Dear Volunteers,

Our monthly volunteer groups-the "Friends of" the Ventura Aquatic Center, Cornucopia Community Garden, Westpark, Arroyo Verde Park and Leo Robbins Sailing Center-are already busy with site spruce ups thanks to our mild spring weather.

It's not too late to join them for their next work gatherings or to sign up for new opportunities, such as the Ventura Botanical Gardens and Big Brother Big Sister Lunch Buddies. We are also looking for help for our next one-day park cleanups and upcoming big events - the South Seaward Spring Cleanup on March 10 and Earth Day Beach Cleanup on April 21. See below for details.

It's easy to register! Simply check out the online Community Service Opportunities Calendar and sign up with your smart phone or computer using our website or Facebook links. Or you may call the Volunteer Ventura! office at (805) 652-4555.

Volunteer Ventura! is off to a great start this year. Thank you for your volunteer efforts that helps make "buena" Ventura an even better place!

        -Rosie Ornelas

• NEW! SIGN UP ONLINE
  It's never been easier to sign up as a volunteer! Click here to view the calendar and register online. Register online for the event of your choice simply by providing your name, email and phone number.          

• PRINT THE CALENDAR
  Print the  February to June 2012 Volunteer Opportunity Calendar (pdf). Contact the Volunteer Ventura! Coordinator if you want copies delivered to your school or organization.          

• INVITE YOUR FRIENDS 
  Follow us on Facebook and invite your friends to subscribe to our e-newsletter by texting VOLUNTEERVENTURA to 22828.

• CONTACT THE VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
  Rosie Ornelas at rornelas@cityofventura.net or 805-652-4555 in the Volunteer Ventura! Office

These community service projects are available to students, non-profits and service clubs, community groups and councils, faith based organizations and military personnel, businesses, corporations and individuals. 

 Click here to get a printable calendar (pdf) of the image below. 

Join us for the South Seaward Spring Cleanup on March 10

Lend a hand and join Volunteer Ventura! and the Pierpont Community Council as we spend a morning sprucing up our gateway to the beach! Meet at the parking lot next to Keller Williams Realty--on the Seaward Avenue block closest to the beach--from 9 am to noon on Saturday, March 10. We will provide the cleanup supplies and refreshments. Community service hours are available for students. Click here for the  South Seaward Spring Cleanup flyer (PDF) to share with friends and please sign up online or contact Rosie Ornelas at rornelas@cityofventura.net or 805.652.4555.  

Earth Day Beach Cleanup on April 21

Join the City's Volunteer Ventura! Office on Saturday, April 21 from 9 to 11am at Surfer's Knoll Beach on Spinnaker Drive to help remove litter and clean up one of our busiest local beaches.  

Cleaning supplies will be provided but volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves and a plastic bucket to collect debris.

OPPORTUNITIES WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS
 

Ventura Botanical Gardens

Seeks Volunteer Dream Team

The Ventura Botanical Gardens is looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of this budding organization. Your skills, time, and energy are needed to move projects forward including: grant writing and research assistance, fundraising, event planning, setting up luncheons, committee work, database administration and seeking vendors for membership discounts and other sponsorship opportunities. The gardens are also seeking volunteer expertise in strategic planning, legal help, finance, accounting (receivable and payable), office management (office tasks and correspondence), marketing assistance (public relations, community outreach, graphic design, Photoshop), information technology, education and the arts, engineering, construction, stone masonry, trail building, and much more

Become part of the dream team by sending an email indicating the skills you can contribute and your areas of interest to info@VenturaBotanicalGardens.com (subject: Volunteer). The Ventura Botanical Gardens is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a botanical garden for the twenty-first century. Celebrating the Mediterranean Biome, the Gardens will be located at Grant Park in the city of Ventura, a world-class site with spectacular views of the coastal landscape and Channel Islands. The project will create new recreational opportunities including hiking, community gathering spaces, training, research, and educational programs. Become a member today! Please visit our website and join us on Facebook.

