Friday, December 13, 2013

Making a Difference: Sonoma County

This is the final post in a series of 4 in which we will be highlighting the amazing efforts of CalSERVES Programs in their Make a Difference Day projects. Each project involved a host of AmeriCorps members and volunteers and provided needed services to the communities in which are programs are hosted.


October 26th was Make a Difference Day, and CalSERVES AmeriCorps members throughout Sonoma County enthusiastically joined together to create a change in their local communities. In projects that ranged from renovating school gardens to supporting a local charity, our members volunteered their time, their energy, and their resources.

The morning and early afternoon was busy and productive for all CalSERVES AmeriCorps members, but we weren’t done for the day. Instead, we joined forces with the Santa Rosa YMCA to help support a Halloween carnival that evening, where thirteen of our members from all over the county, welcoming local families to celebrate the holiday in a safe and fun way.

Some members manned the haunted house, where they could scare gigging children, or helped set up squishy spaghetti guts, gooey grape eyeballs, or spooky skeletons. Some kept a close eye on the silliness that was flying off the walls, ceiling, and floor of the bouncy house. Others designed bright and colorful posters, or artfully organized and restocked a crafts table. Even more spent the evening helping the multitude of game booths, setting them up so families could knock ‘em down! Our members were invited to dress up while volunteering, but in an embarrassing coincidence, they all wore the same costume: an eager and committed AmeriCorps member. Next year we’ll have to make sure we coordinate our costumes more efficiently!


 Two weeks later, Bellevue Elementary got to have a slightly delayed Make a Difference Day! Team Leader Vicente Sosa said:
Make a Difference Day at Bellevue was by far one of the most successful and rewarding experiences I have ever encountered in my service with CalSERVES. The most inspiring aspect of Beautify Bellevue was having Bellevue teachers and staff, along with Stony Point Academy Students, join our vision. One of the other CalSERVES sites, Kawana Elementary, even came to pitch in! We worked in sync and attacked every part of our school site in teams, from painting murals and repainting playground guidelines to weeding and planting our garden. The laughs, smiles and hearts of our community came together on Saturday, November 9th to help our school site.

 We would like to thank a few organizations and individuals that donated to helping us succeed on our many Make a Difference Day projects: Sherwin-Williams, Kelly Moore, CafĂ© des Croissants, Cavalier Bakery, and Clara Crews. It takes a whole community to make a difference, and we're grateful to have joined them in that effort.

By Elizabeth Sheffer, Sonoma County AmeriCorps Regional Leader

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