Special Thank You from CEO Tom Bakaly

We are incredibly grateful to the more than 1,500 volunteers who dedicated over 25,000 hours—equivalent to more than $1 million in time and service—this past fiscal year. Your support has been instrumental in advancing Beach Cities Health District’s (BCHD) health priorities, specifically in mental health and substance abuse, as well as physical health. Thanks to your efforts, we are able to assist even more people Beach Cities residents in a variety of ways! National Volunteer Appreciation Week is Sunday, April 20 – Saturday, April 26!  Check out our social pages on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn as we shout out and highlight Volunteers and  your incredible contributions. Join us for a Blue Zones approved restaurant social hour (details below) to deepen your social connections with other volunteers while snacking on tasty plant-slant treats.

Finally, read on in this newsletter for details about the volunteer experience and valuable feedback received through the opinion survey that will help shape the program going forward.

To those of you who selflessly serve your community through volunteerism, we THANK YOU! It is a privilege to work with each one of you. Thank you for all your support, we couldn’t do this without you!

Volunteer Impact

Our volunteers have been very busy this past year. Here are just a few accomplishments to celebrate:

• 49 volunteers reached more than 100 hours of service in less than one year.
• 26 allcove Youth Advisory Group volunteers, ages 16 - 25, contributed more than 800 hours of service to allcove Beach Cities in its second year of supporting integrated health initiatives around youth engagement, participation and development.
• Sixty  Youth Advisory Council volunteers, grades 8 - 12, helped raise awareness around youth health issues and connecting peers with resources and information,  contributed almost 400 hours this school year.
• We had 13 Center for Health and Fitness front-desk volunteers, who helped check-in members for more than 140,000 gym visits and 62,000 classes while keeping the facility tour ready for visitors.
• A partnership was formed between Beach Cities Health District and AmeriCorps in 2023. BCHD received a second cohort of nine volunteers who are gaining valuable experience in the Public Health sector while providing valuable assistance for our internal programs.
• Various community partners assisted BCHD with events, Volunteer Day and Service Projects. Youth organizations included Girl Scouts, Hermosa Hermanos and multiple Key Clubs. Community groups included ICAN, Kiwanis, L.A.Works, National Charity League, Rotary Club, Volunteer Center, Women’s Club RB as well as local first responders and city representatives. Businesses included AccentCare, Identity Digital, Kaiser Permanente, Propelus, South Bay Credit Union and Sunrise HB.
• Three Purpose Connectors have processed more than 260 applications over the past year, helping potential volunteers match to a role which inspires and motivates them.
• In support of the LiveWell garden and nutrition education program, more than 100 volunteers gathered for a day of labor to prep the gardens for farm-to-table lessons incorporating nutrition and conservation. LiveWell Kids has gardens at eight elementary schools in Redondo Beach and three in Hermosa Beach.
• Over 100 community members, staff and local first responders helped deliver 254 holiday gift bags in December to older and disabled adults in the Beach Cities. BCHD also received volunteer support with bag assembly and holiday card decoration from a number of South Bay organizations, including Girl Scout Troop #2633, Hermosa Hermanos, Hermosa Valley Middle School, Identity Digital, National Charity League - South Bay, North High School and various community members.
• More than 100 event volunteers supported BCHD's participation in 14 health and fitness community events in the local area such as Free Fitness, RB Super Bowl 10K, Skecher’s Pier-to-Pier Friendship Walk and the Tour de Pier.

The Volunteer Experience

At BCHD, we very much appreciate the help we receive from our volunteers throughout the year. You, too, have shared how your experience giving back to the community has been a benefit:

• I would feel lost and lonely without my volunteer community. - Garden Angel
• This is such a supportive and encouraging place. – Youth Advisory Council Member
• My volunteering gives me recognition, respect and admiration from my friends and family. – Fred M., Errand Volunteer
• I enjoy crocheting blankets and know the recipient appreciates the gift. – CAPS Member
• I have my own garden at home which benefits from what I learn in the BCHD gardens.  –  Garden Angel
• I think I might get more from the program than I give. It improves my sense of well-being to volunteer and I feel more part of a community.   – Errand Volunteer
• (Volunteering) helps us be more social for sure. Isolation is not good for anyone and helping others is good for volunteers and clients. – Volunteer in Multiple Roles
• My involvement with the BCHD CAPs program has been a positive one. Crocheting blankets for hospice patients and Veterans has allowed me to feel connected with the community. Providing support to these groups has enriched my own life by deepening my own sense of purpose. Volunteering continues to be one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. -Joan S., CAPS
• Connecting, sharing stories, thinking about the journey of life have been the fun part of being a Conversation Companion. Making a new friend is a Bonus! - Sarah J.