coupled with the time and energy of others who unite for a purpose. The feelings of accomplishment and belonging to a family are available to anyone who is willing to take the time out of their busy lives and give something new a chance. The experiences I had with Habitat for Humanity transformed my goals, my spirit, and my life. That is why I now want to continue volunteering and helping others experience the evolution of the soul that I have only experienced through one thing: helping other people.     

http://www.habitat.org/

St. Anne's

by Nina Smidt

 I’d heard about St. Annes through a family friend and knew right away we had to volunteer with this organization. We had just finished a very successful donation drop off for hurricane Sandy victims and had an abundance of leftover women's clothing, shoes, and accessories that weren’t suitable for east coast winter. So Carla and I loaded up her car and headed over to St. Anne’s to deliver the goods and introduce ourselves to the volunteer director. We figured a good way to leave an impression with him would be to show up with a loading cart full of donations. 

 St. Annes covers two blocks and houses over 60 young women and their children who have been abandoned, neglected, or abused. Most of these young women have been tossed around the foster care system and are currently underage mothers or mothers to be. St. Anne’s started out in 1908 as a safe refuge for unwed, pregnant young women. It has evolved into one of the most well respected social service agencies that specialize in programs and care that help and empower these at risk women and their children, so that they can live flourishing lives and break the cycle of abuse. Since getting these women into the work force and helping them with their self confidence is a priority, we were happy to have boxes full of cute clothes for them. 

 Nestor, the volunteer program director greeted us in the lobby and gave us a quick overview of what St. Anne’s does. And he told us that they needed 4 more volunteers for their upcoming Holiday dinner for the residents. We signed right up and assured him we’d have 2 more volunteers. A couple months later we arrived at St. Annes with two of our angels, Sarah Bell and Kayleigh Hendricks, ready to work. We immediately spotted Nestor signing in volunteers and walked over to get our name tags and fire engine red aprons. We were asked to have some pictures taken in front of the 12 foot donated Christmas tree. There I met a gorgeous woman named Kathy, who is the vice President of development at St. Annes. She had heard that we were the girls who dropped off boxes full of clothes and invited us to come back  for a full tour of the facility and lunch to discuss more volunteer opportunities.  The next 2 hours we served food, cleared tables, and smiled while the residents watched their kids dance around to Christmas music in the middle of the room. 

  I left that night, my heart warmed with gratitude knowing that a place like St. Anne's exists to help these families feel safe and nurtured. 

Stay tuned for upcoming volunteer opportunities with St. Anne’s.

For more info on St. Annes go to http://www.stannes.org/

Donation Drop Off. Part 2!

by Laura Leary

Less than a week later the boxes arrived I'm Somers Point, NJ at my mothers house. Luckily she was not there for the delivery of all 7 boxes. I put her through enough in high school to have to deal with that ;)  My step dad and brother were there to load the front porch with all the donations. Thanks guys!

Now I had to figure out where everything would be going. My goal was to hand deliver clothing/jackets/bedding to people locally. I really wanted to experience the feeling of giving back and receiving smiles and maybe a hug (who doesn't love hugs!?). Unfortunately by the time I reached New Jersey clothing was in much less demand. Some donation places were no longer accepting clothing. Mainly money and/or house hold items. This left me a little flustered because I really had no idea how to distribute 400lbs of donations properly.

I decided the easiest thing was to do two large drop offs. One close by to the Atlantic City Rescue mission which is always in need of warm clothing etc. The city had been hit by the storm so I can know that the donations would go to good use there for many people.
I did a little research, joined Facebook groups with donation informations and finally found the next best option. The Trenton Rescue Mission had lost a lot of their inventory due to a roof collapse therefore donations were much needed there. I called my older brother Scott, who works in Trenton and told him that I would be making the drive up there. He said he would happy to help me once I got into town.
My dad and I hopped in the car and drove two hours north to donate the rest of the goodies.
All in all the drop offs were quite easy. I would have liked to have arrived a week earlier to find personal homes for these donations, but I am so happy that we could help in this way. There are not enough words for my gratitude towards everyone that was involved in the process.

