BECOME VOLUNTEER
Volunteer as a tutor, mentor, participate in events.
Volunteer
To increase public awareness of the crisis many families and youth in Los Angeles County are currently facing in foster care. We do this through activities including advocacy work as well as at events where attendees can stop by and learn more at our lawn table.
To improve the quality of lives of children and youth in foster care, homeless, incarcerated or under the supervision of probation through the provision of direct services to the children or to the agencies serving them.
To improve the quality of the lives of children and young people in foster care, homeless, incarcerated or under the supervision of probation through system changes.
Have you ever thought about the most important volunteer job you could ever have? Becoming a resource parent is the first step toward fostering or adopting a child. More than 22,000 children in Los Angeles County need stable homes. To learn more about becoming a resource parent, please join All Saints Foster Care Project and our partnering agency, RaiseAChild, on Thursday, December 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Sweetland Hall at All Saints Church, Pasadena. Staff members from RaiseAChild, L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services, L.A. County Department of Probation, The Village, Penny Lane, David and Margaret Youth and Family Services, and Allies for Every Child will be present to respond to your questions and concerns and even get you started on the process. This event is open to all who are interested in learning more about fostering and adopting. Hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be served.
On Sunday, November 24, the annual Angel Tree will once again be placed in the lobby of Regas House at All Saints Church, Pasadena. The tree comes bedecked with the names of children in foster care who receive few gifts. Every Angel Tree ornament contains the name and age of a youth and his/her request. Please bring unwrapped gifts with the tag from the tree to Regas House at church before December 15th. One or many names may be taken, but each should be recorded on the registration, which is posted adjacent to the tree.
On Sunday, December 8th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., All Saints Church, Pasadena, will hold its annual Alternative Market in Sweetland Hall. The Foster Care Project (FCP) will be participating in this unique opportunity for savvy shoppers to purchase Christmas gifts that keep on giving. Contributions to FCP will solve last-minute gift problems and assist FCP's efforts to improve the lives of abused, neglected and homeless children. Those attending are also invited to pick names from the Angel Tree.
Each year Foster Care Project's partnering agency, Friends of Foster Children (FOFC), hosts a "Sugar Plum Tree" at the Arcadia Mall. FOFC works to enhance the lives of children in the foster care system who are living in ten group homes in the San Gabriel Valley. Their major project, the Sugar Plum Tree, offers shoppers an opportunity to fulfill hundreds of wishes of children living away from their families, as well as those of the agencies that care for them. Foster Care Project's Adopt a Child Abuse Caseworker program is the beneficiary of gifts designated for infants and children in the system who are not in group homes. The Sugar Plum Tree needs lots of elves to assist shoppers with selecting tags from the tree and receiving gifts as they come in. Elves can sign up in pairs or as singles. An experienced elf will always be present. There are a number of three-hour shifts still available for Sugar Plum Elves from November 30 through December 15.
Volunteers are needed to make Christmas shine at the STARS family holiday celebration for foster youth, held at the Community Education Center, Foothill Blvd., Pasadena on Tuesday, December 17, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Help with setting up, serving food, directing games and activities, distributing prizes, or acting as one of the elves who help foster youth shop for their gifts. Volunteers are also needed to wrap gifts on various dates and times prior to the event.
Help a 23 year-old resident at Youth Moving On pass the ASVAB test to get into the military. He is requesting tutoring in math, English and science. He is available most mornings, as he doesn't have work until 11:00ish.
If you are interested in working with either Pasadena Unified School District middle school or high school students on socio-emotional and community-building activities once per week, or month, for 30 minutes to one-hour, you are needed for PCC's STARS Resource Centers.
The mission of Foster Care Project's Birthday Club is simple: to provide a birthday present to every foster child referred by the Pasadena Department of Children and Family Services. On occasion, when we are asked to provide a birthday gift at the last minute, we pull one out of our "emergency gift closet." We are committed to making sure every child receives a birthday present. Our gift closet is low on gift cards. Some pre-teens and teens prefer gift cards; they enjoy picking out their own presents. Could you donate a gift card (suggested price range $20.00 to $35.00) to the Birthday Club?
Help a young man deal with separation away from his family. Hathaway-Sycamores, Child and Family Service, is seeking mentors for their El Nido (Altadena) Residential Campus. The Hathaway-Sycamores mission is to help cultivate hope and resilience to enrich the well-being of children, adults, families and communities. Flexible hours are available.
Children in an after-school tutoring program in Pasadena need your help. Tutors are needed for Aspires West's after-school program for low-income youth in the subjects of math (general math, geometry, algebra 1 and 2) and English for elementary, middle and high school students. Tutor schedules are Monday through Thursday, 4 - 7 p.m. Aspires West, Pasadena (AWP) provides low-income students and parents with services and opportunities that provide the knowledge and fundamental skills for student success.
Foster Care Project is continuously recruiting active community members and leaders to serve as Members on the Steering Committee. Leaders with experience in all industries are welcome.
California Youth Connection (CYC) is a youth-led advocacy organization of current and former foster youth, ages 14 - 24. The newly formed CYC Pasadena Chapter needs Volunteer Supporters. Volunteer Supporters are particularly important to CYC's youth-led model. Volunteer Supporters collaborate with CYC Members to develop their leadership skills and to ensure CYC members have the resources they need to run a successful Chapter, attend leadership conferences, and participate in policy activities to create the change members want to see in the child welfare system. Supporters take on an "ally" role by providing social capital, professional tips, and guidance. The commitment is about 10 hours a month.