BVP Newsletter- January-March 2024

BURBANK VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

January-March 2024 818.238.5370

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www.burbankca.gov/BVP

Welcome 2024!

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bvp@burbankca.gov

What’s Inside

Dear Volunteers, We wish you a very happy and healthy New Year! This past year has been a very successful year for our Burbank Volunteer Program. We look forward to 2024 with even more volunteer opportunities and events. To start out the year, make sure to check out the different statistics of all the positive impacts volunteering has on oneself. An upcoming event, returning once again, is our fun-filled Egg-Stravaganza, scheduled for March 23, 2024. This is a popular, well-attended event for children and parents, with egg hunts, games and activities, photos with the Bunny, prizes, and lots more! Be on the lookout for an email as we get closer to the date. If you missed our December “Plant for a Greener Burbank”, we will have a few more throughout this upcoming year. As always, feel free to contact our office directly for more specific details on our upcoming events.

With a multitude of active volunteer stations, we have something for everyone! Students may need to fulfill hours for a school requirement or they may explore volunteering as a fulfilling experience. Adults and retirees may choose to continue to use their skills and experience to help others. A positive by-product of volunteering is making new friends!

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.

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.

The Burbank Volunteer Team, Derrick, Camryn, and Jackie

* Pg 2 - Volunteer Opportunities * Pg 3 & 4 - Featured Stations * Pg 5 - BVP Puzzle * Pg 6 & 7 - Year Recap * Pg 8 - Puzzle Answers

Volunteering Statistics: 96% of volunteers reported the action enriched their sense of purpose in life.

Volunteers, on average, spend 50 hours per year donating their time to the greater good.

Volunteers are worth on average $28.54 an hour; volunteerism has a value of over $184 billion dollars annually.

Volunteerism improves health by strengthening the body, improving mood and lessening stress in participants.

Volunteers are 66% more likely to donate financially to the organization they support than those who do not volunteer.

The most active volunteers come from Baby Boomers at 30.7% (1946-1964), Millennials at 28.2% (1981-1996) and the Silent Generation at 24.8% (1928-1945).

VolunteerHub 2023

VOLUNTEER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES OPPORTUNITIES S.W.A.T.

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

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 fit for a busy schedule with ample free time!

PHONE PALS

PROJECT H.O.P.E.

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. 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

For more information on these opportunities and others, contact the Burbank Volunteer Program: bvp@burbankca.gov h (818) 238-5370

FEATURED FEATURED STATIONS STATIONS Home Delivered Meals (HDM) is a program whose sole purpose is to provide nutritional assistance to participants by delivering a well-balanced meal right to their home. Their program is available to Burbank residents who are age 60+ and who are homebound by reason of illness, disability or isolation. Participants are not required to pay for meals, however a $3 per meal voluntary contribution is suggested. As a HDM volunteer your responsibilities will be as such: • Driving a pre-determined route • Loading meals in vehicles • Packing and delivering meals to various patrons

YMCA Reach & Rise is a therapeutic mentorship program for youth ages 7-17. They are paired with highly trained mentors and go out 1:1 in the community, once a week for 1-3 hours to explore their current interests and find new ones. Mentors and their mentees visit places such as (but not limited to): parks, aquariums, other “Y” facilities, museums and more.

The adult mentors are trained in cognitive behavioral techniques to help improve the wellbeing of the youth they are carefully matched with, via the program director, who is a social worker. New mentors and youth are trained and recruited every quarter, and mentors must pass through: • Background checks • DMV records scans • Proof of auto insurance

Youth and families must both be interested in the program (not just the parent/guardian) and the director provides ongoing case management for families enrolled.

FEATURED FEATURED STATIONS 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 that are homeless, BTAC has showers and laundry facilities, as well as sack lunches and groceries.

Opportunities for volunteers include: • Pantry/Warehouse volunteers • Sorting donations • Prepping grocery orders • Intake volunteers helping meet and greet those in need of assistance Notice: Heavy lifting is required for specific positions

Burbank Animal Shelter (VBAS) is a volunteer based organization that works toward caring and housing stray cats, dogs and other animals. In order to volunteer at the Burbank Animal Shelter, there are a few requirements. Due to the various shifts that are offered, a station orientation and shadowing are to be completed before you are able to volunteer and you must be 18 years or older. The possible shifts you are able to do are listed below: • Clean and care of animals and cages • Socializing animals • Assisting adoptions • Hike Program • Programs and events (i.e. National Night Out)

Please Note: Volunteer jobs work in steps; you will need to work your way up to do more adventurous activities.

For information regarding orientations and more requirements please visit: thevbas.org/volunteer/adult-volunteering/

BVP BVP PUZZLE PUZZLE Unscramble these volunteer related words to discover the rest of the phrase at the bottom!

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A YEAR OF BVP...

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As we leave 2023 behind, we want to reflect on some major events held during the year...

2023 Started off strong with our Spring Egg-Stravaganza event. This egg-filled event had participants of all ages finding eggs, playing games and winning prizes.

Participants and volunteers alike came together to make this day a huge success!

Following in September was our Rock-a-Hula event in partnership with Supporters of Senior Services.

This poolside party offered food, drinks, games and luau-themed music to get into the tropical spirit.

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A YEAR OF BVP...

A program we restarted this year were our DIG Days! Here, volunteers come together with the BVP staff and work alongside one another cleaning and beautifying local Burbank parks. Whether it be pulling weeds or cleaning pine needles, our volunteers were there!

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Branching out from DIG was our “Plant for a Greener Burbank” day. Ending the year, around 40 volunteers joined with staff to plant trees at Robert Gross park. If you missed out on this one, BVP will be having a few more sprinkled within the year so keep an eye out!

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