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Volunteer Update
December 20, 2019
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Dear CRC Volunteer,
Volunteers give the gift that keeps on giving ...
I share the story often. The story of a man who walks into the CRC Food Pantry with his head bent down, shame coloring his features. He was once a soldier for our country, but injury, health struggles and bad luck found him on the streets.
A volunteer greeted him warmly, asked him about food allergies or preferences, and then walked with him through the pantry while he chose his own cart-full of groceries. He recalls that moment as a glimmer of hope, a moment where he realized that he was still human, still had the option of choice, could still make the kind of decisions that the homeless often no longer can make.
Michael is now a man with a roof over his head, is an accomplished author, and just one story of many like his.
This past weekend I had the privilege of being a part of our Holiday Baskets Program. I saw a woman, thin and pale, with tears in her eyes picking out a new coat with her host/personal shopper, another woman. I saw one woman reach out to the other with a side hug and a smile.
We at CRC value compassion, empathy and dignity of choice and our volunteers embody that well.
Each of you, in your part of the CRC volunteer world (and there are many parts!) all contribute to the work we do, the hope we give, the dignity we help unearth in those who need it.
Thank you for giving of yourselves year round. We are grateful.
From my family to yours, I would like to extend a very Happy Holiday Season to you!
Warmly,
Sara Rosenbaum
Volunteer Manager
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Holiday Baskets is a wrap!
Thank you to our generous volunteers who gave of their time to this incredible program! We had troops, and teams, and company co-workers, individuals, families, Rotaries, churches, schools, service organizations and more. Not only did we fill nearly 2,700 volunteer spots to ensure the smooth operations at the Fairgrounds, but we had hundreds of partners holding drives, raising funds, and spreading the word on behalf of Holiday Baskets. One volunteer wrote to me saying:
“Congratulations on a wonderful event! It was apparent in the joy on the children’s’ faces, and the relief in the parent’s, that this made Christmas more special for so many deserving folks! Thank you for your heart of giving, and to the entire CRC team, a big thank you for allowing us to participate!"
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Thank you to our Holiday Baskets Captains
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Holiday Baskets takes a village. To make it work, we have captains who head up the various departments and take “ownership” of them. Captains work year-round, collecting donations, attending meetings, and preparing. They often donate hundreds of hours of their time to CRC and just finished a very long weekend, providing direction to the hundreds of volunteers who came out to the Fairgrounds to help. THANK YOU!
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2019 Holiday Baskets Captains
Allison Beach, Gaby Beas, Lily Blackman, Mary Courtney, Georgia Crespy, Sue Dowd, Sonia Dumas, Amara Dumas, Jim Elliott, Anne Fujioka, Susan Gillman, Doug Gillman, Jack Grenda, Anastasia Grenda, Linda Hayes, Kelly Herrington, Karen Inouye, Colleen Kendall, Karen Koblentz, Renee Kuenning Bass, Gianna Kuenning, Mia Kuenning, Kathy Ling, Jennifer Mcdowell, Gwen Meitchik, Katie Meitchik, Pat Moore, Kevin Norell, Anne Paulsen, Elsie Paulsen, Lisa Perrecone, Mark Peterson, Izzy Ratto, Susan Reynolds, Rachel Robertson, Kamryn Romely, Jody Sather, Sheri Seipel-Burtt, Heidi Shobe, Diane Silberman, Oralynn Snavely, Kathy Stenger, Mike and Janet Taetzsch, Elizabeth Williams, Sarah Williams, Cheryl Wolf, Norma Yuskos, Bridget Zemar, Aleah and Ava Zemar
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Thank you to our Jingle & Mingle Volunteers
Thank you to our Jingle & Mingle volunteers, whose support helped raise over $62,000 during this fundraiser and preview of Holiday Baskets on December 10th! Special thanks to Adriana Bade, who obtained raffle items for the event and led a great team of volunteers. A big thank you to local DJ Jaden Darchon for providing music and sound for the evening.
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December Volunteer Group of the Month
December is a tough month to choose just one person or one group…we have so many amazing volunteers who come out this time of year! While we are immensely grateful to ALL our volunteers, we’d like to shine a little spotlight on one group in particular:
Gaby’s Kids
If you attended Holiday Baskets Distribution weekend, you saw Gaby’s kids. Gabriela Beas works with hundreds of local migrant students and provides them opportunities for leadership development and community service. CRC feels lucky to partner with her and her young leaders. Hundreds of students participate throughout the Holiday Baskets Distribution weekend, some putting in 8 hour days, hosting (being “personal shoppers” for) the families and individuals who come out to shop. The students work hard, keep a great attitude and provide the bi-lingual support that many of our families need. Congratulations to Gaby and her team! (nominated by Sara Rosenbaum, CRC Volunteer Manager)
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Thank you to our Food Pantry Volunteers!
Special thanks to our Food Pantry regular volunteers and subs who keep the doors open and keep things running smoothly during this busy holiday season. We couldn't do it without you!
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Our Carlsbad Store is Moving!
Our Carlsbad Resale Store will be moving to a new location, but don't worry, it's not going far! It will be located in the same shopping center. Please stop by to shop our super-sale going on now. Special thanks to those who volunteered to be part of our move-out team! We are all set on volunteers and if you signed up, we will send you information next week.
The store will be closed December 24 for the move and reopen on January 3.
1055 Carlsbad Village Drive
Hours: Tue & Sat: 10:00 AM – 6 PM;
Sun/Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri: 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
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Please note that Community Resource Center will be closed on December 24, 25, 31 and 31 and January 1. Happy Holidays!
If you have a story you'd like to share about your experience volunteering at CRC, please share it with me at
srosenbaum@crcncc.org
. I can include those stories in future newsletters as an encouragement to our team.
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