| A MESSAGE FROM THE VOLUNTEER VENTURA! COORDINATOR | |
For Ventura residents and Volunteer Ventura! staff it truly seems like every month is National Park & Recreation Month. During July's official celebration many of you came out to enjoy fun park activities around the city and helped out mid-month with our "Beach Cleanup Bash" at Marina Park, after which kids created ocean-related crafts  | |
Flash Mob at the "Beach Cleanup Bash"
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planned by our great summer intern Samantha McPherson, and volunteers enjoyed a picnic lunch with a "Dance Day" flash mob for entertainment! At month's end, a small hard-working crew spread a thick layer of mulch along the "Inside Track" of the Community Park's walking path to give runners a way to steer clear of dogs, strollers, and walkers, followed by an "ice cream social." We spent August planning for our biggest annual volunteer events that happen in September. Over 600 CLU students helped remove invasive ice plant from our Ventura Harbor Wetlands Ecological Preserve and sow wildflower seeds on September 4 (see article below). Now we are focusing on five local beaches for our annual Coastal Cleanup Day cleanups on September 15 (see article below to sign up). We thank everyone who came out this summer to celebrate with us and volunteer for National Park & Recreation Month, and we thank you in advance for your community service that makes every month "NP&R" month in the City of Ventura through your participation in Volunteer Ventura! activities. -Rosie Ornelas |
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2012 COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES CALENDAR
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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. 
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UPCOMING VOLUNTEER SPECIAL EVENTS
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 Join us for Coastal Cleanup Day September 15
Be one of 80,000 volunteers statewide to participate in the 28th anniversary of California Coastal Cleanup Day! Join us on Saturday, September 15 from 9 am to 12 pm at one of five local beaches. Pre-registration is encouraged and can be done by clicking on one of the following cleanup locations:
Volunteers of all ages are welcome. Wear long pants, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen or a hat. Bring a bucket or bag, gloves, and a refillable water bottle and help us clean up our environment and protect our wildlife!
Ocean Friendly Garden Installation
at Fire Station 3 on October 27
Strong and able community members are invited to help us create an ocean friendly garden at Fire Station 3. Join some members of the City Fire department in digging a bioswale, planting native plants, and putting down mulch. Volunteers should wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes, a hat and/or sunscreen and bring a refillable water bottle and work gloves. We will provide all the tools, refreshments, and lunch!
Sign-up here: First Shift (9 am-12:30 pm) Second Shift (12:30-4 pm)
 Eastside Collection & Recycling Event on November 17
Mark your calendars for this community event that gives Eastside residents an opportunity to discard trash and unwanted items such as old appliances and mattresses and to recycle electronic items such as VCRs and computers free of charge on Saturday, November 17, 9 am to 1 pm, at the Ventura Community Park, 901 S Kimball Rd. A local charity will also be on hand to collect donations of gently used items such as clothing, toys, and furniture. Strong volunteers, ages 16 and up, are needed to assist residents with unloading of vehicles, sorting items, and disposing of articles in the appropriate container. Sign-up here: First Shift (8-11 am) Second Shift (10:30 am-1 pm)  Teen Voice Thanksgiving Baskets
for Low Income Families
Please donate by November 20 these non-perishable items-in packages, bottles, boxes or cans-in the collection boxes at your favorite participating Starbucks location: stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, bottled juice. Questions? Call 654-7807 |
| NEW VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES | | |
 Golf Course Beautification
The City of Ventura is looking to enhance golf experiences at Buenaventura and Olivas Links Golf Courses by utilizing individual and group volunteers to assist with montly beautification projects at our golf courses, our clubhouse, and surrounding areas. See the Calendar for these new opportunities!
City Clerk Office Assistant
The City Clerk's Office is looking for a volunteer assistant committed to helping others. The assistant would work flexible part-time hours in an office with a small group of fun-loving but dedicated people. Requirements: have good telephone communication skills and abilities in dealing with staff and the public; enjoy interacting with the public and; desire to learn about your City through research and response to public records requests. Interested? Please contact the City Clerk's office at (805) 658-4787.
