Hands On Bay Area Calls Communities to Action on May 8th for Hands on San Francisco Day
Hands On Bay Area via BizWire
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 29, 2004--
Sixth Annual Citywide Day of Volunteerism to Engage 1,500 in
Community Service Projects Across San Francisco's 11 Districts and
Raise Funds for Yearlong Programs
Hands On Bay Area, the nonprofit volunteer organization recently
formed through the merger of Community Impact and Hands On San
Francisco, today made the official call for volunteers for one of San
Francisco's largest citywide days of volunteerism - Hands On San
Francisco Day. The sixth annual Hands On San Francisco Day, presented
by Accenture, will be held on May 8th, 2004 and is expected to gather
1,500 volunteers from San Francisco communities, corporations and
local organizations to complete more than 6,000 hours of community
service at 50 projects across the city's 11 districts.
"Hands On San Francisco Day provides an great opportunity for
people to make a positive impact and difference in our San Francisco
communities," said San Francisco City Supervisor, Fiona Ma. "I'm
honored to take part in Hands On San Francisco Day for the second year
in a row and I look forward to the day-long event where many local
organizations, in District 4 and beyond, will benefit by having teams
of committed volunteers complete critical projects that may have
otherwise gone undone."
In 2003, Hands On San Francisco Day volunteers renewed 11
children's agencies, improved 6 local schools, helped 17 homeless
shelters and community agencies, beautified 16 parks and playgrounds
and raised more than $70,000 in corporate and community contributions.
This year, more than 40 agencies will benefit from Hands On San
Francisco Day volunteer efforts, such as Larkin Street Youth Services,
the San Francisco Food Bank, Stop AIDS Project, Network for Elders,
City of San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, Glide
Foundation, and The Salvation Army.
"We are proud to sponsor this important event while joining our
corporate colleagues side-by-side to help make our community a better
place to live," said Chris DiGiorgio, managing partner of Northern
California, Accenture. "Accenture is an organization committed to
supporting our communities through innovative and inspiring methods,
like Hands On San Francisco Day."
Hands On San Francisco Day is one of Hands On Bay Area's largest
fundraisers, with proceeds from the event going to support the 9,500
Hands On Bay Area volunteers throughout the year as they complete more
than 120 community projects each month. Hands On San Francisco Day
volunteers will paint schools, repair houses for low-income residents,
refurbish parks and playgrounds, plant trees and gardens, box
groceries, and prepare meals for the needy.
"This year will mark the third year that our clients will benefit
from Hands On San Francisco Day," said Beverly Taylor, volunteer
manager, Network for Elders, a neighborhood nonprofit agency, that
provides services to Bayview/Hunters Point senior citizens and their
families. "Hands On San Francisco Day volunteers will clear and clean
the yards for six of our seniors, giving them the opportunity to enjoy
their homes and gardens for the first time in months or even years.
Because we care, we share by serving our seniors and meeting their
needs."
Hands On San Francisco Day volunteers are encouraged to raise at
least $25 in pledges, with all proceeds benefiting Hands On Bay Area's
year-round programs. Prizes will be awarded to top individual and team
fundraisers. In addition to volunteer donations, Hands On Bay Area has
the generous support of corporate partners and sponsorships, which
help to drive its annual programming and philanthropic efforts. In
addition to Accenture, sponsors for this year's event include: Bank of
America, IBM, Deutsche Bank, Home Depot, Providian, Tilia, Gap Inc.,
Booz Allen Hamilton, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, 96.5 KOIT, CBS 5 (KPIX),
UPN 44, Yerba Buena Gardens, Mueller Design Interactive, SF Weekly,
and The San Francisco Business Times.
"Hands On San Francisco Day is the first event for Hands On Bay
Area and we are very excited to put our staff, volunteers and
corporate partners into action, making such a significant impact on
the San Francisco community, in just a single day," said Beth Meyer,
executive director, Hands On Bay Area. "Next year we will take the
event to the other communities we serve in the Bay Area, covering San
Francisco to San Jose, and the East Bay -- making it Hands On Bay Area
Day."
About Hands On San Francisco Day
Hands On San Francisco Day is one example of how Hands On Bay Area
creates, manages and leads volunteer projects that benefit hundreds of
nonprofit agencies in the Bay Area by mobilizing human resources to
address unmet community needs. Hands On San Francisco Day promotes a
volunteer ethic and provides an opportunity for busy individuals,
corporations and nonprofits to join together for one day of service
and complete much-needed projects. Individual volunteers will
participate in the event along with volunteer teams, coordinated by
community groups and local corporations. Community teams will include
universities, alumni organizations, and religious groups. Corporate
teams will include employees from Advent Software, Ernst & Young,
Fowler Flanagan, Franklin Templeton, Goldman Sachs, University of
California at Hayward, Marakon Associates, Quorum Consulting, and
Wells Fargo. Volunteers must be at least 7 years old and a parent or
guardian must accompany those under 18.
Volunteer activities will be from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Following is
a schedule of activities for Hands On San Francisco Day:
- 8:00 a.m. Volunteers gather at Yerba Buena Gardens for
registration and breakfast.
- 9:00 a.m. Opening Ceremonies
- 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Volunteers will complete community
projects throughout San Francisco's 11 districts
- 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Volunteer celebration and lunch at Yerba Buena
Gardens
For more information on Hands On San Francisco Day 2004, go to
www.hosf.org, email, hos...@hosf.org or call 415-541-9616.
About Hands On Bay Area
Hands On Bay Area is a leading force for volunteerism in the San
Francisco Bay Area. Created in April 2004 through the merger of two
nonprofit volunteer organizations, Hands On San Francisco and
Community Impact, Hands On Bay Area strengthens communities by
engaging a diverse group of caring individuals and corporations in
community service and civic engagement. The organization creates,
manages and leads volunteer projects that benefit more than 300 Bay
Area nonprofit agencies, including The San Francisco and Second
Harvest Food Banks, Glide Memorial Church, The Salvation Army, Ronald
McDonald House, San Mateo County AIDS Program, San Jose Family
Shelter, Oakland Parks and Recreation, and the San Francisco
Recreation and Park Department. Each month, Hands On Bay Area
coordinates and manages more than 120 community service projects that
engage more than 9,500 registered volunteers each year. Hands On Bay
Area also organizes and manages projects for corporations that want to
inspire their employees to public service, such as Accenture, Cisco,
Charles Schwab & Co., Gap Inc., The Home Depot, and Levi Strauss & Co.
Hands On Bay Area is an affiliate of CityCares, an international
alliance of more than 30 volunteer organizations working to build
community through service and civic engagement. For more information
about Hands On Bay Area, visit www.handsonbayarea.org.