While I was in town I got to see some of destruction that Sandy had  of Jersey. I saw endless amounts of people's belongings out on the street covered with mud from their basements. I don't know what the inside of these homes looked like but I can't even fathom what a lot of people are going through now and for many months ahead. There are still many places in NY and NJ that are suffering from this storm. If any of you have information of Sandy Relief please share with us! We want to continue to help as much as we can. We all have the power to make a difference so let's share the power and start mass compassion.

Click HERE to see all our photos from this project!

Holiday's from the Heart

By Carla Houston

So, when Nina and I first met Roz, we instantly loved her guts. Straight to the point, funny, efficient AND she had on a simple but gorgeous earth toned dress paired with a cute high bun, making her stylish too. We were at the children’s hospital getting a tour of the different volunteer programs and hers was the last program to check out. We were all getting to know each other a little and when I mentioned I grew up in Mexico, she burst into excitement, “We actually are in need of spanish speakers right now! That’s the first language of many of the families in the program.”
Nina and I have been volunteering with her ever since. It has been a little over a month now and Roz has easily become one of our role models.
She runs the Holidays from the Heart program at the Children's Hospital LA which connects sponsors with families that have a child who is currently in treatment. As you can imagine, there are many children in the hospital with very serious and tragic illnesses and their families go through a lot on a daily basis in order to emotionally and financially get through these intensely difficult times. The sponsors provide these families with gifts for the Holidays. Not just the child who is sick but every single person living under that roof. Our job as volunteers (at this stage) is to call the families, make sure to get everybody’s information including their accurate sizes and favorite colors as well as their individual wish lists. Sometimes the family consists of 9 people and sometimes it is just 2.

When i first started, I had been given a list of 4 families to contact with an urgency on one of them seeing as this family was a priority for the program. This was a family of two; a little girl of 6 and her stepfather. Hispanic, like myself and mainly spanish speaking, which is why i was assigned to them. Before i called, i read their file so that i was aware of their situation and could then help them as best i could. This little girl had a very rare illness and wasn’t expected to live to the holiday. Her mother had been diagnosed with another fatal disease and died earlier this year due to complications with her illness and her stepfather worked whenever he could in order to support the family’s needs. As i read, i could feel my heart swell and my eyes focus sharply on the words on the paper. I was nervous but eager to make the call and help this family.
When the stepfather answered, he was by his stepdaughters side at the hospital and was having an understandably hard time focusing on his answers given the situation, so he asked if i could wait a second while he asked his stepdaughter what she wanted. All of the sudden, i was on the phone with what seemed like the most enthusiastic little girl... “Can i have a doll?!” she said, with the sweetest most excited voice. “Absolutely, sweetheart! What else would you like?” i responded. “Mmmmmm, i would really like a bunny stuffed animal and a ball to play with too.” she then added. As she continued to tell me, i kept writing down her very cute, very modest little wish list. I was overwhelmed with joy as I reassured her that we were going to be able to give her what she wanted and quiet tears began running down my cheek, I couldn’t help it. When we finished, i asked her if i could speak to her father and asked him what he would like for Christmas. He said to write down whatever were the most common items on his list but politely asked if i could make sure to get what his daughter wanted. I reassured him with all of my heart that we were going to get every last thing she asked for and insisted on him taking a moment to think about something special for himself. He said he didn’t need it and instead took a moment to sincerely thank me for caring and for everything that we were doing.
As soon as i got off the phone, my eyes couldn’t keep it in any longer and i just balled. I realized the gravity of this man’s situation and that it still wasn’t over. My heart just went out to him and i wished i could have given him more. That’s when i also realized the positive, loving impact this program was having on all the people involved. Everyone was helping in every way that they could in order to bring some much needed relief to these families who were all going through such tough times.
This brings me back to Roz, the force behind it all. 500+ families, hundreds of sponsors and volunteers, countless unforgettable moments and even more cups of coffee. She is the kind of woman doing work i want to read about in magazines, hers is the face i want to see when i am in need of inspiration, and the Children's Hospital of LA, which is the institution responsible for all of this happening, is one of the best non for profit organizations out there today. By the way, i can go on and on about the other many reasons why this hospital is so incredible but i will wait for another post.

