All About You

What do YOU want to read about? 

Have you been positively impacted by a volunteer experience or exceptional non-profit organization? 

Please share your story! 

Would love to highlight specific members of your community making a difference where you live. 

Get creative, take a chance and send your ideas and submissions here. 

Thank you. 

Happy Monday

The RAK Foundation

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is about paying it forward- inspiring people to practice kindness and pass it on to others. Founded in 1995, the organization provides free educational ideas and resources to anyone willing to make the world a bit brighter with creative action. 

Thanks to RAK, educators can find lesson plans and classroom materials accessible online. Anyone can share personal stories of kindness and be motivated by other's experiences. 

RAK Week is February 11th - 17th 2013. Stories of unique service making an impact in communities around the world will be featured online. Participating is easy- do something kind for someone today. Big or small. Simple or involved. Make it part of your routine each day and see what happens. Positivity is addicting in the best possible way. 

Question

Choose Joy

Pacific Wildlife Care

Written by: Shannon Fissori
San Luis Obispo County, CA

As someone who grew up by the ocean and continues to marvel in the wildlife around it, I have a great fondness for those who dedicate their lives to preserve it.

Pacific Wildlife Care is facility in San Luis Obispo County whose mission is to rehabilitate and return injured or orphaned wildlife to their natural habitat. Going beyond this commitment, they also work to educate the public to value and respect wildlife and the environment we share with them.

Like many non-profit organizations, PWC relies heavily on donations and volunteers. They offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities ranging from office help, phone hotline support and center cleaning to animal care and transport. There’s something for everyone!

Please consider making a contribution today.

Go Team Davis!

 

Written by: Allison Olson
Davis, CA

In 2008, my life changed in ways I couldn’t possibly imagine. I got involved with my local Special Olympics team, Team Davis. What I didn’t know then was that Team Davis offered so much more than athletics to their participants and their volunteers.
Team Davis is a non-profit based in Davis, California that provides athletic, social, nutritional, and community outlets for people with disabilities.

There are many Special Olympics teams participating in many different sports throughout California. But Team Davis goes above and beyond the call of service for this often over-looked community.
 

I began my involvement by coaching track and field, preparing our athletes for the Special Olympics Summer Games. My involvement grew from there, as I began coaching everything I could, from soccer to golf to cross country to basketball. The more I was around our Team Davis members, the happier I was. I realized that I was getting more out of my camaraderie and friendship with the Team Davis athletes than they could possibly be getting from my coaching abilities. But my lack of coaching skills did not matter. Team Davis and their participants are the happiest, most capable, most caring, and most upbeat people in spite of their special needs. As the Team Davis motto states, “Seeing the ABILITY in disability.”

As I mentioned, Team Davis also offers more than just athletics. They have a quarterly dance and numerous other social opportunities. They have a team garden where they learn about nutrition and healthy eating. They participate in many community events and even partner with UC Davis on occasion.

Team Davis is such a huge part of me now, I can’t imagine life without it. I would encourage everyone to find their own “Team Davis.”

Start by looking up the local Special Olympics team or your city’s Alternative Recreation department. It will change your life and will mean the world to those participating.