Thanking Vaccine Clinic Volunteers

As the need for large-scale COVID-19 vaccination sites decreases, we were able to close our COVID-19 vaccination clinics in June. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, vaccine demand has shifted, and the County has significantly increased the number of sites served by mobile teams.

We are so thankful to our more than 200 volunteers who played a key role in making these clinics happen!
 
Our vaccine journey began in early March 2021, when the South Bay Consortium for School Vaccines was created (including school districts in El Segundo, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lennox, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach and Wiseburn). Clinics were held at AdventurePlex to help school staff from these districts get vaccinated.

After we concluded vaccinations of school district employees through the consortium, we were able to host more clinics throughout the community, which helped school families get vaccinated! We also had some pop-up clinics in higher-need areas (E.g., Inglewood and Lennox school districts). Making a total of 43 clinics altogether with 15,590 total Pfizer vaccine doses administered. 6,029 of which were administered to youth ages 12-18.
 
Later in March 2021, we partnered with South Bay Family Health Center to run a public vaccination site at our Redondo Beach campus on Prospect Avenue. With your help, we were able to support South Bay Family Health in administering a total of 3,668 Moderna vaccines!

The impact BCHD was able to have on the community with vaccine administration these past few months has been amazing and none of it could have been accomplished without the help of our amazing vaccine site volunteers who donated nearly 5,000 hours of service altogether. We are forever grateful for all the interest and support you provided! Whether you volunteered one, a few, or several shifts, your support has played an immense role in the success of these clinics. We cannot thank you enough for all your time and dedication! You ROCK!
 
If you’re interested in volunteering (getting back to it or taking the next step to volunteer) with BCHD, we have a COVID-19 safety protocol in place for every role. See below for what’s currently available and please stay tuned as new opportunities arise!
Featured Volunteer Opportunities

LiveWell Kids Garden Prep Day- August 4, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

It's that time of year where we get our school gardens prepped for the upcoming school year. Due to COVID-19, this year we will be hosting a smaller event - LiveWell Kids Garden Prep Day - to assist our Youth Services Department with prepping our eight Redondo school gardens. We need assistance assembling composters, clearing garden beds, cultivating and adding soil, planting seeds, watering the beds, and building new garden boxes.

If you are interested in volunteering and helping us with this project, please register by filling out the Registration Form

Do You Knit or Crochet? Make a Blanket for a Veteran
As part of a long-running legacy program at Beach Cities Health District, volunteers make blankets for individuals who could use some warmth and care. You are invited to make a blanket of approximately 36”x48” in honor of National Day of Service and Remembrance as Americans across the nation are united in service to their communities to honor the victims and heroes while marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11. All blankets collected by September 8 will be donated to veterans. Please fill out our signup form here to sign up to make a blanket.

Errand Volunteer: Support Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities
Errand Volunteers are matched with one of our Community Services Care Management clients and do weekly shopping for basic needs like groceries and prescriptions. Could this be right for you? Take a look at a brief overview of the role here. Weekly commitment of 1-1.5 hours on a regular basis.

Center for Health & Fitness Front Desk Volunteer
CHF is looking for volunteer support with screening members at its check-in table downstairs, ensuring members have read and signed the new COVID-19 Code of Conduct, reviewing verbal screening questions with members, taking and recording temperatures on a log sheet, assisting with cleaning equipment between reservations, and greeting members and directing them for proper gym entry and exit. Weekly commitment of 3 hours a week on a regular basis.

Administrative Office Front Desk Volunteer
Our admin department is looking for volunteer help including telephone coverage; front desk screening of staff and visitors; periodic disinfection of shared spaces; mail and package distribution; badge making; supplies inventory; assembling marketing packets; assisting with Help Desk Ticket tasks and projects. If you would like more information, please reach out to Alejandra.Sierra@bchd.org. Weekly 4-hour shift commitment on a regular basis is required.

Family Volunteer Opportunity
Pack Back to School Backpacks for At-Risk Youth through LA Work’s Families Active in Volunteer Enrichment (FAVE) program on August 21. More details and signup at www.laworks.com/fave

 
If any of these roles sound like a fit for you, please fill out our Volunteer Application at www.bchd.org/volunteer if you have not already done so, or email us at volunteers@bchd.org if you are or have been a BCHD volunteer in the past.
2021 Volunteer Hours

While volunteer support has changed with our continued adaptations due to COVID-19, we are so grateful for the commitment of our community to help others, both through the pandemic and through volunteer support in other ways as well. Thank you! BCHD volunteers continue doing remarkable things in 2021 and below is a capture of time reported. The numbers also represent the COVID-19 tests and vaccines administered, groceries and prescriptions picked up, calls made, committees met, administrative support, intern projects, gardens kept, and more.

January: 1,314
February: 1,551
March: 3,402
April: 3,173
May: 2,566
June: 1,391
Total: 13,397
Volunteer Anniversaries

Although many of you still are not back to actively volunteering in your usual roles right now, we are endlessly grateful for your commitment. The many collective years of efforts toward a healthy beach community from our volunteer corps is truly incredible. Special shoutout to Kim Neglia who has been a dedicated Conversation Companion for the past 25 years! She also helped deliver meals and holiday gift bags to folks during a time of critical need this past year and is now assisting as an Errand Volunteer. Also – Teri Cannon, Joan Edelman and Carol Halfaker for hitting the ten year mark! We are so glad for everyone’s dedication.
July

Kim Neglia, 25
Teri Cannon, 10
Joan Edelmann, 10
Carol Halfaker, 10
Susan Brilliant, 6
Emi Brown, 4
Cheryl Kahnamoui, 4
Kate Doll, 3
Joey Farrales, 3
Howard Fishman, 2
Katelyn Nguyen, 1
*Official years of service in BCHD system.
Just for Fun Puzzle Time!
Enjoy some down time solving this super fun crossword puzzle using the clues below.
June Answer Key
Summer Free Fitness
Yoga on the Beach, July 26 south of the Manhattan Beach Pier in the sand in partnership with the City of Manhattan Beach.

Zumba, August 2, 9, 16 at Julia Field at Alta Vista Park in partnership with the City of Redondo Beach.

Mondays, now - August 16
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Virtual Mindfulness Drop-In
Take 30 minutes to downshift and practice mindfulness techniques. The guided session will be led by a trained Beach Cities Health District instructor, Carrie Kerster.
Wednesday, August 4
4 – 4:30 p.m.
Virtual Happiness Chats
Support your well-being with casual discussions focused on connection and resilience. Attend one or all chats!
 Tuesdays
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.