My review is done as a former employee of this organization and not as a student. I was hired by…read moreInside the Outdoors in late 2008, and served as a Field Naturalist until 2010. The work consisted of outdoor instruction to fourth grade students in plant and bird identification. Indian lore and general historical knowledge of the study area were also included. Rather than use trained teachers, this organization used mostly students or graduate students interested in making a few dollars. Quality of instruction varies greatly due to this factor. Rote memorization seems to be what this organization seems to try to foster rather than true learning skills. Locations served once included the Upper Newport Bay Area. This may have been discontinued. Chaparral areas of South Orange County area are used, with participants asked to handle and identify flora and fauna. Fun? Perhaps.,Educational? Hmmm.

I came to Rancho Sonato to volunteer my time and skills through my company's volunteer program…read more They had jobs this day from carpentry work build structures, picnic benches, trail maintenance, clearing the stream of evasive growth, painting to craft help. I enjoyed the experience here as you were set on your own to build their needed structures on your own with minimal assistance from the naturalists / staff. Inside the Outdoors provide and instruct K-6th graders with hands-on and social science during their field trips to the facility. The kids will learn about the local plants and wildlife. What if we could introduce children to the wildlife that we share the Earth with... What if we could share with a child the wonder of seeing a bug through a microscope... What if we could protect and preserve a wilderness area, so that children could visit the area to learn how important these places are... What if we could help every child in Southern California explore nature and learn about the environment... Well, when my day ended helping the naturalists and all future kids that will visit this site, made me feel good and I helped the future. Give your time, donations or even visit the facility for teaching the little ones.

Well, Peppermint Ridge is not really a business. Peppermint Ridge is a collection of homes for…read morepeople with intellectual disabilities. Frequently these disabilities are also physical, Peppermint Ridge is one of the facilities that I actually would consider a nonprofit and worthy to call themselves that. They go out of their way to facilitate and attempt for the clients to live their best life ever

Peppermint Ridge provides top notch assistance to adults with intellectual disabilities. It's…read morelovely to see their joyful faces and safe homes. The staff really cares about the residents.

My men's group decided to volunteer a shift here. The wait to find a open weekend spot for us all…read morewas a couple of months. When the morning arrived, we were met by a check-in person, who in turn gave us some quick notes and passed us off to get instructed/assigned to our tasks. There was plenty of staff to get us up to speed so that we could be productive (harvesting celery and onions). The time flew and at our first break, were informed of all the wonderful things that the farm does and who/how many people it reaches who are without food. A very rewarding experience and also a good workout. I hope to come back and volunteer again.

The Incredible Edible Farm at the Great Park is an urban farm where Second Harvest Food Bank grows…read morefresh produce to feed the hungry. Great place to volunteer and bring out your inner farmer. Volunteers of all ages are welcomed to help plant, weed, and harvest at the Incredible Edible Farm (by appointment only). The staff is friendly and delegates the tasks efficiently; they also monitor if you need help. For our shift, we pulled weeds, harvested cabbage leafs (for burrito wrap in place tortilla), and picked ripe oranges. Fun experience, the labor makes you appreciate and respect farmers and not waste any food! TIP: 1. This is a popular site which operates Tuesday-Saturdays, 8:30am-11:00am and 1:00pm-3:30pm. Saturday shifts fill out 6 months in advance! 2. Bring a pair of gardening gloves. 3. During cloudy/misty weather, wear waterproof clothing or stuff you don't mind getting wet and muddy. 4. Volunteer shifts continue if it drizzles a bit, but will terminate in downpour. 5. Take your break as needed.

Never heard back from them and we were ready to adopt immediately. Both myself and my daughter…read morecalled, (the "are too busy to care for kitties AND answer the phone, so please send a text"), so we texted, created an account online (because they want to know you're "actually serious" about adopting before you can even MEET the cat you're considering adopting.) (I do understand and respect prioritizing the mental health of the cats, but I'm sure the cats, especially the adults, would prefer a compromise, like being required to fill out a one page form on the spot before meeting). Every serious adopter that goes into a pet store and sees one of this organization's animals that they are interested in adopting and is told they have to go through this and this and this step before they can even interact with the cat and know if the personality is a fit. Everyone loses out. In my experience, even if you do go through all the steps, they won't call you back, and a cat that could have had a home I know had that opportunity taken from them because of the seemingly righteous or superior attitude of the rescue people. They surely know how many people go in and out of those cat and kitten rooms at the Animal Friends of the Valley shelter. Having a few people go in one at a time to meet one particular cat, I don't feel, is any more dangerous or unhealthy for the cat than them losing the opportunity to be adopted and eventually being put down. I just don't understand rescues like this. If you're too small to actually help, then let somebody else do it.

I had a beyond expectation experience with Mindy and her daughter, even though at the end I didn't…read morechoose to go with the adorable and sweet boys Teddy and Khabib they brought for me to meet and interact with. Mindy provided a very personable, warm and extremely responsive service, made every effort to respond to my inquiry on Adopt-A-Pet and approving my application as well as just answering my questions and chatting with me about my potential cat baby's personality traits and his background story. She responded to emails as late as 11PM on a weekend and her demeanor was always welcoming and reassuring, like an old, caring friend. Mindy's words and actions convey that she truly truly love all of her rescued cat babies and she only wants what's best for them and she works extremely hard to find them good homes. I was very sad that neither cat babies from her rescue matched the particular personality I was looking for (I was trying to fill this big hole in my heart with the tragic loss of a stray cat named Cookie I cared for) and I really wished that given all the hard work she and her daughter put into, I'd adopt either Teddy or Khabib. Despite these big, affectionate sweet boys were not the best match I was searching for, I don't think any less of them, I sincerely hope they will find their forever home they deserve and I cannot be more grateful for Mindy's time, patience and understanding she's extended me and my family. If I had more capacity for an additional cat baby in the future after finding THE ONE, Mindy and her rescue is the first place I'd check out. If you are also searching for your feline soulmate, please look no further!!

