Public Service
At Headsets.com, we give our employees the opportunity to take paid days off in order to contribute to the community.
SEVA, is a non-profit preventing blindness and restoring eyesight in 15 countries from Paraguay to Pakistan, and Uganda to India, as well as here in the United States. Last year, they provided eye care to over 1 million people.
Their fundraising method is unique. They organize fundraising concerts, where artists such as Phil Lesh, Bonnie Raitt, Ani DiFranco, and Dr. John donate the proceeds of the concert so people are able to have vision in areas of the world where they are unable to pay for/have access to the operation necessary.
You can find out more at http://www.seva.org
I took a day and volunteered with Hands On Nashville with my fiancée this year. We planted trees! I’m 31 years old and I have to admit, this was the first time in my life that I had actually planted a tree. We planted around 30 or so, which hopefully that made up for all of the previous years all at once.
It was hard work but really fun. A group of about 20 of us visited a low income neighborhood and planted trees in strategic areas of their properties to eventually help with their energy bills. Trees that would grow to provide shade for their homes and air conditioning units. I learned that not only can trees significantly reduce energy bills, they play a big part in how much water can be absorbed by the ground after it rains, which prevents flooding. Another good thing for the people of the neighborhood.
We had a blast and felt like we made a real long term contribution to the homeowners.
This was my first time volunteering at the San Francisco Food Bank, it also happens to be my new favorite volunteer organization. When I first arrived, they directed everyone to workstation teams and had us sort through oranges that had been donated from farms in the area (the oranges were not pretty enough to be sold in stores but were still good to be eaten), sorting the inedible from the edible and allocated them into smaller boxes. We sorted over 14,000 pounds of oranges in less than three hours! With the crates of oranges taken care of, our group was led into the dry goods room. Along the wall were huge bales of garbanzo beans (they were taller than me and as wide as my outstretched arms). We were given twenty pound buckets and worked assembly line style. One person filled a bag to be about one pound, the next person weighed it to make sure it was exactly one pound, another person would static seal the bag, and the last person would label the bag and put in a box. We only finished three quarters of a bale during the three hours we worked, but another shift would be picking up where we left off.Before the day was over, the volunteer leader explained that it is much more economical for people to donate money instead of food because the food bank can buy food at a bigger discount than normal people, and they have the volunteer base (people like me) to weigh the food into portions. For every dollar donated, the food bank can distribute $6 worth of food! That is crazy efficiency. It was rewarding to know that my hard work would help feed people during the holiday season.
I signed up to do some volunteer work with San Francisco's Project Homeless Connect and I must say it was a great experience for me to be a part of. I worked with the street outreach team and our main job was to go out into the community and inform our city's homeless residents that public services were available to them. I was very impressed by the commitment and passion that the volunteer's had for this event. I am also very thankful to work for a company like Headsets.com, that encouraged me to participate in this great community event. I will definitely volunteer again.
I volunteered at San Francisco's Project Homeless Connect. This was the 22nd one and it was great to be a part of it. Mayor Gavin Newsom started this program to help the homeless in San Francisco to receive services like haircuts, medical services, vision care, etc. Along with some of my coworkers, we entered information into a database to track the services people requested in order to better serve them in the future. The entire program was well organized and it felt great to help out. I will definitely volunteer there again.
I was so impressed to see how many resources came together all at once to help the homeless of our city. There are so many services that we take for granted in our lives, even the simple expectation that people will be courteous to us. I saw how much of a difference it makes not only to give a helping hand, but doing it with a smile and good attitude also helps people out psychologically. It was a very positive and happy environment.
I recently volunteered at the San Francisco Food Bank and was able to see and experience how donations were expedited to the people that need them the most. It turned out to be an amazing experience, one that I would strongly recommend to anyone wanting to help their community. Volunteers make up 30% of the work force needed to carry out their daily operations. The staff that help the volunteers were so friendly and encouraging. They took a lot of pride in what they were doing for the community and made sure we were all having fun while working.
I spent the first part of my day in one room with 20 other volunteers where there was a 2000 lb bag of pinto beans that we needed to break down in to 1 lb packages for distribution. The second half of my day was in the packaging room where we put together packages with different items to be delivered to the elderly. Volunteering gave me a feeling of satisfaction that I don't normally get when I do something for myself. I am so happy I had this opportunity to learn, help and be more aware of my community.
I love that I work for a company that gives me two days a year off to volunteer. I was unsure about what to do, so when the opportunity came to volunteer at KPFA during their fund drive, I jumped for it. KPFA is a free radio station in Berkeley that works solely on volunteer hours. When I got there I was welcomed with a free breakfast and friendly smiles. Whenever I answered the phone, I was always generously thanked for being there and helping out. I loved it so much! I definitely want to continue to volunteer there.
I haven’t done as much volunteering as I’d like because I have a crazy schedule and so much going on; but this company gave me a chance to do it. It sparked my interest and made me realize how important giving back is.
Recently, I had the opportunity to volunteer for the San Francisco Food Bank. The San Francisco Food Bank's goal is to eliminate hunger in San Francisco. I was thoroughly impressed by the size of the building, and how much they offer to our city's hungry population. They have everything food related- from beans to eggs and bread. I helped bag 1-pound bags of beans and rice during my time there. It was a rewarding experience just seeing the place, and how many people's lives that the Food Bank effects. Even more rewarding was being able to contribute to alleviating hunger in San Francisco. I look forward to volunteering for the Food Bank again in the near future. I feel very lucky to be part of a company that gives me the opportunity to give back to the community.
I recently volunteered with San Francisco's Project Homeless Connect. PHC's mission is to "rally the city to support and create lasting solutions for homeless San Franciscans". This project was started in October 2004 by Mayor Gavin Newsom, and brings together health and human services from over 1000 community volunteers. I was proud to be one of the 1,255 volunteers with Project Homeless Connect 18, and provided my services with the Data Entry team. We were responsible for inputting information into a database that allows PHC to understand what our homeless need and be able to provide better services in the future.I was overwhelmed by the compassion of the people and local businesses in this city. Over 2,250 "clients" received services such as dental and eye exams, employment services, food, clothing, glasses, mental health services, getting an ID etc. I will definitely volunteer again; it was such a good cause and the other volunteers are so passionate about what they are doing.
I volunteered with the San Francisco Habitat for Humanity organization and got the opportunity to work alongside some really caring people, helping them build homes for some of the less fortunate citizens of our city. It was really tough work, but at the same time very rewarding. We dug some ditches, put up fences and painted. The soreness I felt the next day was more than offset by the pride I felt in having helped. I've never worked for a company that was so eager to be a great member of the community, and I feel proud to work here.
Recently I had the opportunity to spend a day volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. This is a great cause which builds new houses for low-income families who are struggling to get by and need better living conditions. In the neighborhood that I was working in, Habitat had already completed four houses, and we were working on the last two. I helped to break down scaffolding, clean up drywall, inventory tools and parts, and assisted setting up a framework for laying concrete later. It was dirty, tiresome work. But, at the end of the day, one of the families that Habitat had helped came home. One family member was in a wheelchair, and he used the new wheelchair ramp to get into his new home, waving at us as he went by. I can only imagine how much better his day-to-day life must be now that Habitat for Humanity has done so much for him. I have newfound respect for everyone at Habitat, and everyone else who was also volunteering, putting their time and effort in so that yet another family will have the same chance. It was an awesome experience, and it was all due to Headsets.com encouraging me to do something for the community.