Volunteer Update

[Bessie Mathew]

Bad news:  Our volunteer arrangement to feed the homeless with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) fell through.

Good news:  Jaime and I were on it & contacted 4 other orgs that were recommended by the YWAM volunteer coordinator.  One of them was SF Rescue Mission which has opportunities for us for the 30th (see email below).  Basically they're in the process of building a school and they'll be in the final stages at the end of October.  She said they may not have tasks but if they do it'd be simple things like setting up classrooms and would only require a few people.  The second opportunity is preparing and delivering meals to those living in neighboring SROs.  Most (if not all) of us would be assigned to this task.  The added bonus is that they're located walking distance from the hotel.  The only downside is that we have to pay $10/person.  It's not that much per person.  But I'd be willing to contribute some extra money if it's too much to ask people for it.  

Anyway, let us know your thoughts or concerns.  We can let them know our decision this week.  But ideally we should confirm with them early this week before another group nabs our spot if we want to work with them.  In the meantime, Jaime and I are trying to contact the 3 other similar orgs - City Team Ministries' Bags of Love, St. Anthony's, and the Food Bank.  We haven't been able to connect with the volunteer coordinators this past week.  But based on their websites and the info the YWAM coordinator gave us I'm not sure if some of them will be able to accommodate a large group.  Another option is to re-connect with the park/beach clean up org but I think a lot of us were not too keen on that initially. 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michelle Huang <michel...@cityimpact911.com>
Date: Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 2:48 PM
Subject: October 30th - 10am-2pm
To: bessie...@gmail.com

Hi Bessie,

 

It was a pleasure speaking with you.

 

I currently have availability for your group on October 30^th from 10am-2pm.

 

The registration fee is $10 per person and if you would like us to provide lunch it will be an additional $5 per person.

 

I’ve attached an invoice/quote if you choose to go with this date.

 

Your group will partner with the SF City Academy and help get the building ready for use.

 

The project has lasted almost 3 years and thousands of volunteers have contributed to making this possible.

 

I am still unsure of what or how your group will be utilize if at all needed. We will also have your group help with meal deliveries.

 

Volunteers prepare meals and visit our neighbors in the SRO’s who usually enjoy a meal delivered to them.

 

Many of the residents of the Tenderloin do not like to walk outside of their buildings. So we like to visit them.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions, in the mean time, here is a video you can watch to get an idea as to what SF City Impact is all about.

 

SF Cit Impact Video

 

In the mean time, you are penciled in our calendar and if you can let me know by this Friday if you would like to bring your group that would be great.

The registration fee will be due upon confirmation.

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

Michelle Huang Scott

Director of Public Relations

Volunteer Coordinator

 

San Francisco City Impact

P.O. Box 16217

San Francisco, CA 94116

Ph: 415-292-1770

Fax: 415-292-0133

 

www.cityimpact911.com

 

Please update your contact list as my email has changed to michel...@cityimpact911.com

 

[selwyn elakattu]

I'm down with the 2nd option of delivering meals.  The plus is that it is walking distance.  $10 a person is not bad especially if people know it's going to a charity and I think it might be a little bit more fulfilling coming in contact and serving those that are less fortunate than us. 

Another thing I was thinking about.  Do you think we should link people up for rides from the airport to the downtown hotel? For example if somebody is getting in at 4:00 p.m. and another group  is getting in at 4:15 near the same terminal we could link them up so they can save on cabby costs as well as it could be a good icebreaker???

Selwyn

---

Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 18:36:22 -0700
Subject: KYAA-NATIONAL BOARD Volunteer Update
From: bessie...@gmail.com
To: kyaa-n...@googlegroups.com

[stacy kunnassery]

I like the delivering meals idea as well.

Stacy Kunnassery

"Acknowledge Him in all thy ways, and He shall direct thy paths"

 

---

Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 18:36:22 -0700
Subject: KYAA-NATIONAL BOARD Volunteer Update
From: bessie...@gmail.com
To: kyaa-n...@googlegroups.com

[Joble Jose]

Def sounds like a good idea.  Maybe can even make them goodie bags including tooth paste/brush, towel, tshirt etc.  Dont know if thats too much, what ya'll think? --- On Sun, 9/19/10, selwyn elakattu <the...@hotmail.com> wrote:

[Tina Kuruvilla]

delivering meals sounds like a good option...

also for those trying to save a buck or two and might not be coming at the same time as others to cab it in with, BART is another great option in to the city....you can catch the BART train from inside SFO airport to a stop in union square, powell stop (about a 10 minute walk to the hotel) .... and it costs about $8 vs $40 cab ride...another option is a super shuttle...might take a little longer but only costs $15 door to door I think. The BART takes about 30 minutes to the powell stop, when driving takes 20-25 minutes without traffic...so if ppl are coming during a high traffic time, BART again would be the better option...

lastly, i might have missed this but are we going out somewhere friday night?

