Wanted: Meeting Room

As you may or may not know, January 7th, 2010 is going to be an eventful day here at Volunteer San Diego. Or should I say, "there" at Volunteer San Diego. After so many years in the same building, we are packing up and moving to a new office down the street. The good news is that our new office is slightly larger than our current one. The problem: It doesn't have access to a meeting space for our occasional evening trainings and meetings. We know there is a solution to this out there, that someone reading this blog has the perfect answer to this little puzzle. You might even have a a board room or other meeting space that you would love to donate. It would have to hold between 25-40 people, and be available outside of the traditional "9-5" timeframe a handful of times in 2010. Not only would you be the superhero of the new office, but your space donation will be tax deductible.
If you can help us with our space problem, know someone else who might be able to help, or have ideas on where we could turn, please email reaster@volunteersandiego.org.
Thanks in advance, and be on the lookout for our new contact information in early January!

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Flex Project Highlight: Therapeutic Horseback Riding

Saturday, November 28, was a stormy day across the county. Many Team Leaders had to cancel their outdoor projects due to the weather. However, Velinda Primus and her small group of volunteers persevered at the Therapeutic Horseback Riding project with the Therapeutic Equestrian Activity Center for the Handicapped (TEACH) in Lakeside, showing that rain or shine, VSD Flex Volunteers get the job done!

Here is Velinda's story:

"Although lessons were canceled, we worked in the rain and hail cleaning stalls and digging small trenches to aid with water run-off so the horse stalls would not grow into small ponds. The volunteers went beyond expectations in doing this hard, muddy work with joy. I feel all TEACH students (24) benefited from the work that was done even though we did not work with them directly. Maintaining the health of the horses by the maintenance of the stalls keeps the program running efficiently to serve the students.

The volunteers expressed interest in returning to help during a normal lesson day to enjoy working with the horses and children on a nice sunny day. "

Therapeutic Horseback Riding is one of our many flex projects. We encourage you to sign up for this or any of the flex projects on our calendar. Flexible volunteer projects are posted at the beginning of each month, one month ahead of time. We have just finished posting January's projects. Make an early New Year's resolution and sign up to volunteer!

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VSD welcomes new AmeriCorps Members

We have the pleasure of welcoming our two newest AmeriCorps VISTA members. Both have already hit the ground running here at VSD and we are so excited to have them!

Jen Buckley, AmeriCorps VISTA
Service Events Coordinator
I am the new AmeriCorps VISTA Service Events Coordinator and I am very excited to be working with such a great organization. I am originally from Richmond, VA where I lived for the past 6 years. I received my degree in Psychology (minor in Sociology) from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2008. I was a literacy coach for AmeriCorps State and National program. During this term, I put on a community service project for a lower income neighborhood in Richmond and realized how much I enjoyed setting up events so I thought that I would try out event coordination in my next job to see if this was the career path that I wanted to take. I was ready for work in the Nonprofit sector and I am delighted to have the opportunity here in sunny San Diego.

I love to build bicycles and go hiking/camping with any free time I have. I am brand new to this city so I am always looking for opportunities to join outdoor clubs or find new places to explore.


Rich Easter, AmeriCorps VISTA
Development Coordinator
I am excited to be returning to San Diego in order to help nurture and sustain a culture of volunteerism throughout “America’s Finest City.” Prior to joining the VSD team, I was a Senior Program Specialist for Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. in Washington, D.C. where I managed volunteer-run children’s literacy programs throughout the country. What really drew me to VSD was the importance of its mission and its commitment to making volunteer opportunities meaningful. Outside of the office, I am always in the kitchen coming up with new recipes or at a local venue checking out live music. I received my Bachelor’s Degree from the University of San Diego in Political Science, and look forward to serving a community that has enriched me in so many ways.

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