2010 Heart of Marin Awards

The holiday season is coming upon us, and when I think about all the wonderful things this time of year has to offer- warm apple cider, roasting marshmallows by the fireplace, family dinners... what most stands out to me is the goodwill that's generated by holiday spirit.  Nothing epitomizes the generosity and goodwill that is generated this time of year more than the Heart of Marin Awards.  Now in it's 18th year, the annual awards event is well-known among many local Marinites.  For those of you unfamiliar with it, the Heart of Marin Awards is a chance for outstanding individuals and organizations to be recognized for the wonderfully selfless work they do in the community.

Last year was my first time taking part in the Heart of Marin Awards, and this year I am lucky to be involved in producing it.  There are 7 categories in which one can win an award: Volunteer of the Year, Excellence in Board Leadership, Excellence in Leadership, Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence, Excellence in Innovation, Corporate Community Service, and Youth Volunteer of the year.  The category that is of particular interest to me is the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award.  I can remember sitting at our table last year, listening to the incredible work that these children do, and trying hard to fight back my tears.  It is truly inspiring to hear how much good one person can do, and these particular persons are not even adults yet!

So, if you're looking to have some of that good spirit rub off on you, then you should absolutely consider attending this year's Heart of Marin Awards, which will take place January 6 at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall in San Rafael.  The food is delicious and you can't beat the company!  For more information, visit www.cvnl.org

If you would like to nominate an individual or organization, go here.

Out-of-work residents turn to volunteer service

From the Marin Independent Journal, Sunday October 10th, 2010

When Mike Moore moved to San Rafael from Sacramento last year, he was unfazed by what he thought would be a brief job search."I was up early every morning going to job websites, going to job fairs thinking it was just a temporary thing," said Moore, 44.
By the summer, he became discouraged.
"Weeks turned to months, and I found that I was kind of just hanging out and not really doing anything constructive," he said.
Then Moore volunteered to help build houses for Habitat for Humanity, and he taught English to immigrants through another nonprofit program. He's been volunteering ever since, most recently as an after-school tutor in Marin City. The experience has inspired him to pursue a new career in counseling, and he is taking community college classes with an eye toward applying to a master's program.
Moore is one of hundreds of Marin residents who have become volunteers since the beginning of the economic downturn. Nonprofit and government agencies say they have been flooded with people looking to refresh their skills, update their resumes or simply get out of the house. Across the county, many organizations report volunteer activity has increased anywhere from 20 to 50 percent - at one agency, applications increased more than threefold - with many new volunteers drawn in by joblessness or under-employment.
"I've been here 30 years and I've not seen anything like this," said Joan Brown, who coordinates public sector volunteers for Marin County.

Brown said volunteer interest is at least triple its level before the downturn, and she receives hundreds of applications from people who have lost their jobs.
"We just don't have enough opportunities for all the people who are interested," Brown said. "There are really outstanding, qualified people who I may not even be able to place."
Victoria Snyder, 30, of Mill Valley, was placed recently as a volunteer attorney in the Marin County counsel's office, working on cases involving children who have been abused or neglected. The work matched her experience at a school for emotionally disturbed children.
"I was really attracted to this area of law," she said.
Snyder could not find a position in the legal profession after she graduated from the City University of New York School of Law more than a year ago, and at first she worked in entry-level jobs. She decided it would be better to work in her field even if it meant not getting paid and moving back in with her family to save money.
"To be employable I needed some legal work experience in 2010," she said. "One of the other benefits is just meeting other attorneys. It's been really wonderful because all of the other attorneys that I've met are warm and friendly and are eager to explain how things work."
For some people, volunteering can lead to a paid job. Anthony Lum was a civil engineer and project designer for BKF Engineers in Redwood City until he was laid off last year. He said he applied to nearly 100 jobs but could not get re-hired.
Lum, who lives in Milbrae, first volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and then learned that many Bay Area public agencies use volunteer engineers. He found a position in Marin County's public works department.
"Initially, from a selfish standpoint, I wanted to have some sort of public sector experience on my resume," Lum said.
Lum helps design projects such as guardrails and sidewalks in the unincorporated county. After two months his position turned into a paid job - albeit one without benefits - and he hopes it will be the beginning of a career in the public sector.
"You feel like you are improving the quality of life for the public," he said.
Not all new volunteers are driven by career goals. Other factors include the introduction of mandatory community service in public schools and the retirement of baby boomers who now have more free time, said Linda Davis, CEO of the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership, a volunteer placement agency.
"More and more people are rising up, teaching younger people about volunteering," Davis said. "Sometimes, things happen in the news that make people want to volunteer, like a disaster," such as the Haiti earthquake in January.
All of those factors have contributed to a huge increase - nearly 50 percent from July 2009 to July 2010 - in volunteers placed through the volunteer center. As those volunteers have fanned out across the county, absorbing them has proven difficult for some groups.
Nadine James-Ward, volunteer coordinator for Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, said the organization has turned away dozens of extra volunteers since starting its first Marin County project - it now has three projects - earlier this year.
"We always have a waiting list of people who want to come volunteer," James-Ward said.
But volunteers can also provide much-needed help to an organization, especially at a time when the economy and cuts to government jobs and services have increased the need for charity work, said Mary Kay Sweeney, executive director of Homeward Bound Marin. The homeless shelter and service provider has used about 200 new volunteers in the past year and a half - out of a total 1,200 volunteers - including kitchen workers, gardeners, office administrators and even psychotherapists.
"They're the lifeblood of any organization," Sweeney said.
Even with the recent increase in volunteers, agencies say they expect to see a still greater need for their services if cuts are not restored. In particular, they anticipate a greater need for volunteers to assist the county's growing population of seniors.
Furthermore, they see a need to better engage seniors as volunteers themselves, because baby boomers might not be drawn in by the traditional volunteer process. This week the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership is launching a new drive to recruit experienced volunteers age 50 and older.
"Marin has a fast-growing aging community," the center's Davis said. "Human beings naturally want to give back."
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
- The Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership connects volunteers with organizations and projects throughout Marin County. For information, visit www.cvnl.org or call 479-5710.
- Civic Center Volunteers places people in volunteer positions in county government. For information, visit http://ow.ly/2QGF7 or call 499-7407.
Contact Will Jason via e-mail at wjason@marinij.com