Become a Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentor for Lunch Buddies

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County is excited to partner with Montalvo Elementary School in Ventura to launch Lunch Buddies, a new mentoring program for third and fourth grade students. This program will provide the opportunity for volunteers who wish to give back to a child in their community by spending an hour of quality time with a child once a week during the lunch period. Volunteer mentors will have the opportunity to be a friend and positive role model by being matched one-to-one with a child who may not have anyone else to spend time with during lunch. This mentoring commitment is for a minimum of 12 months and provides the flexibility to attend once a week on any day of the school week. Summer activities will also be offered on a monthly basis. The Lunch Buddies program will begin in March, and we are recruiting a minimum of 25 volunteer mentors to assist these children in need of extra attention, support, and a listening ear. All mentors will be provided with training and professional support. For an application and further information on how to get started, please contact: Jackie Rogers, Program Manager, Big Brothers Big Sisters at 805.914.4165 or jrogers@bbsvc.org.  

Be a docent and make History Come Alive
Be a volunteer docent at the Olivas Adobe, the original hacienda of Rancho San Miguel built over 150 years ago, and discover the exciting history of the Olivas Family and the Rancho Period of California. This volunteer program has many levels of opportunities and events for participation.

 Interested? Please contact Gina Reyes at 805.658.4728 or greyes@cityofventura.net. 

SBHS "on track" at Community Park

On February 25, students from the St. Bonaventure High School (SBHS) track team, their coaches and other students arrived at the Community Park by the carloads and spread recycled wood chips delivered by the city's Urban Forestry tree trimming crews. The students' ultimate mission is to create a separate six-foot wide running track "inside" the popular perimeter pathway used by walkers, strollers and bicyclists. SBHS Christian Service Ministry Director Helen Palmer coordinated her school's student volunteer work with Volunteer Ventura! on phase 1 of this project. (photo by David Yamamoto, Ventura County Star)

Recycled Wood Chips
F.Y.I. Wood chips recycled from trimming of parks and parkway trees by our city's Urban Forestry crew are available on an on-going basis at the Cornucopia Garden (just west of the Community Park on Telephone Road) to members of the public for their private mulching use 

We thank these community partners for supporting Volunteer Ventura! events.

St. Bonaventure High School Students

and other community members for choosing to make Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday a "day on" instead of a "day off" holiday by celebrating his legacy with a day of service at the Cornucopia Community Garden.

and other students and faculty for completing phase 1 of our new "track build" at the Community Park (see "Spotlight on Volunteers" article).

St. Bonaventure High School Volunteers

for raking up 137 bags (55 gallons each) of pine needles at Camino Real Park during a cleanup at that park. 

for sharing your technical savvy with local seniors by volunteering your time and talent at our Program Your Gadgets event at the Senior Recreation Center.

for fanning out across the City to count the number of individuals who are homeless in our community, a task that assists the City/County in securing funding from the Federal Government.

for spending a morning cleaning boats at the Leo Robbins Community Sailing Center and clearing sand from Marina Park walkways.  An article in the Lighthouse newspaper highlighted the Seabee's much appreciated efforts.

and other community volunteers for raking leaves and cleaning up trash and debris at Harry Lyons Park.

for helping out at one or more of our monthly cleanup events, including the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy park cleanups at Arroyo Verde Park. In addition to cleaning up the trails and the park, volunteers assisted Parks staff by painting 20 barrels that will be used as additional trashcans throughout the City.

for clearing sand and painting the trash cans! Thank you for spending your Saturday morning with us helping out!

1. Check out the NEW calendar of events and register online!   
2. Subscribe to our bimonthly e-newsletters HERE.  
3. Find us on   Facebook www.facebook.com/volunteerventura 

Cary Glenn, Supervisor (805) 658-4732 cglenn@cityofventura.net

Rosie Ornelas, Coordinator (805) 652-4555 rornelas@cityofventura.net