I can honestly say that i volunteer for selfish reasons. I use my talents for something meaningful, learn something new each time, i meet amazing people, develop new skills and create beautiful memories constantly. To me, this is about connection. To another person, to your community, to humanity and ultimately, to the spirit of Christmas which to me is love. I really do hate to get all cheese wiz on you guys, but to me, this is it. Good work with a good spirit. If i could accomplish anything with this post, it is that you open your mind and schedule up to one volunteer activity every once in a while. I can’t promise you that you will have a moment you will never forget... but at the end of the day, you will have earned your sleep and maybe even met a new role model.

Donation Drop Off. Part 1.

By Laura Leary

Having to watch my home state, New Jersey, and my second home state, New York, get pummeled by Hurricane Sandy made me feel completely helpless. I knew that things were not what people had expected when images started showing up on my Television screen in my apartment back in Los Angeles. I was left with anxiety and sadness knowing there was nothing that I nor anyone could do until the storm was over....

My main concern was my loved ones and their safety. I have a lot of family and friends that still reside on the Jersey Shore (not Seaside Heights) and New York City. Seeing these places under water and some parts left with unimaginable destruction was not easy.

I continued to watch the coverage in disbelief of the people who we're left homeless and hopeless. It broke my heart seeing homes literally ripped in half, burned down to absolutely nothing or washed away at sea. Homes filled with memories and items that could never be replaced. I don't know of loss like this but it's something that I can't even apprehend the idea of such a terrible situation. After talking to family members and hearing stories of the devastation left behind I knew I wanted to help...

At one of our meetings, I randomly had a thought of a donation drive. I was going back to Jersey in a week and thought that I could hand deliver items we may be able to collect here in Los Angeles. After a quick agreement to do so, Carla, Nina and myself brainstormed a little and immediately got on our social media contacts and just wrote a little blurb about having people donate items such as warm coats, hats, gloves, jeans etc.... Little did we know what an unbelievable response we would get. After only two days we had collected countless amounts of jeans, socks, coats, shirts and the list goes on. A bit overwhelming but we were all so excited and impressed to see people going out of their way, not only making the trip but to go through their belongings to give to someone who is in desperate need. The response was amazing and we cannot thank the generous people who came from all parts of Southern California enough!

The next step was the packing and shipping. This is the part that left me overwhelmed the most. Where was this all going to go!? I wasn't sure how roughly 400 pounds of clothing was going to fit in a reasonable amount of boxes and the cost was a whole another issue. Luckily my friends are cool, calm and collective and we finished it all in an afternoon after many trips to the Fed Ex store and with a lot of help from kind strangers. Off to my mothers house in New Jersey it went! (Thanks mom!)

TO BE CONTINUED...Click HERE to go to our Donation Drop Off Facebook page!

Trashformation

By Carla Houston

Why would you ever pick up trash? You aren't going to solve the problem of the growing plastic gyres; you probably won't permanently change anybody's behavior on littering; and you are probably going to end up sweaty and stinky afterwards. So then, why do it? 

Well, I'll begin with comparing trash, as our collective waste, to poo. It's our waste that gets discarded and then forgotten about. Unlike our trash, poo does have a positive purpose in life. It can become fertilizer and help other organisms grow into vibrant, productive, contributors to the life cycle. What happens to our trash? A lot of it sits and bleeds toxic particles into our planet and bodies while serving as fertilizer to nothing. A very small percentage gets recycled and most of the time, those discarded items were only used a handful of times at most, which is the case with most plastics.
 Now, if you've taken the time to reflect on how we are functioning as a society in this way, you would come to the conclusion that it is absurd and unsustainable. We don't seem to be entirely aware of the effect that our automatic senselessness is having to the environment and I think it's because of our disconnection to it. 
There are so many overwhelming facts regarding this issue, which I think can paralyze people from doing anything about it since they don't know where to start. Also, most of us don't come in contact with any severe effects from this issue on a daily basis. So, we wait for other people to fix it, forget, and then turn a blind eye, continuing our lives without understanding what is happening and what we are contributing towards.
I personally don't want to wait until something catastrophic happens in order for us to change our ways. Oceanic plastic soups, contaminated seafood and stagnant ugly giant landfills are enough for me to get it. 

