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JULY 2025

• July 3: Kids Zone Area at El Dorado Hills Town Center Fireworks & Freedom Concert
• July 18: "Stuff the Bus" event
• July 23-25: High School Leadership Camp (for elected leaders)
• July 30-Aug 1: Middle School Leadership Camp (for elected leaders)
• September 13: Endless Summer Beach Party

• July 3: Kids Zone
• July 12: GVCC Common Ground Breakfast & Essentials Distribution
• July 14: Twin Lakes Food Bank Food Distribution
• July 16: Mercy Creekview Manor Senior Dinner & Entertainment
• July 25: Sister Nora's Place Dinner
• July 26: GVCC Common Ground Breakfast & Essentials Distribution
• July 26: Upper Room Dining Hall Dinner
• August 5: Save the date for School Supply Distribution

Ongoing:

• Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays: MAPS Peer Mentoring

Donations and Drop-Off Dates:

• July 15: Mercy Creekview dinner/dessert donations due
• July 24: Gift Cards to be used for Sister Nora's Dinner prep due

New opportunities may be added throughout the month, so be sure to check the calendar often!

The Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference Youth Board is the youth advisory board for Hands4Hope. They ensure youth voice leads the way when making decisions related to new volunteer and community engagement opportunities, work collaboratively to lead Youth Board meetings and events, plan and facilitate leadership camps and retreats, and represent Hands4Hope in the community through public speaking engagements.

We are delighted to announce the 2025-26 Youth Board Executive Committee:

Lily Hinkle - President

Jillian Mao - Vice President

Adi Laufer - Treasurer

Carissa Pham - Secretary 

Tania Thomas - Community Engagement Ambassador

We invite you to get to know these dedicated leaders, their strengths, and their visions for the year.

The 12th Annual Hands4Hope School Supply Drive is in full swing! Your support can help 700 students in need receive the school supplies they need to start off the new school year in a prepared and healthy way.

With more than 20 drop-off locations at businesses and organizations throughout the region, we hope there will be one near you. You can also shop our Amazon list to have needed items delivered directly to Hands4Hope, or make a direct financial donation to sponsor a student.

Donations are being collected through July 17, and will culminate in the "Stuff the Bus" event on Friday, July 18 at the El Dorado Hills Town Center Target West Parking Lot from 9 am to 2 pm.

Volunteer sign-ups are available now for Stuff the Bus. Be on the lookout for more info in the coming weeks about more volunteer opportunities to help with sorting and supply distribution events.

The weather couldn't be looking any better for the beloved Kids Zone event this Thursday, July 3 at the El Dorado Hills Town Center Fireworks & Freedom Concert. The youth-led Hands4Hope Kids Zone Committee has been hard at work for months planning and coordinating this fundraiser, and it's sure to be a blast for all!

We could use some more youth (high school; middle school with adult) and adult volunteers. Volunteering is easy and fun—we provide a t-shirt, there's no registration fee for this event (so it's easy to invite a friend!), you get the best viewing spot for fireworks at the end, and we even provide pizza!

Purchase online presale wristbands for $5 off through July 2 at noon.

Hands4Hope's newest staff member, Kate Barba, has hit the ground running in her role as Special Events Program Coordinator. She brings a multitude of talents to Hands4Hope, and will be the staff mentor for youth-led committees including Kids Zone, School Supply Drive, Winter Boutique, and Empty Bowls. We are so excited to have her as part of the team! Read on to get to know Kate... and where you might have seen her (hint: on stage!) around the community before!

Ryan Christopher Hersh was an active member of Hands4Hope who passed away at age 18, and a fund was established in his name to provide scholarships for youth in our community who may not be able to attend a summer camp without financial assistance. This scholarship fund is run by the youth-led Hands4Hope RCH Scholarship Committee, which has been meeting since February to work on this year's scholarship program. Read their wrap-up demonstration project to see their impactful scholarships this year and learn more.

Thank you to all who joined in celebrating the achievements of Hands4Hope youth participants at the 14th Annual Youth Recognition Event last week! Hosted at the beautiful Placerville Gathering Place with decorations by Foothill Events, the event allowed time to reflect and celebrate the experiences and contributions that youth participants made during the 2024-25 program year. Check out our summary and photos, along with some impressive stats!

Hands4Hope is so grateful for the generous support of Patra Corp through Patra Proud! Not only has Patra supported the work of Hands4Hope through financial sponsorship, Patra has generously provided their facility for the 2025 High School and Middle School Mid Year Leadership Retreats, and will be hosting the 2025 Middle School Leadership Camp later this month. Youth participants who attended camp at their facility in 2024 raved about the professionalism and tools that the atmosphere provided to benefit their learning and team-building experiences. Patra's sponsorship has truly made a difference.

Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference

is a youth-driven non-profit charitable 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to inspire and empower youth in leadership and service. 

Our vision is to develop a community of civic-minded and socially responsible citizens for generations to come.

THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY!