Volunteers Brought Food, Community Spirit to the Table on April 13th

By Amanda Hoffman

HandsOn Broward’s Youth Leaders raise awareness about child hunger during “What Will You Bring to the Table?”

On Saturday, April 13^th, volunteers of all ages came out to the First Baptist Church and Christian Education Center in Pompano Beach to participate in HandsOn Broward’s contribution to the “What Will You Bring to the Table?” project.

What Will You Bring to the Table? is an initiative through generationOn to mobilize youth to address child hunger in the U.S. by gathering around tables to create service projects that raise awareness and bring collective action to this critical issue. The project’s goal is to reach out to individuals and volunteer organizations across the United States to raise one million meals in six weeks. It’s a lofty goal, but if the work done on Saturday is any indication of what’s happening across America, raising one million meals seems very possible.

Sydney Howard and Patty Howard sort donations for the church’s food pantry.

On Saturday, volunteers were given the option to participate in several projects around the Church. Near the preschool, some volunteers planted a community garden, which featured plants such as celery, kale and arugula. The garden will give the preschoolers a chance to learn about gardening and harvesting, as well as have access to healthy snacks.

At the Church’s onsite food pantry, other volunteers helped plant shrubs and bushes to enhance the courtyard where 100+ adults and children experiencing homelessness receive a meal every Saturday. Jared Goodman, 15, who came out as part of the Youth Leadership Academy—a HandsOn Broward program that gives teenagers a chance to lean about leadership and volunteering—took a break from digging holes. “We’re planting some cocoplum bushes around the fence. We chose these because they give a lot of privacy and they produce an edible fruit.”

After working with the Youth Leadership Academy, Jared chooses to volunteer because,

Volunteers build a picnic table for the pantry at First Baptist Church in Pompano.

“there are less fortunate families out there, and there are people who don’t have the luxuries we have and it just feels good to give back once in a while.”

Lourdes Lopez, 14, found that her favorite part of the day was gardening. “I don’t really get to do it much and I really like it,” she said, leaning on her rake.

Inside, more volunteers packed and decorated food boxes which will go into the church’s food pantry. Without looking up from the meal box he was coloring, Graham Guay, 10, said that his favorite part of the day was, “everything!” Over 300 food boxes were packed and left at the onsite Food Pantry.

Fort Lauderdale Commissioner and President of the Broward League of Cities, Bobby DuBose (center), volunteered with HandsOn Broward CEO Dale Hirsch (left), and Broward League of Cities’ Sely Cochrane (right).

Other volunteers decided to build a picnic table for the preschool. The significance of the picnic table is that it symbolizes the message of “What Will You Bring to the Table?” and serves to represent the goal of combating child hunger.

Pausing between hisses of duct tape as she packed her food box, Abbey Tomaszewski, 15, said, “Volunteering is important because I get to make a difference.”

So far, the “What Will You Bring to the Table?” project has raised 334,861 meals. Volunteers can submit photos of their own projects to combat hunger online at whatwillyoubringtothetable.org.

April Volunteer Spotlight: Jackie Byrne-Garcia

By Amanda Hoffman

Some may give a few hours a week to volunteering, but Jackie Byrne-Garcia, April’s Volunteer Spotlight, gives her whole life to her volunteer work at HAPPI Farm. Located at Southwest Ranches, HAPPI Farm allows for disabled children and adults to interact with farm animals. Guests at HAPPI Farm, which stands for Horse and Petting Pal Interaction, Inc., can ride therapeutically trained hoses and interact with many of the animals who make their homes at HAPPI Farm, including goats, chickens, pigs and bunnies.

Jackie started at HAPPI Farm when she suffered a brain injury that left her on disability. After working for twenty years as an office manager, Jackie now found herself cooped up at home. Looking for a way to keep busy, she sought out volunteer opportunities through HandsOn Broward and came across HAPPI Farm. She was able to work from home as a grant writer but it was Jackie’s experiences on the farm itself that helped her heal and “get back to normal.”

Jackie found more than a place to occupy her free time, she found a new passion, a new pet and even new friends. After making a call to HAPPI Farm to schedule her first volunteer visit, Jackie and the director of HAPPI Farm, Marie Lim, hit it off immediately and became instant friends. Later, Jackie discovered that she and Marie only lived three blocks from each other.

Even Jackie’s family has become involved at HAPPI Farm. Her five-year old granddaughter, Janessa, acts as a tour guide and leads parents around the farm.

Working at HAPPI Farm also brought Jackie to “PePe”, her Nigerian Dwarf Goat. After he was born on the farm, PePe needed a foster home and Jackie volunteered. Now, 13 weeks later, Jackie adores her new pet.  “I feed him three times a day with a bottle of honey and water. I put the honey in because the vet said he’s hypoglycemic.”