So, If we can make things in a way that is less harmful and more efficient, then why don't we?
I am not a plastic producer business tycoon or scientist, but I am confident that it isn't due to lack of resources or technology. We most certainly do have the capacity to do it and many already are, we are just not collectively committed to it... yet.
While i do think that corporate and government influences, or lack thereof, have a lot to do with the problem, i don't bank on them waking up tomorrow prioritizing this issue and creating a new effective production and waste structure for our society. Instead, i believe that the only power i have is to take responsibility for how MY own behavior contributes towards this problem, learn as much as i can about alternatives and solutions and just do my best. After that, I leave the rest to miracles. 
One way that i feel is doing my best, is to pick up trash for a few minutes around my neighborhood or a block that i feel is in deep need of a cleanup every once in a while. I get a feel for how dirty my city is, what is polluting it and how i can responsibly dispose of what i find. This information pops up in my head when I'm making little every day decisions like whether or not to use straws, chose compostable products vs plastic, take my water bottle (with an integrated filter) instead of buying disposable bottled water, etc... not to mention the workout i get in and the time i spend with my friends and neighbors doing something fulfilling.
This is ultimately about responsibility and doing your part... but that doesn't mean you can't have fun in the process! :)
Check out how we organize our clean ups if you are curious about doing one in your neighborhood,
Or...

Click HERE for the Trashformation Facebook Link and Join Us! 

Great links to information on our waste:

http://5gyres.org/
http://earth911.com/news/2011/09/13/wasting-away-our-garbage-by-the-numbers/
http://www.green-networld.com/facts/waste.htm

Dog Therapy at the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

By Nina Smidt

Today Carla and I visited the Children's Hospital Los Angeles for a tour and meeting with different program directors that we could potentially start volunteering with.

 We had been looking forward to this tour for weeks. We had the perfect “professional/pretty outfits” picked out and would squeal with excitement every time we went over the days itinerary. 

  Carla had of course gotten there before me, found a Starbucks and ordered her decaf. As I waited for my valet ticket she ticket came “run jumping” over to me with a smile from ear to ear. “Girl oh my god wait till you see the lobby!!!” she exclaimed. “I can’t believe we’re gonna get to volunteer here!” Now as I’m sure I’ve explained before Carla and I are easily excitable when it comes to this stuff but the Children's Hospital really is extraordinary. First impressions are this is the FAO shwartz of hospitals. It’s big, bustling, warm, welcoming and exploding with smiles and colors. 

 We had just pulled ourselves together after our 2 minute spaz out when our beautiful tour guide for the day Michelle Marcinak greeted us with a big hug, visitor tags and best of all parking validation. 

 Our first stop was with Dianne Lahti the coordinator of the Amerman Family Foundation Dog Therapy Program. There we were introduced to Bonner, a 190 pound black bear slash dog, otherwise known as a Newfloundland. He was busy making his way over to a little girl in a wheel chair who was paralyzed from the neck down. Reality hit me and my heart pained as I watched this tiny child with IV’s hooked up to her body as her family talked quietly to a doctor behind her. But something magical happened as Bonner walked up to the little girl to say hello. Her eyes lit up and followed his every move. Everyone around her abruptly broke all serious conversation and reached down to greet him. The little girl was suddenly surrounded by joy and sweetness as Bonner stood by her chair as if to reassure her that everything was going to be ok. 

 I obviously wanted to cry. But it was time to put on some more hand sanitizer and sit down with Bonner and his handler to discuss how the program works....

 The Dog Therapy program is a program where volunteers bring their dog to the hospital to visit with the patients and their families. If you’re interested in getting involved with the Pet Therapy program make sure you and your dog can comply with the list below. If so email  Dianne Lahti at dlahti@chla.usc.edu to schedule a hospital staff evaluation meeting and let her know Earth Angels sent you! 

Here is list of things that your dog will need to pass before being considered for the final hospital staff evaluation. 

-Dog must be good with children (obviously) and people in general

-Dog must be well trained

-Dog must be at least 2 years old

-Dog must have been with owner for at least one year

-Dog must not react to having ears or bottom touched

-Dog must complete at least one training /obedience class (from petco,petsmart,etc)

-Dog must complete “Pet Partners” registration (can be done at hospital evaluation)

-Volunteer ideally should be willing too bring dog on a semi regular schedule (couple times a month if possible) so that the kids can look forward to the visit

Check out this link to learn more! 

http://www.chla.org/site/?c=ipINKTOAJsG&b=3579171

Stay tuned for the rest of our visit with the other amazing volunteer programs at CHLA.