*** I admire the work that the Friends are doing. ***…read more FoBW posted an event to tour the wetlands yesterday. I've lived in the area since 2002 but I have never toured. I'm so glad that I did yesterday. It's well worth a 1hr visit. Notes: FoBW offers guided tours for elementary schools Tu and Th. FoBW offers guided tours for middle and high schools M, W, F. FoBW offers guided tours for the public 2nd Sun of every month. *** It's very refreshing to have a slice of nature in the city. ***

My daughter's Brownies troop and myself had the wonderful opportunity of having a guided tour of…read morethe Ballona Wetlands. Our tour guide was Christian. Both he and his lovely assistant were awesome. They kept the girls interested by their enthusiasm and fun demeanor. Binoculars were even provided to the girls for the tour. I myself learned alot! I was totally unaware of this rich piece of nature left in Los Angeles County. I appreciate organization's work on helping to keep this place preserved, as well as educating the public of its existence. Kudos to FBW.

Great organization to be a part of if you are in the South Bay. I've been a mentor for 2 years with…read morethe same girl that I was paired from Orange County when I first joined. Though due to the distance between the girl and I, we weren't able to attend any of of the mentor/mentee activities that took place in the South Bay. However, we made our own calendar and did our thing in the last two years such as miniature golfing, Afternoon Tea, mani/pedis , and finding new restaurants and dessert places around OC to visit every time we got together. Walk With Sally is a nonprofit organization located in the South Bay, that pairs mentors with kids whose parent had either passed away from cancer or is currently battling cancer. They are trying to branch out to other cities (when I joined 2 years ago - I was probably the first mentor that they paired with a child that was not in the South Bay.) Give them call even if you are not in the South Bay and ask if they have child near your city that you could mentor. It's such a great organization in that some of the mentors in the program were kids who had lost a parent - and as an adult they have chosen to give back to the organization that had helped them through one of the hardest times of their lives. All they ask is that you dedicate 8-10 hours a month to your mentee. It could be one day a month where you spend the day together, or a couple hours a week. Hopefully through that friendship, you'll be able to make an impact on each other's lives and make a difference. Cheers!

I have been very privileged over the last year to partner with this incredible, amazing Nonprofit…read moreand just recently I began mentoring through the group. Walk with Sally is an organization that provides mentoring support programs and services to children (ages 7-17) who have parents or siblings with cancer. In many cases, the children in the program have one or both parents going through end stage cancer and are in need of a friend who has been through a similar trial with cancer. Having gone through the same thing at 22, when my Mom passed away after a five year battle with cancer, this has a been a touching way to give back and honor the amazing people who supported me through one of the most challenging periods of my life. Being a mentor is not only about the disease, but is one on one time with a child who for all intents just wants to be a kid. WWS organizes many events like for the mentors and mentees like ice-skating at Toyota Center, attending baseball games, star-watching at the Observatory, or just hanging out and being kids together. As we reflect on the New Year's and our goals to be more selfless and to make a change in the world, I wanted to post this business as an awareness and also as a suggestion for making a positive impact in the New Year. For requesting more information on mentorship, all you have to do is visit the website and perhaps talk with the program director Zina about attending an information session. There are children waiting for matches all throughout LA, so please don't worry about proximity to the the Torrance office. This has been a great organization and an experience that continues to give back to me much more than I could put into words or give to it. Please check it out and if cancer has touched your life (as it has most of ours), think about mentorship or supporting this great local organization.

I have volunteered with The Giving Hand for the last 3 years and they truly are an organization…read morefocused on helping the people. The staff are very warm and welcoming. I look forward to volunteering with them again!

3/11/2026: I am a Senior Citizen. We are raising our grandson, whose mama passed away. (my…read moredaughter). I hurt my dominant right wrist and was in a splint and sling for over a week, and cannot drive. My Wonderful Husand has been a God-send and stepped up.. But he has been called away to help his elderly mother, in Florida. I also had surgery on my right big toe the day before yesterday. I called Meals on Wheels a week ago to get set up to help us, in case I could not drive. Fortunately, the Doctor's released me, and I can drive to the store. Meals on Wheels delivered to us for two days. The food is more bland than I prefer, but my tummy is full and the food is nutritious. There was a little mix up on the first day, but that got straightened out. I thought I would need Meals on Wheels for 11 days but we only used it for two. Cancelling is easy. I can see how this is a great (and needed) service for people homebound and a great opportunity to give back and to Volunteer. Thank you Suzanne for your graciousness to us.

