Happy Fall to everyone! We hope that you have had an amazing year so far, whether it be by baking some festive treats, being around loved ones, or celebrating by going on our newly launched senior trips. However you chose to spend it, it’s clear that you never stopped helping the community. You can see our newsletter looks a bit different, and that’s due to your efforts in volunteering. We grouped our 29 different stations into themes: from top to bottom we have Public Services, Senior Resources, Nature and Recreational. We have taken all the station’s hours from this year and converted those cumulative hours, using this year’s national average volunteer wage equivalent, which is $34.79 per hour. As you can see, your hard work and generosity for this year alone has equated over $2 million in wage replacement within the City of Burbank!
The sheer fact that your work and kindness alone has equated to over $2 million this year alone is no small feat, so if we haven’t said it enough, thank you! While we in the office are able to see the whole of all of our volunteers, we wanted to let you guys in to show how much of an impact is made, so thank you and be sure to give all your fellow volunteers a pat on the back for their hard work!
With sincere gratitude, we thank you, our many volunteers, for your continued service and your ongoing contribution to build a strong and vibrant community. The Burbank Volunteer Program has grown so much with countless volunteer projects as well as special events over the years. You are the ones who share your time, talents, skills and experience for those in need. You are the ones who make a difference in the City of Burbank. We could not do this without you.
To find out more about the Burbank Volunteer Program, please contact us via email: bvp@burbankca.gov. You can also contact us by phone at 818-238-5370 or simply drop by our office, which is located at the Joslyn Adult Center, for more information.
The Burbank Volunteer Team, Derrick, Camryn and Jess
DIG BURBANK!
Lend a hand and help keep our local parks beautiful! To learn more about DIG, tips on signing up, and upcoming DIG Days, visit our website: www.burbankca.gov/digburbank
S.W.A.T.
Are you (S)omeone (W)ith (A)vailable (T)ime who wants to volunteer here and there? If so, our S.W.A.T program will be a great t for a busy schedule with ample free time!
PHONE PALS
Phone Pals allows volunteers to build a friendship with willing seniors. This program pairs volunteers with seniors to give each other companionship, as well as a social release from the comforts of your own home.
PROJECT H.O.P.E.
Project H.O.P.E. partners volunteers with seniors who are in need of assistance ranging from grocery shopping, to picking up prescriptions and more. Each volunteer builds a trustworthy relationship with their senior, allowing them more errands to run.
Active Stations
American Cancer Society Discovery Shop | Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center | S.W.A.T | Education Through Music LA | Boys & Girls Club | American Red Cross | Operation Gratitude | Burbank Temporary Aid Center | Joslyn Adult Center | City of Burbank Animal Shelter (VBAS)| City of Burbank Police Department | City of Burbank Library Services | Tuttle Senior Center| City of Burbank Nutrition (Joslyn, HDM, Tuttle) | Burbank Airport | BVP Mailroom | YMCA | City of Burbank Library Services I Senior Trips *Coming soon - Mary Stoica Cafe
For more information on these opportunities and others, contact the Burbank Volunteer Program: bvp@burbankca.gov h (818) 238-5370
Featured Stations Featured Stations
Burbank Temporary Aid Center (BTAC) is a local food pantry and social service agency serving residents of Burbank and those who are homeless in the Burbank area. Providing groceries is BTAC’s primary service, distributing over $500,000 of groceries each year. For those who are homeless, BTAC has showers and laundry facilities, as well as sack lunches and groceries.
Notice: Heavy lifting is required for specific positions
Opportunities for volunteers include:
• Pantry/warehouse volunteers
• Sorting donations
• Prepping grocery orders
• Intake volunteers helping meet and greet those in need of assistance.
Mailroom Worker is a position where volunteers work as part of a team of two to six (sometimes more) people, preparing bulk mail. Orientation will be given the day of the project, while training is ongoing and is accomplished as new jobs present themselves. A few of the projects that will be taking place, but are not limited to are:
• Counting mail pieces
• Folding, stuffing, collating, and labeling
• Cutting, packing of envelopes
• Curating multiple items to create a “goodie bag”
Mailroom volunteers operate out of Joslyn Adult Center.
Featured Stations Featured Stations
American Cancer Society Discovery Shop is an all items donated high-end thrift store, run by the American Cancer Society. The Discovery Shop sells everything from home décor to clothing and donates 91% of their proceeds towards cancer funding research. Even if a donated item has been deemed unsellable, the Discovery Shop still donates it to a non-profit charity named Hope of the Valley.