Jackie has become so involved in HAPPI Farm that she has been promoted to the Board of Directors and she is now planning her own event for the farm: “Farm Fun”, a program which allows both disabled and non-disabled children to spend a few hours with the animals on the farm.

This isn’t the first time Jackie has worked with horses. Growing up in New Mexico, she started training horses when she was 13. However, never before has she seen anything like the miracles that occur on HAPPI Farm every day. “One man is 33 years old and suffers from severe amnesia which causes him to forget everything after 30 minutes. When he first came to us he’d say, ‘Hi,’ and tell me his name and then a half hour later he’d say again, ‘Hi,’ then say his name again and I would say, ‘Hi, I’m Jackie.” My 5-year old granddaughter Janessa happened to be there that day and they took a walk together. The next week he came back and said, “Hi. Where’s Janessa?’ He knows everyone’s name now. We’re all blown away by his progress and he’s only been here 3 months.”

How does she explain these miracles? “The animals know. They know if someone has down syndrome or autism. They understand. There’s nothing like it.”

HAPPI Farm is always looking for help around the farm. A typical day for volunteers can range from helping saddle the horse, brushing the horse, helping patients onto the platform, walking alongside students and holding their legs during therapeutic riding lessons.

HAPPI Farm has become Jackie’s life. “If it wasn’t for HAPPI Farm…I thought I was going to fall apart but they helped me.”

And she loves every minute of it. Even when, “the goats jump up on the tables and eat the paperwork.”

March Project Leader Spotlight: Chandrick Campbell

By Amanda Hoffman

March’s Project Leader Spotlight belongs to volunteer dad, Chandrick Campbell. Even though he just started with HandsOn Broward two months ago, for Chandrick, volunteering is nothing new: he has actually been volunteering for ten years!

During his decade of service, Chandrick found himself drawn to projects that helped the homeless. Working with the homeless has particularly attracted him because he once was homeless himself. Chandrick says that when he lived in shelters he loved getting to see volunteers. “I love to be a part of projects that help homeless people because I was once homeless and for me to see the people that volunteered their time was great,” says Chandrick. Despite only having started with HandsOn Broward in January, Chandrick has already led the Keep Broward Beautiful Beach Sweep and he will be leading the AIDS Walk this Sunday, the Family Fun Resource Day Event and the Cooperative Feeding Program.

For Chandrick, his children have a lot to do with why volunteering is important to him, because, “I’m showing my kids that sometimes you have to give back to people that are not as blessed as you are. Every time I volunteer for that day I know that I did my part of helping someone that needs the help.”

In fact, Chandrick became a Project Leader because his kids talked him into it, “I was thinking about at first not to do it but then my kids said to me, ‘if we can do it, you can do it.’”

His advice for volunteers who are considering becoming project leaders?  “Go for it!”

March Volunteer Spotlight: Laurie & Graham Guay

By Amanda Hoffman

“A little karma goes a long way” is the volunteer motto of Laurie Guay, who along with her son, Graham, is the star of this month’s Volunteer Spotlight.

Laurie and Graham certainly have more than a little karma. After joining HandsOn Broward over a year ago, they have participated in all sorts of volunteer projects, from planting trees to helping soldiers. “We are passionate about anything that helps the Earth, people and animals so there is always a great activity for us to participate in. Graham typically wants to plant something and talk to other kids. I love working with people and animals. We will always jump at the opportunity to help a veteran because we are so grateful to our troops for their service and sacrifice.”

The mother-son volunteer team had been considering volunteering for a while, but it wasn’t until last Veteran’s Day when they actually took the steps towards getting involved.

“My brother is a veteran and served a couple of tours in Afghanistan,” says Laurie. “Every year we call him on Veteran’s Day and we thank him for his service. Last year, Graham’s class had a big lesson on the meaning of Veteran’s Day and it really struck a chord in him. He came home that day and told me he wanted to do more than just thank his uncle–he wanted to honor him somehow. We decided to adopt a troop of soldiers in Afghanistan through Any Soldier and Graham used his allowance to purchase the supplies they had requested on the website. He felt so great afterwards that I suggested volunteering locally and he agreed to give it a try. We logged onto the HandsOn Broward website and signed up for our first project that day. We started attending the Kids Club and we were hooked!”

Soon after, Laurie could see the visible impact volunteering had on her son. “In January we volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House where we helped make cupcakes and decorated them with some of the patients. Graham is very social and spent time talking to the children and watching movies. He didn’t want to leave. I will never forget the conversation we had on the way home that night. He told me that he is so glad to have a mom like me who cares about helping other people and who is teaching him how to help people too because when he gets older he wants to open an organization that helps sick kids get the help they need because all kids deserve to feel safe and loved. It was the first time Graham had ever talked about what he wants to do when he grows up and it really showed me that he is getting it–he is understanding the full impact volunteering can have on your life.”

