I Work as a volunteer here and it is great. If you work here you are outsourced out on a regular…read morebasis. There is always some sort of snack food thanks to people there. All the employees are super nice and fun to be around. Offices are slightly messy but manageable. Every now and then when I come in to volunteer, I get a corner office. Yeah its sweet.

Ok, so I have been involved with JDRF for about 12 years. I have gone to all the galas,…read morefundraisers, walks, luncheons, breakfasts,etc. My favorite part however would have to be the Walk to Cure Diabetes! About 2 years after I was diagnosed I got involved with the walk that was held at Heather Farms park. It was SO much fun! Great location, awesome walk, and awesome people! Now here comes the bad part. About a year ago they changed the location!! To the Oakland Zoo... At first I thought wow! that is going to be so much fun! EHHHH. BOY WAS I WRONG! I went last year and the walk was 1/2 A MILE!!! SERIOUSLY?! that is not a walk... AND, you have to AT LEAST raise $100 in order to walk in it....and for that $100 you get a crappy sandwich and a t shirt... wow. but the sandwich and tshirt i dont really care about..I care about having fun and raising awareness. I feel that this new location SUCKS and I'm not going to be involved anymore unless they go back to heather farms or at least some other location!

I have been involved with the Northern California DeMolay Association (NCDA) for 15 years. My…read moreDeMolay experiences as a youth were some of the most memorable. I have been part of many service and leadership organizations and DeMolay has been by far the most impressive. In particular, their jurisdictional special events, philanthropic projects, sporting activities, leadership camps, and annual conventions are among the most profound. Out of all my closest friends in life, more have come from DeMolay than from Boy Scouts, school, my professional career, or any other organization of which I have been involved. The quality of honest and upstanding young men that have come out of DeMolay is baffling. It is very humbling to know that you are part of an organization that raised such leaders as Walt Disney, Neil Armstrong, Bill Clinton, Dan Rather, John Steinbeck, Mel Blanc, and John Wayne.

I became involved with NorCal DeMolay in the late 1960's. It helped me develop a good moral…read morecompass. DeMolay also helped me learn public speaking, organize activities and and set up dances. As a teenager and an adult DeMolay helped to finance my college education and eventual attendance in Medical school. DeMolay was also a wonderful influence upon my son, who just graduated from Law School.

I'm not exactly sure what the organization is really like since I actually came here to go to a…read morehousing workshop. The decor reminded me of an after school program. There are success stories hung all around the walls, colorful plastic chairs, and a small screen that information is projected onto. There are plenty of private rooms for what I'd imagine to be counseling. One thing I really didn't like is the high ceilings. I was in a workshop of about 90 people and every whisper could be heard at any given time. This was really distracting. The SFMOH workshop that was held here was very interesting and enlightening. It was worth the $30. Can't wait to utilize that certificate in future housing plans! Pro tip: Plenty of residential parking.

I became aware of the Level Playing Field a several months ago and the varied stores of the IDEAL…read morescholars are humbling. The consistent thread among their stories is the commitment and hard work of each student to excel despite the lack of resources available to them, resources that most of us take for granted. I became a mentor for an IDEAL scholar at UC Berkeley. She is smart, funny, artistic and inspiring - she is excited about life and a joy to know . She cares intensely about her community and helping others. I gain energy from talking with her each time we get together. I am impressed by the number of scholars from this program that after graduating from college, continue to graduate or professional school as well as provide help and support to newer scholars. I think this speaks well of the program and the quality and commitment of the scholars selected to participate. I understand that 100% of the administrative costs of LPFI are covered by donations from an "angel", so that 100% of my donations directly support scholars with books, laptops, scholarships, and all the various things that are needed to make it through college today. I can see how we will all benefit from the work that the IDEAL scholars will provide to our society - we will miss a great deal in the future if these students do not have a chance to fulfill their potential. I can only hope that this program will be expanded so that many more young people can benefit from the education and support supplied by the Level Playing Field. What a fine world that would be!

LPFI, their staff, and their programs make our community and society a better place…read more I got connected to LPFI when my mentee (from a 1-1 mentorship program) was selected for the SMASH summer program (before going on to Sonoma State). I can tell you that SMASH was second only to parents in being a positive and powerful force in my mentee's life. He wrote multi college essays on his experiences at SMASH and references his learning there in guiding his choice to become a high school math teacher when he graduates. The LPFI organization is full of people that DO with authenticity, capability, and deliver results. Take every opportunity you can to fund them, work with them, and learn with them.

A small-but-mighty organization that has stayed true to its mission for over 25 years!…read more In a nutshell, great people who do great things for the community and city :)