Westside Community Resource Center Volunteer
Do you enjoy working with the public and working alongside members of the Ventura Police Department? The Westside Community Resource Center (formerly the Westside Police Storefront) is looking for dedicated volunteers to staff the resource center. The resource center is in need of volunteers on Thursdays through Sundays between the hours of 10am and 5pm. Volunteer duties will include: providing information to walk-ins, answering phones, light clerical work, and providing support to police officers. This is a great way to learn more about the City and help provide information to the public! Training will be provided. Volunteers selected for this position will be required to undergo a thorough background check. For more information, please contact the Volunteer Ventura office.
Digital Publishing/Mail Services Volunteer
The city's Digital Publishing/Mail Services Division is looking for volunteers to provide assistance to the in-house Print Shop and Mail Room located in historic City Hall.
The Digital Publishing Office creates a variety of printed and electronic material for all city departments. Volunteers will receive training and experience with copying, scanning, bindery and mail equipment. The ideal candidate for this position is someone who can work independently with minimal supervision, be able to lift 20 lbs., work with their hands with a level of dexterity, and have basic math skills. Minimum commitment: 2 hours per week. Interested? Contact the Volunteer Ventura office.
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RECENT VOLUNTEER NEWS
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CLU Ventura Harbor Wetlands Ecological Reserve project
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CLU President Chris Kimball encourages students to make service a part of their lives. |
On Tuesday, September 4, more than 600 students from California Lutheran University (CLU) partnered with the City of Ventura in a habitat restoration project at the Ventura Harbor Wetlands Ecological Reserve. This partnership is part of CLU's "You Got Served" program that introduces students new to the CLU family the importance of volunteering and making a positive impact within the community.
Originally, City staff had planned to bring the students to the Ventura Riverbed for the 5th year in a row. During the previous 4 years, CLU students contributed over 6,000 service hours and removed 72,800 pounds of trash and debris left behind by homeless encampments. To see photos and read more about these cleanups, click here.
However, recent riverbed fires and other incidents affected city staff's ability to provide a safe, community service event. The Volunteer Ventura! program teamed up with Ventura Water to transition the annual CLU project to the Ventura Harbor Wetlands Ecological Reserve. The wetlands provide an important contribution to Ventura's other river system - the Santa Clara River - and provides another great way to introduce students to the CLU
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CLU freshmen spent the afternoon removing ice plant, an invasive plant, from the Ventura Harbor wetlands. |
commitment to service and to connect them to their new, local community in a meaningful way.
Students, led by City staff and community members, removed ice plant, an invasive, non-native plant species that surrounds the fifty-acre Harbor Wetlands site and seeded the area with a mixture of native plants. The site is part of the Ventura Water Reclamation facility and an important component of the city's infrastructure. The wetlands are teeming with small mammals and birds, including special status species that are attracted to the rich habitats in and around the site's three ponds.
 The wetlands site is currently open to the public (Monday-Friday, 8 am-5 pm) and is a popular local bird-watching area. Volunteer Ventura! extends a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in this hugely successful
and vital community service project. |
THANK YOU!
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We thank these community partners for supporting
Volunteer Ventura! events in July, August and early September!
Jean Crew and the Ventura Yacht Club
for organizing and participating in a cleanup of Ventura Harbor beaches
Brain Injury Center of Ventura County
for cleaning up Marina Park and Beach
Camp Helping Hands campers
for cleaning up the beach along the Ventura Promenade
Ventura Avenue Library's new volunteers
for your enthusiasm and jumping right in to help out
Volunteer Ventura! intern extraordinaire Samantha McPherson
for spending her summer helping to plan volunteer projects and events
Our loyal "Friends of" volunteers
for the upkeep and maintenance of the Leo Robbins Sailing Center, the Aquatic Center,
and the Cornucopia Garden
Our fabulour Public Art Conservation interns
Robert Hanna, Madeline Keyes-Levine, and Alex Gaskill for helping to conserve the public art along the Ventura River Trail and the utility boxes downtown
Ventura Hillsides Conservancy and community members
for keeping Arroyo Verde Park clean!
Resource Conservation Partners
for providing the wildflower seeds for the Harbor Wetlands and to Adam Lambert and Anselmo Alamillo for their on-site expertise!
California Lutheran University students and staff and community members and City staff who served as Team Leaders
for removing TONS of ice plant and sowing wildflower seeds at the Ventura Harbor Wetlands
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GET INVOLVED WITH VOLUNTEER VENTURA!
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- Check out the NEW calendar of events and register online!
- Subscribe to our bimonthly e-newsletters HERE.
- 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 |
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