Volunteering together has helped their relationship, too. “[Working on projects together] has allowed us to spend more quality time together doing activities we have never tried before.”

For Laurie, giving back your time and energy to the community has incredible benefits. For one, it is a great morale booster. “When you walk away from a project knowing you did a great job and realizing the impact that the project will have on others, it fills you with a sense of pride and really gives you a satisfaction like nothing else does”

Volunteering also gives children important life skills. “Volunteering with kids is very important because it teaches them at a young age to be grateful and compassionate. Graham is learning how to work in a team, interact with new people and help coordinate a task to accomplish a shared goal. I see the teen project leaders learning valuable project management and leadership skills that will only help them succeed as they get older.”

In Laurie’s words: “Everyone wins with volunteering and, honestly, you never know when you may end up needing a little help yourself.”

Though Laurie and Graham still consider themselves to be new volunteers, they have some advice for those who are hesitant about volunteering. “Talk to other volunteers and ask them about projects they have worked on and enjoyed. Get your family involved because it will open to the doors to communication with your kids and teach you both life lessons you will never forget. And maybe, most importantly, when you see an even newer volunteer who looks a little lost, reach out to them. Introduce yourself. Tell them about the great experiences you have had so far and how volunteering makes you feel. I’ve met and been inspired by some great people who have told me their stories and shared what volunteering has done for their family. Volunteering has changed our lives for the better and it will change yours too. Enjoy the ride!”

February Volunteer Spotlight: Tatiana Loch

By Amanda Hoffman

When Tatiana Loch saw the opening for a volunteer tour guide at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, she signed up immediately thinking it would be a great way to expand her professional background and contribute her extensive knowledge of South Florida history to the community. Tatiana really does know her stuff about South Florida’s history: she is currently seeking her Master’s in Education and she works as a museum educator.

Tatiana is no stranger to volunteering. “Over the years I’ve volunteered in several areas and was even an AmeriCorps volunteer for two years.  I love the environment and history so I saw the opportunity at Hugh Taylor Birch as a unique chance to blend the two in a beautiful and rich setting.”

After noticing signs for HandsOn Broward at some of the events she volunteered at, Tatiana decided to check us out on her own to find volunteer opportunities in her area.

For Tatiana, volunteering is about not just about serving one’s community and, “supporting organizations and the community by often filling a need or enriching an effort which may be more challenging or unrealistic without the assistance,” but also about bringing people together.

“The nicest thing about [volunteering] though, I think, is how it brings people from diverse backgrounds together, nurtures a sense of community, and can be a simple way to give and help.”

Tatiana stresses that, in tough economic times like today, volunteering is more important than ever. “Under the present economic circumstances, I also think it’s important because it provides an avenue to develop professional skills and network which can assist in acquiring or improving employment.”

At Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, Tatiana’s duties include shadowing park rangers as she trains to become a tour guide. “A typical Friday usually involves following and assisting one of the Park Rangers on their weekly walks which cover several themes. I take pictures and notes compiling a library of information that can be referred to later.”

Tatiana is also putting her own twist on tours by using her background knowledge of South Florida history. “I am also working with a fellow volunteer to research and present historical information about the development of barrier islands and Florida’s geology, pre-historic mega fauna and flora, as well as local colonial and pioneer history.  The goal is for volunteers and Rangers to be able to incorporate the information during walks.”

How soon until Tatiana becomes an official tour guide? “I look forward to guiding my own tours in the coming month,” she says.

Because she chooses projects that incorporate her own passions, for new volunteers, Tatiana urges them to, “use the opportunity to explore new areas where your skills and interests intersect.”

Good luck on your new role as park tour guide and thank you for everything you do, Tatiana!

If you want to follow in Tatiana’s footsteps and become a tour guide at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, head out to the park on either a Friday or Saturday morning at 10:30 and go on a tour. For more information and to express interest as a State Park Tour Guide, click here.

Volunteers Join Hands on MLK Day of Service

by Amanda Hoffman

Target volunteers build benches for a peace garden at MLK Elementary School

On Saturday, January 19^th, over 350 slightly soggy volunteers came out to Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School to brave the rain and celebrate MLK Day by giving back to their community.

Upon arriving at nine o’clock, volunteers were greeted with hot coffee and baked goods in the school’s auditorium, where a presentation was given about Dr. King’s message of service and the mission of HandsOn Broward, a message which can be summed up in the words of Dr. King: “everybody can be great because anybody can serve.”

