[partial reprint from 2019] During the Michael Jackson trial in 2005, the line to get into the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles was nearly a block long. As we stood there, I noticed a man walking up and down the line asking for money. He was holding a handwritten cardboard sign. It said, [...]
The Seventh Annual Orange County Homeless Persons’ Interreligious Memorial Service was held Wednesday night. The service commemorated the 492 lives of our neighbors who were experiencing homelessness and died on our streets this past year. We attended the service and found it to be a meaningful opportunity to show some love and compassion for [...]
Thankful for Our Wonderful Volunteers Our numbers are soaring! Volunteer Network OC’s drive to register volunteers has been quite successful, and we have seen many new faces at our volunteer events. Our slogan, and the main purpose of our app, is Volunteering Made Easy. Nothing makes us happier than meeting people at these events [...]
Cheers to Two Local Restaurants Last month, Friends of Volunteer Network OC spent the morning helping homeless men and women in Laguna Beach. We handed out Bombas socks, lunch bags, blankets and face masks, and we spent time talking to many of the individuals living on the streets of Laguna. After it was over, Cheryl [...]
Qoheleth Ministries Brent Bordelon We are writing this article to share a very special ministry with our viewers. We just learned about Qoheleth Ministries a few months ago and are impressed by their good work and the warmth and love exhibited by their volunteers. It all starts with the organization’s founder, Orlando Sanchez, [...]
We Are In This Together The above title could have been Volunteer Network OC’s mission statement or at least our motto in good times and bad. We believe everyone in our community should be looking out for every other person, regardless of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital [...]
Ask Not What You Can Do For Yourself, But What You Can Do for Others Over the past couple of weeks as the COVID-19 crisis has hit our communities, we witnessed a couple of acts of true kindness. We would like to share them with you as a reminder that we are a compassionate, [...]
Introduction 2019 was a landmark year for Volunteer Network OC. With the launch of our mobile app in July, there were plenty of opportunities to volunteer with our registered organizations. Users quickly became pros using our app. If you would like to explore volunteer opportunities, please download the app from either Apple App Store [...]
For more than 25 years, the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) has worked to provide support and care for some of the neediest families in Santa Ana; one such activity is the district’s annual Caring Educators Nourishing All (CENA) event. Each year at CENA, Santa Ana Unified employees, community partners, families, and friends come [...]
Part II of II - It’s Your Choice, But Be Kind!  In part I of this article, I acknowledged that, as a rule, I don’t give money to strangers because I don’t know if the money will help or hurt them. Will the money be used for food and shelter? Or something destructive, such as alcohol [...]