I think everybody should volunteer as much as they can. Second Harvest is a great place to…read morevolunteer! It truly makes such a difference when we come together as a community to help those in need. They make everything so easy and everyone here is always so welcoming! Stephanie and Jason are the two that are usually in the front helping you check in, so I have been able to talk to them the most. They both have such kind hearts and always make sure your experience here is great. Everything works smoothly here and the staff explain what to do perfectly. You start by watching a video that talks more about what Second Harvest is and what to expect during your volunteer shift. My personal favorite is grocery rescue, which is where you go to the cooler in the back and sort the good and the bad items that they receive from grocery stores. There are plenty of other options, depending on the day, like order pulling, crate washing, processing, bag cutting, etc. These are just some of the opportunities that they offer at the distribution center. They also have their own farm where you can spend your time picking the produce straight from the ground! Overall, this is such a great place to volunteer at. In the warehouse, they also show where all their products get distributed to. Below is a list of all the food banks in the area, if you ever need it!

This is a great place to volunteer if you want to do something good for others. The staff has…read morealways been nice and accommodating when giving me instructions. FYI You can also donate directly to the other website if you wish to contribute and can't volunteer your time. We need more places like this when so many people are dealing with food insecurity.

One of my favorite places to take my toddler! It's located in a business area of Irvine with ample…read moreparking. It does get pretty busy here and we always try to go right at opening. They offer many special events throughout each month, including special hours for babies and young toddlers. Pretend City is most ideal when your child is walking. From the auto shop to the mini Trader Joe's to special events, my son loves it all! It has activities and unique areas for all ages and interests. We'll continue to go here for many more years!

The place is wonderful, filled with lots of hours of play and excitement but I definitely feel…read moreit's over priced.. if you have EBT or Wick then you can get in for $5 a person.. The man at the front desk has a ton of attitude so beware.. only reason why I left 3 stars.. he was extremely rude to me for not understanding something with the pricing.. The vending machines are expensive but it's pretty cool that you can bring your lunch. Definitely worth checking out .

Yesterday I stopped by here and went into the office to see if they took food donations,…read morespecifically cake pan gifts. They did! Cake pan gifts are a 9x13 disposable cake pan from dollar tree, a box of cake mix, can of frosting, birthday card, balloons, (I added a birthday button), birthday candles and a can of sprite. You can google the recipe to make a cake with sprite instead of eggs and oil which is perfect for food banks. I will add a photo of my finished product for guidance. The gal at the front desk was very nice and instructed me to drive around to the side to the large open door. I walked in and someone asked how they could help me. She grabbed a cart and came out to m car and got my three bags that had the 12 cake pan gifts in them. She was so happy and excited to receive them and it made me feel so good!! Cant wait to make more in the future and bring them here.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Christina from Families Forward and Michael who worked…read moredirectly with the landlord. They are truly some of the best people I have ever had the privilege of working with. Christina is incredibly kind, patient, and knowledgeable. She goes above and beyond to make sure every detail is handled with care, and she treats you like family. Michael was professional, compassionate, and committed to helping in every way possible. Together, they made a very difficult process feel smooth and stress-free. Their warmth and genuine kindness show in everything they do. Families Forward as an organization is simply outstanding!!! They are so well organized, compassionate, and effective. They are a true blessing to the community, and I am beyond grateful for all of their support. If I could give more than five stars, I would. This group of people is the gold standard of how caseworkers and organizations should operate.

Very well organized business with competent and well trained employees. Also has a very impressive…read morefacility with therapy rooms and everything is clean and well maintained.

we have been with UP now for about 7 months and are beyond happy with the therapy we receive from…read moreAna. We were assigned UP through the Regional Center of Orange County for infant therapy for our son and were initially very wary. Our last RCOC vendor we were very unhappy with and almost stopped infant therapy because of it. However teacher Ana has been the biggest blessing for our family this past year and we cannot reccommend her enough! She is so good with all my children and everyone in the house looks forward to our time with her.

We came across the Greenhouse at PNOC in 2021 by googling "greenhouse wedding venue" when my…read morethen-fiance-and-now-husband and I were searching for our wedding venue. On our very first tour/ site visit, we fell in love with this beautiful space and loved how it met all of our needs (i.e. outdoor, approx. 100 guests, and local etc), so we didn't even look at any other venues before deciding our venue. This is a very unique and beautiful hidden gem for an intimate wedding (accommodates up to 150 guests) that includes spaces for ceremony, reception, cocktail hour, and getting ready. You have to essentially rent or bring everything (including bathroom trailer) but that means you have a lot of flexibilities to customize what you like/ want. The owners Laurie and Laurie Ellen (and their in-house day-of planner Katie) are so sweet and helpful in making the planning process and our wedding day as stress free as possible. All of our guests and ourselves had a good time here. Highly recommend if you're searching for a wedding or event space! (or if you're needing some plants, they have a great selection of plants lol)

Brides, grooms, and event planners, this is the place to book for your special day. I helped prep a…read morewedding here recently. Even after we were set up and ready to call it a day, I wanted to stay. This place is full of charm. If you are a fan of succulents, then you will be in the closest place to succulent heaven. This venue is also a thriving nursery full of every succulent you can imagine. I wanted to buy them all. The plant life is beautiful here, and the staff is equally friendly. Laurie Ellen is a true professional, hard working, and just happens to be a people person. There are no shortage of places for photos. No doubt, your guests will be in for a treat. If you are looking for a venue to get married or have a special event, then look no further. The property is beautiful, unique, and is a hidden treasure of Orange County.