---

From: Joble Jose <job...@yahoo.com>
To: bessie...@gmail.com; kyaa-n...@googlegroups.com; selwyn elakattu <the...@hotmail.com>
Sent: Sun, September 19, 2010 9:31:28 PM

[Roshen Edathil]

Yes I agree the second option sounds better. The BART train and the super shuttle should also be information we send out on the listserv. Thanks

-Rosh

[Anish Chittalakattu]

Since we only have 10 days left before the offical room guarnteed date, should we meet once decide on what all the topics that need to be sent out?  Is there anything else we need to do? 

 

Do you know if people are buyin Alctraz tickets?

 

Anish

--
Anish Chittalakattu
ani...@gmail.com
Cell 773-793-3583

[Bessie Mathew]

Thanks for the feedback.  I'll confirm with them tomorrow.  Definitely let me know if there are other thoughts.  Just so that we can get a more accurate invoice, is 50 a good estimate of how many people would want to volunteer?


Sounds like a good idea to send out a reminder soon.  In terms of volunteering, we could give people a heads up that the registration fee is $10/person and an additional $5/person if they want the volunteer org to provide lunch for them.  Also, it's been awhile since I used PayPal but maybe we can set up a PayPal account so people can pay ahead of time.  Plus it'd give a better feel of how many people will participate. 

Agree that it'd also be great to include airport transportation info.  511.org can give exact directions & fare info on how to take BART from SFO to the hotel.  And agree that Super Shuttle or any of the other shuttles at any of the shuttle stops right outside each terminal is another good option.  I took a few recently and it was $17 (not including tip) from SFO to the city.  I think it's cheaper per person if you go in a group.  And agree coordinating shuttles or cabs would be a nice way to get people to meet each other. 

[Bessie Mathew]

I confirmed with SF Rescue Mission today.  Here's the rundown and some questions for us to discuss over email or on our next call.  Let me know if there are other questions. 


ITINERARY (we'll get a more detailed one closer to or on the date)
- 10am-12:30pm:  SF Rescue Mission will brief us about what they do.  Afterward, we'll be split into smaller groups and each group will be assigned to different tasks

- 12:30-1pm: Lunch Break.  Everyone will reconvene to eat together at the site.  SF Rescue Mission can provide lunch for a fee or we can do lunch on our own.  More below on this. 

- 1-2pm: Everyone participates in delivering meals in the Tenderloin neighborhood


QUESTIONS
1.  The registration fee is $10/person.  SF Rescue Mission can provide lunch for an additional $5/person.  Their lunch is typically sandwiches and sometimes can be something else like a rice plate or pasta.  Should we have them provide lunch for us (i.e, each person pays $15/person instead of $10/person)?  Or should we have everyone get lunch on their own?  Initially, I thought people could choose which option would be best for them.  But after talking to SF Rescue Mission it seems easier to coordinate if we just pick one option and stick with it for everyone. 

2.  We're limited to 60 people total who can volunteer since they have another group that same day.  Do we expect more than 60 people to participate?

3.  I was thinking of setting up a PayPal account so people can pay ahead of time and we can also get a more accurate estimate of how many people to expect.  People can still join the day of if we haven't met the 60 person quota.  Are there other ideas on how we can get $ and headcounts ahead of time? 

[Anish Chittalakattu]

Bessie good work.  Should we schedule a call to discuss a final email before Sept 30?  I am free tommorrow, Wednesday, night or Thursday night?

 

If a few of us are available I think we should get all the open topics and send out the message at the same time.

 

Anish

[Jimmy Vachachira]

Do we need a call for that?   I think there is a need for an informative email/reminder asap for those who have procrastinated, and to try and get numbers for wine tour/charity event.  So I think we need to send an email asap, just need to figure out how many more emails after this one.  And great work Bessie and Jaime, especially considering the last min cancellation. --- On Tue, 9/21/10, Anish Chittalakattu <ani...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Bessie Mathew]

Hey guys,

I'm heading out of town this weekend and not sure if I can make a call this week.  But started a reminder draft.  As you can tell, I'm a fan of bullets.  In any case, feel free to rip it apart.  The highlighted yellow are things that need to be written/done.

Maybe we can include airport transportation info and a more detailed itinerary in a future email closer to the date?  Like someone mentioned before, I also missed what the Friday plans are.

take care,
Bessie