Thank you Mills on wheels for everything that you have done. I would like to congratulate them and…read morethe people that fund them. And so much more that you guys have to offer you have been a great addition to my livelihood. And you have helped me better the quality of my life and my wellness with all the impairments that I have I'm so grateful to you all for what you guys do my hats off too those of you who have received this gift from Meals on Wheels this is my way of giving back to you shouting it out loud thank you Meals on Wheels for being a part of my better quality of life.

We recently flew in 30 people from all across the country (plus six locals) for a company meeting,…read morefor which my boss wanted to incorporate a beach cleanup. I reached out to Heal the Bay, who was happy to assist us - we ended up opting for their Suits on the Sand program (sponsorship required), wherein they hosted us for two hours: after a fun icebreaker, we were given an informative talk about the environment and how our trash ends up on the country's beaches (even when not left by beachgoers), after which we were divided into groups and sent on our merry way. The cleanup ended with us bringing back our respective hauls, having them weighed, and the winning team collecting an award (since our group is naturally very competitive, this was right in everyone's wheelhouse). Then it was time for a little trash talk before we wrapped up. :) Antonio was awesome in the runup to our event, and extremely patient with me as I navigated my company's systems to make this possible, and the ladies who actually hosted the cleanup were friendly, engaging, and extremely knowledgeable. Our team LOVED the time on the beach, and that it was active - and actively giving back. Rave reviews from all. If anyone reading this is looking for a unique teambuilding service project for their organization, I highly recommend reaching out to Heal the Bay - and if you're interested in an accompanying "after-party" picnic, please see my other reviews!

So I started (9/15/18) to do their twice monthly beach clean ups (coastal clean ups); I decided to…read morebecause my family and I have been enjoying the beach our whole lives and it kills me to see trash in the sand. They do good work! Volunteer if you can. Bring your own gardening gloves, bag and water container.... (and don't forget to bring your consent form they usually send it via email a few days before) spend as long as you like and tally the trash you pick up. Then turn in the tally sheet and your bag of trash at check in. They go thru the trash to see what can be recycled. I met some real cool people who care about doing something good for the enviro and networked for nursing school!

Back in winter of 2016, someone at work sent out an email to volunteer at the Brentwood…read morePresbyterian Church as part of a winter outreach, and I thought why the heck not. The request was to help with unloading shipments of goods such as blankets, beanies, scarfs, food, water, flashlight, hygiene kit, notebook, a piece of paper listing places for shelters, job recruitment, and medical attention, and even a handwritten note from elementary school students with messages of well wishes. Once organized inside the auditorium, these items would be filled inside a duffel bag which would then be distributed to the homeless. The goal is not to outright solve homelessness but to help individual people on the streets where they are most vulnerable from the cold, and at times, wet weather. I enjoyed that experience, on the one hand because I usually get a kick out of manual labor, and on the other hand from the sense of camaraderie. During breaks, Tom, who was the main one in charge, along with a few others in the community would contextualize our efforts with the struggles of people young and old they have met. The topic of housing and rent prices would undoubtedly come up, and this was almost 9 years ago. There was also an overwhelming number of volunteers then. The second time I volunteered was winter of 2020 where most of us were masked up, and there were noticeably less folks. Fast forward to winter of 2024 (not sure why it's been every 4 years...), and apparently the turnout of volunteers was the lowest it's ever been. Even some long-time sponsors have shifted their attentions away. Although there was still enthusiasm for those that were there, with less help the process was a lot slower. This year instead of just preparing the duffels, I decided to try distributing. After training, we decided to target DTLA in the afternoon and then stop operation at sunset. Here's a summary of the folks I distributed to: 1) Corner of 3rd and Hill, I met Ernin aka 'Barber Earl' who was a trained barber for many years and enjoys soccer. 2) Between 4th and 5th, I met Joe from East La and Ken from Nor Cal who were trying to look for work using the Planet Fitness wi-fi. 3) Between 7th and 8th, I met Pancho who spoke only Spanish. Luckily, the paper with the list of resources had English and Spanish. Gratis para ti. 4) Corner of Hope and Wilshire, I met Andrew aka 'Rew' who was from the east coast. 5) Corner of Hope and Grand, I met Joseph, Joseph, and Ian, who all met recently and became friends. 6) In Chinatown, I met Cory who was a massage therapist, Mia who was looking for legal assistance, Dior who was noticeably suspicious of me at least initially, Harry who came from North Carolina a month ago, and Diego who was recently divorced and move from Houston for a change of scenery. Not sure how much of a difference I made. It seemed they were happy to be acknowledged and share a little about themselves. That is the hope.