The great revolutionary’s words rang true on Saturday, as the MLK Day events at Martin Luther King, Jr. truly proved that anybody, no matter what age, can serve. Rooms around the campus were designated for various service opportunities including coloring and packing boxes of meals for the homeless, donating blood, building a butterfly garden and making peace bracelets. No special skills were required; no specific prerequisites were necessary; volunteers only needed to share a desire to give back to their community.

The rain didnt stop more than 350 volunteers from participating in the event

Volunteers from all walks of life took part in volunteering on Saturday. Dressed in a rain poncho and shoveling away for the new butterfly garden, Christina Escobar from the Young Professionals Group of First Baptist Church decided to come out so that she could “bless the community and hopefully be an example.”

Although it was Escobar’s first time volunteering with HandsOn Broward, she has volunteered with handicapped children in the past. Resting on her shovel, Escobar shared her advice for new volunteers: “Learn to serve others and don’t expect anything in return.”

Another volunteer, Ebony Orr, volunteers for a living as part of her job with a community organization. Her favorite part of the day was packing meal boxes for the homeless.

Orr wasn’t just volunteering for her health, though: she truly believes that it is our duty as human beings to help one another.  “We’re all connected and we have a responsibility to support each other.”

l to r-Frank Brown, Nelson Burke, Joy Lainez, Dale Hirsch

Percival Sams, a  five-year volunteer who prefers working with ecology volunteer projects, signed up for volunteering on MLK Day because he believes, “you have to give something back to your community.”

Other volunteers in attendance included the principal of Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School and several teachers at the elementary school, including history teacher, Juliet Williams.

“I saw quite a few teachers and staff members here today, but far more community members,” says Williams. “It is so important that we give back to the community; that we give encouragement to those who need it.”

Williams personally finds herself drawn to volunteering because, “we need to take the time out and help others. Also, by volunteering, I can be a role model.”

l to r – Youth leaders Christian Charles, Brooke Whitaker, Marlon Dunn, Kristyn Parsons, Karli Williams, Sherley Guerrier, Lorenzo Lamo

MLK Day this year fell on the same day as the second inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African American president of the United States. As President Obama is sworn in, one cannot help but think this is the kind of progress that Dr. King worked tirelessly to bring about. This is the change he spoke of. His dream has now become a reality, and by serving our community on MLK Day every year, we are preserving his vision.

As HandsOn Broward reviews the work we’ve achieved in 2012, including helping over 12,000 volunteers find places in their community and supporting over 129 non-profit organizations, we really do owe all our progress to our tireless volunteers. While some may have taken one look at the rain outside on Saturday and rolled over, you saw the rain as a challenge and showed up anyway. While some may view the problems in their community as insurmountable obstacles, you see them as mere hurdles and work diligently to fix them. We owe it all to you.

January Project Leader Spotlight: Maria Hernandez

By Amanda Hoffman

January’s Project Leader Spotlight belongs to Maria Hernandez, the leader of Environmental Day at Markham Park. Maria was motivated to get involved in the Markham Park project because, “as a LEED AP (professional in Green Building) I realized that the most important way to showcase the importance of sustainability is educating the kids and adults to love Mother Nature,” says Maria.

With stores stocking their shelves with organic products and major companies and households everywhere taking the pledge to reduce their carbon footprint, it would appear that “going green” is the new trend. Maria, however, says that truly “going green” takes a lot more. “We cannot go green if we don’t understand why we have to do it and if we don’t love our Planet. Spending 3.5 hours a month taking care of those plants is giving back to the Earth all the beauty and resources she has offered.”

Before Markham Park, Maria has always enjoyed volunteering, because she believes it is, “the most rewarding experience that we can do. The American spirit has a foundation in service and good works. There is not a price tag for a service that comes from our heart offering our time to help and impact our communities. Together, the difference we can make is remarkable.”

Maria doesn’t just give back to her South Florida community, she also volunteered in the Northeast this fall as part of the Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Her experience was eye-opening as she gained an understanding of the good deeds of selfless volunteers nationwide.  “I witnessed the willingness of the [human beings] to give beyond their comfort zone in order to show kindness and love to their neighbors. I am talking about the heroes and the givers: those volunteers from different churches that, through faith found the right words to give comfort; the Disaster Relief volunteers that lovingly served hot meals in tents, despite the cold temperatures; those without an organization or without compensation who worked every day on some stranger’s house; those Red Cross volunteers that drove trucks offering hot meals and water in a place that was like a ghost town where a thriving community used to be.”

Maria always learns something when volunteering; whether it comes from the strangers she has come to know so well through her time working with FEMA or the volunteers she leads at Markham Park. “They all taught me a lesson, they inspired me and they proved to me that when the heart is willing and we offer our time and love, we overcome adversities and achieve amazing results!”