Help the homeless WHILE devouring delectable Truffles?!?!? Yep, you read right!…read more Last night, February 9th was the second time that I've volunteered At The Crossroads (ATC) through One Brick, a non-profit organization that makes volunteering easy with NO long-term commitment. Here's the link to my One Brick review: http://www.yelp.com/biz/one-brick-san-francisco#hrid:CnCnP7lsYhtMlxBnI6mPJw WHAT'S ATC? ATC is a wonderful organization that reaches out to homeless youths in the Mission and Tenderloin area through night time street outreach, one-on-one counseling services and collaboration with other social service agencies. The caring and compassionate staff at ATC refers to homeless youths as their "clients" which not only takes away the stigma some people may associate with the homeless but shows how much respect they have for them as a human being. During the street outreach, the counselors distribute food, healthcare products, and clothes which slowly helps to build a relationship with their clients. Through counseling, the counselors help their clients determine their short-term and long-term goals (i.e. finding housing, gaining employment, pursuing their passion, etc) and work with various social service agencies to help them achieve their goals. HOW DOES VOLUNTEERING HELP ATC? By helping to sort, organize, clean, and/or pack supplies to be distributed, it allows the counselors more face time with their clients. For example, if 25 volunteers help for 2 hours, counselors will have 50 ADDITIONAL HOURS to spend with their clients (instead of being bogged down with sorting/organizing/cleaning/packing the supplies themselves). HOW DO YOU VOLUNTEER FOR ATC? I signed-up through One Brick which takes less than 2 minutes. You register for an account, go on the calendar and RSVP for an event. The ATC event is called, "Supply Prep for the Homeless" and normally occurs one Wednesday a month from 6-8 PM. The event is limited to about 25 people and spaces get filled quickly, so make sure to sign-up at least one week prior. WHAT'S INVOLVED WHEN VOLUNTEERING FOR ATC? It's very simple, show up with a smile and a helping hand! :) When you enter ATC, you're greeted by a One Brick Event Manager who signs you in and gives you a nametag. Rob Gitin, Director & Co-Founder of ATC will then explain the various workstations and what's involved. Then, you can decide which activity you would like to partake in for the evening. ALL of the work is easy and not labor intensive. There are normally 4-5 stations: 1. CANDY PACKING (My Fav): Pack chocolates and other sweets donated from the SF Food Bank into small individual zip lock bags. 2. TOILETRIES PACKING: Pack soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitary pads etc. 3. TIMBUK2 BAG CLEANING: ATC wants to ensure that all of their clients receive clean like-new items, so volunteers wash minor stains and grime off, trim extra thread/fabric and remove any debris stuck in the velcro. 4. SORT/FOLD/ORGANIZE CLOTHING: Sort through and fold t-shirts, outerwear and jeans, and organize by gender and sizes. All of the clothing is new and donated by Old Navy and Levis. 5. GREETING CARD MAKING: Utilize your artistic and decorative skills by making Birthday Cards and ones for special occassions. WHY YOU SHOULD VOLUNTEER FOR ATC? The two-hour volunteering events passes by very quickly especially when there's music playing in the background, other volunteers to chitchat with and yummy snacks (fresh cut Asian pears and TRUFFLES) being passed out by Rob. After every event, One Brick organizes a dinner nearby (e.g. Pancho Villa) where all volunteers are welcome and encouraged to join. This gives you a wonderful opportunity to make new friends and network outside of your social inner circle. You never know who you may meet right? Most importantly, just taking two hours out of your busy schedule will help to improve the quality of life for these youths and empower them to transform their lives! One of my 2011 resolutions was to volunteer at least 2 times a month and so far I've been successful thanks to ATC and One Brick... Thank you both, for not only make volunteering easy and fun but also giving me a NEW APPRECIATION FOR LIFE and THE GIFT OF HUMILITY!

YouuuuthBUild!…read more Unfortunately due to funding, the Oakland Regional Office is no longer up and running. But YB programs are still running strong across the 50 states and even internationally folks are taking the mold and creating programs that are aimed to help out-of-school youth make themselves marketable to today's workforce and well themselves. Youthbuild is a national non-profit organization that is helping folks build a community from the inside out, working on internal needs, while getting extrenal trainning. Crazy how folks wouldn' trust a knucklehead with a hammer, and now they're buidling houses for people all over the dayum place. HAHA.

This place has saved my bacon again and again for five years. The new location is much more…read morepleasant to visit.

AIDS EMERGENCY FUND helped me at a time when I really needed it over the years. Lee Harrison is…read moreamazung and so kind. He runs the place, and I have come to call him a friend. I went through many stages from Hospice, to my apartment, now I am in Laguna Hond. I hope AEF is around for however long it is needed. They even helped me with the cremation of my domestic partner of 20 years! That place is a class act all the way!

I volunteer at The Spot (www.thespotoakland.org) a couple days a week to help out where I can and…read morehelp them fundraise. If you're 14 to 22 years old or have kids that are. The Spot is a good place for local youth to build up leadership skills, get academic and social/emotional suport. The staff work very hard to offer a broad range of services to help local youth get ready for their futures. About a 100 youth come to The Spot each week. I was there in November when there were a bunch of students using the computers to complete and submit their college applications. Here's a video about what The Spot has been able to accomplish in its first year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_COBOrV9zEM

THE SPOT came to my attention via yelper Mike L's posts and inboxes. since this corner is one i…read moreoften pass on the way to the post office, i know "the spot" hasn't been here long. 9/7 was an occasion for their "ART BRUH BRUH"-works of art by local youths posted for exhibition and possible sale. (some proceeds go to fund SPOT projects). this will be an ongoing monthly event in conjuction with the Oakland Art Murmur. lots of young people were here (to my surprise). free juice and green waffles were available (donations welcomed!) wondered if this pancake is related to the ones at quickly's. probably. art isn't my thang nor is sports. (selling raider tickets for fundraising is another project). The spot has many ongoing activities besides act, check out website for details. historical note: " the spot" is in a mixed commercial/residential structure that provides affordable housing to qualified people.