I volunteered today at The Giving Spirit's winter event…read more It was another great experience! I've been volunteering with this group for several years. It's such a good feeling to know what a difference the back packs can make in a person's life. I've never distributed the back packs before. I usually help distribute various necessities. All of the items that are distributed in the back packs are donated by individuals, companies, etc. Kudos to this group for the inspiring work that they continue to do. They mentioned at today's event, that they have been helping the homeless for 15 years & have saved 30,000 lives. That is certainly a powerful statement for a non--profit to make. I look forward to volunteering with The Giving Spirit for as long as it takes to continue to help the homeless people in our community.

I was a resident at Miriam's House. I went there straight from rehab. It was a very life building…read moreplace. I lived there for a year with my 2 children. We all shared a bed. They were small then. Now they are 12 and 14. This really prepared us to put our lives back together. The quality of this place was so helpful because the structure had us going to in-house AA and NA meetings every night. Rhonda and Patricia Meyers were the backbone of this place. Thank you to them and the entire staff. Because of them I'm a success story. Because , now I have a lovely place and I'm entering community and social work. And politics. Could you imagine ..... from Section 8 to the White House? Hahaha , Rhonda , like she said , "only Stephanie Bradley could get her Section 8 in Marina del Rey " lol. Now I'm going from Marina del Rey to Washington D.C. Couldn't do it without you. Thank you . God is good.

As a referring professional, I'm very grateful for Miriam's House and the support they provide to…read moremothers with children. I've been able to refer families to them with confidence, and they have been wonderful to work with every step of the way. Rhonda especially has been so kind, accommodating, and easy to communicate with. It's clear that the team genuinely cares, and that level of compassion and professionalism means a lot.

I love this place. There are many worthy charities in LA, but this one is by far my favorite. The…read morestaff are all very welcoming and friendly, the administration is dedicated, and they all share a passion for helping those in need. They have built a community of more than just great volunteers, but also of the ones they serve. They greet them by name, know their stories and treat them with dignity and respect day in and day out, even when no one is watching. If you're looking for a great place to be a part of, I highly recommend coming here. The joy is infectious and I always leave with a smile on my face.

***This a message for those intending to volunteer with the St. Francis Center (DTLA), it's lengthy…read morebut worth the read*** This is nothing but an advisory service for those considering to volunteer with DTLA St. Francis mission. I wish not to deter or negate the intentions of the entire organization based on the actions of a few. There are genuinely good people and purpose being performed within this organization. With that said, I was recently dismissed from being able to volunteer with this mission. You might be asking yourself, how does one possibly get fired from a volunteer position that they signed up for? In my instance, it had nothing to do with my work ethic, timeliness, or understanding of the tasks at hand. (We were distributing food and clothing to the locals in need, absolutely not a complex concept whatsoever.) However, during my short stint volunteering with St. Francis I realized quickly that the management was somewhat dismissive of new volunteers which was masked as being overworked and overburdened. In most cases, running such a huge operation which can effect an entire communities functionality would be understandable. Unfortunately, I was personally met with this attitude and energy regularly. Despite that being the case, that didn't stop my enthusiasm or willingness to work diligently in order to positively impact the lives of those in need. I chose St. Francis for a reason, regardless of the circumstances of the people they serve they do so with seemingly compassionate intent. Unfortunately for me, an ill-timed joke made an organization possibly question the morality of their normalized "business" practices. Just days into my experience, I made a comment about some of the employees picking out donated items for their own personal use. In this realm of work, I'm completely aware that this is a common (and unspoken) practice amongst a plethora of donation organizations. It's shitty and in bad taste but it happens. Personally, it's not a big deal to me, it doesn't effect my well-being or sleep at night. My comments (which were in pure joking spirit and I thought were harmless) must have been overheard because I was approached by the director of the volunteer department. I was told by this person that the employees at the mission were allowed first dibs at the clothing, apparel, and miscellaneous items donated to the organization, to which I replied simply "I don't care." Said leader responded, "It sounded like you did, it would be better you not say anything at all." Shameless, nasty, rude. I completed my responsibilities, helped clean the areas I was assigned to and continued about my day proud of my participation with St. Francis Center. Sadly, later that afternoon I received an email claiming that I was 'not a good fit' at the mission and that I would no longer be allowed to volunteer with the organization. Initially confused and somewhat disappointed, I went on to laugh and laugh about the ridiculous circumstances bestowed upon me. The dismissal of my services from St. Francis Center won't hinder me from helping this particular part of town or community. (Mind you, there are a multitude of other organizations in the same area that do similar work and are seemingly more inviting, it can all be considered subjectively.) Regardless of my personal experience St. Francis' mission is genuine. Just be aware that those in positions of power in regards to their volunteer department may have some tyrannical and not so pleasant traits that rear their ugly heads from time to time. Do the work for yourself if you choose to volunteer here, in the end, righteousness will always prevail. God bless.