A number of volunteer shifts await at the Discovery Shop:
• Steam/clothes presser
• Donation sorter
• Cashier
• Pricer
• Display person
There are two Discovery Shop locations under BVP:
Burbank: 3516 W Magnolia Blvd (currently full)
Toluca Lake: 10124 Riverside Drive
For more information on the American Cancer Society/Discovery Shops, please visit: cancer.org/involved/donate/more-ways-to-give/discovery-shops-national.html
Education Through Music LA is a non-profit organization that provides weekly, year-long music instruction in the disciplines of violin, cello, guitar, recorder, chorus and general music to under-served schools.
• Office volunteers
• Accompianists
• Event volunteers
• Teaching assistant Volunteer positions include:
ETMLA’s mission is to promote the sustainable integration of music into the curriculum of at-risk schools, and to provide music instruction to every child regardless of musical ability, social stratum, economic status or disability.
Special Events Special Events
DIG Burbank
Private Digs
DIG is a volunteer event that is held the first Saturday of every month and since it’s relaunch in the year 2022, it has made an impact on the environment and the community. Not only have we been able to clean up our parks, but we’ve also been able to plant over two dozen trees throughout the city. These events work to bring families, friends and neighbors together to work toward a cause that is bigger than all of us. Our office has also served private companies and organizations as a team bonding exercise, such as our Burbank Libraries. We also have groups that come in and want to clean the parks for the love of nature, such as the company CRANE who is pictured above, and countless more.
Rock-a-Hula
This past September we held our annual Rock-a-Hula event at McCambridge Park Pool and it was a smash event! Over 200 seniors from the Joslyn and Tuttle Senior Centers put on their flora, Hawaiian attire and made their way over to the “rocking” pool party! The event began with Councilmember Zizzette Mullins and Senior Board member, Karin Rainey welcoming the seniors in attendance, and Joslyn’s own Na Kapuna Hula dancers performing, launching the event activities. The Cusamano family supplied the caterer, who filled the air with the aroma of freshly made cheese quesadillas, chicken, and beef tacos, while seniors took their chances at winning extraordinary prizes through playing multiple BINGO games, Musical Jeopardy, and raffle drawings. Thank you to all our donors for all of the excellent prizes, as well as everyone who worked hard to make this event as memorable as the last!
Volunteer Highlights Volunteer Highlights
Rose
Joslyn and Tuttle Adult Centers’ Sewing, Knitting and Crochet Group
Charlotte’s first involvement with the Joslyn Center was as a participant in the Drum Circle group. She eventually met so many wonderful people, that she was drawn into joining the Sewing, Knitting, and Crocheting group. Charlotte acknowledges her good friend Norma as being the biggest influence in bringing her to the group, as she literally carpools with her from North Hollywood to the Joslyn Center! Charlotte enjoys spending time with the Sewing, Knitting, and Crocheting group producing scarves and hats for the Children’s Hospital Cancer Treatment Center. Charlotte will tell you often how much she loves her group because they are all “so great and care so much for each other.”
Charlotte’s continues to be an impactful volunteer in BVP and believes that “you have to stay active, engage with people as much as possible, and STOP TAKING NAPS all the time!”
James Riner
McCambridge Home Delivered Meals Program and a BVP Phone Pal
Jim Riner has been a BVP volunteer for eight years, providing outstanding service in the Phone Pals program, the Adult Nutrition Program with Home Delivered Meals, and at the Joslyn Adult Center during the COVID-19 outbreak. Jim was introduced to the Burbank Volunteer Program through the Home Delivered Meals Program. His parents enjoyed several years of building friendships with the people who delivered their meals, and Jim personally observed how impactful the HDM program was, providing nutrition, joy and happiness on every visit. With this experience as motivation, he joined BVP in 2017 to give back to the community.
Jim constantly goes above and beyond what is asked of him, often making extra delivery trips to ensure that our seniors do not go without food. He often has witnessed increased liveliness in his “clients” when he arrives with their meals and spends several minutes personally engaging with them. He feels his volunteer service is rewarding for him, for he has met so many fascinating people since joining BVP. Please join the HDM program and BVP in thanking Jim for his effort in his service to the community.
Charlotte
BVP Puzzle BVP Puzzle
In these two images, there are 15 differences, can you find them all?
