WHAT WE CALIFORNIANS CAN DO As published in the Sanfrancisco Chronicle September 10, 2007
WE serve As Honorary Chair of CaliforniaVolunteers, together our goal is to make service fun, rewarding and accessible. No matter where you live in the state, you can search online for volunteer opportunities in your community that match your interests. My family believes we are never too young or old to serve. Today, there are nearly 30,000 volunteer opportunities available for people who want to serve but don't know how ... and now they do. WE prepare Through CaliforniaVolunteers' California Citizen Corps, we are helping communities prepare and respond to emergencies and disasters. There are many programs that you can be involved in from Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) to the Medical Reserve Corps, Volunteers in Police Service and Fire Corps - all are working to prepare California.
WE educate, play, garden We have established Cesar E. Chavez after-school service clubs for children in Title I middle schools to teach them about the life and values of Chavez and make volunteering a part of their life. In celebration of the Chavez holiday, this year we built community playspaces for more than 100,000 children. Our 2,500 volunteers constructed playgrounds in 10 different communities and gardens were planted, giving children the opportunity to serve and get their hands dirty from their own hard work.
WE invest, empower, care With three of the poorest cities in our nation located in California, we need to invest in our working families and empower them. I am thrilled to be working with CaliforniaVolunteers, nonprofit legal aid services and great statewide leaders to connect working families with the federal Earned Income Tax Credit whereby millions in dollars goes unclaimed by Californians each year. A great idea in the Time article is the expansion of the Civilian Conservation Corps into a "Green Corps," which could tackle projects and combat climate change. This could act as the seed for a vast expansion of our "green collar" workforce. I also agree with the need for a Cabinet level position in FEDERAL government to focus on service. It is important for ideals that encompass service, such as compassion and caring, are woven in roles of leadership. WE need to inspire our children to think about careers in service. Many people say they didn't know about the Peace Corps, VISTA, and AmeriCorps programs such as City Year and Teach for America. Talk to your kids about these opportunities and about the power of service. Remember life IS MORE than a job with a big pay check - let's strive for a profession that fuels the soul. Look at Dustin Ryen from Sacramento. Ryen was looking forward to a week with his friends at a beach house in Monterey. But his youth adviser was adamant he join a weeklong trip to Mexico to build houses for needy families. His youth adviser persevered and Ryen, along with 12 others, traveled to Mexico. After the group presented a house to a family, the mother pulled every penny to prepare the best meal for her benefactors. Her tears of joy struck a deep chord with Ryen and he has made service a central component of his life including working with foster youth and volunteering at local nonprofits. I hope you will join me, and people like Ryen, in believing that we can be a state powered by WE. The next time you start to think about yourself, think about ways WE can serve together. The truth is this: WE Californians are 38 million strong. WE can be the difference in our communities. WE are the ones we have been waiting for.