December 2006
 

Best Holiday Wishes to All Our Volunteer and Partners!

 

It's been a great start-up year for us at Hands On Inland Empire, and we owe it all to you — our volunteers and partners!  In just six short months, we've grown to more than 500 active volunteers, and have made a real impact on our community! We're so excited about 2007 and have lots of great things in store.  Here's a few upcoming projects, available for signup on our website:

Lift Girls' Spirits at Tarr Cottage:  We've adopted one of the cottages at the David  & Margaret Home, a residential treatment program for girls' aged 12-18.  Join us as we show them love and support while helping them on the road to emancipation. In January we're having our first event, helping put away holiday decorations, sharing lunch and chatting.  Click here to sign up and make a difference in someone's life!

Be A Buddy!   Ability First holds fun, social gatherings on the 2nd Friday of each month to provide recreation and social interaction for teens and adults with physical and learning disabilities. Volunteers are needed to spend time having fun with participants and facilitating activities. Join us each month and for our next visit on January 12.

The Muralist Bureau - Artists in Action: Nothing changes the character and feel of a school, shelter or community center more than a mural. The Muralists Bureau is a think tank dedicated to developing artists and ideas to communicate social issues through art. No previous experience in painting murals is required. We will train anyone in the principles of community-executed murals. The Muralist Bureau holds sessions on the last Saturday of every month -- discussing an issue relevant to our community (literacy, homelessness, the environment, for example) and then coming up with concepts and sketches to create visual expressions of hope and positive social change. Click here to sign up!

Help Build a Wetlands Educational Park:  January 12th starts our most ambitious partnership to date. Working with the Inland Empire Utility Agency we're helping to build the Chino Creek Wetlands and Education Park. Volunteer opportunities are open every Friday - Sunday, and this is a great project for groups and teams.  Click here to sign up now!

Remember to visit our website to browse all of our projects and referral opportunities!

Citizens Academy to Launch in February with Conversation Cafe

 

Part of our mission at Hands On Inland Empire is to provide opportunities to learn more about the social issues affecting our community and how we might take action to affect them.  During 2007, we plan to launch a number of Citizen Academy programs to stimulate, inform and entertain.  

 

First up is the launch of Conversation Cafe:  Has a conversation ever changed the way you felt about the world? When is the last time you had a great conversation about something that interested you?

Join us as we explore the issues that shape our community at the Conversation Cafe. These 90-minute informal and informative conversations are part of a year-round series of thought provoking discussions and an opportunity for open dialogue. No ideologies are promoted; all opinions and ideas are welcome.

Whether engaging in a lively discussion or just making interesting new friends, participants are encouraged to exchange ideas and explore new avenues for progress.

This month's topic:
What is the media’s role in shaping your ideas and opinions?
In a matter of seconds, most people can mimic a movie or TV character, sing an advertising jingle or change an opinion or idea because of something broadcasted on TV. Join us for a conversation on how the media has influenced you.

Click here to sign up for our first Conversation Cafe on February 7th.

Great Holiday Activity - Build a Rose Bowl Float

 

Cal Poly Pomona is looking for more than 800 community volunteers to paint, process and prepare its 2007 Tournament of Roses float, themed "Arctic Antics." Decorating jobs range from applying seeds to the penguin’s belly to staffing our volunteer check-in booth or placing thousands of roses into special water filled vials to be applied to the surface of the float. There is a job that fits everyone! Click here for more info!
 

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