Volunteer Programs

irvinehomeowner

irvinehomeowner

Well-known member
I recall on the IHB or even the TalkIrvine 1.0 there was a thread about volunteers putting together food packages over in Tustin.

Does the program still exist?
 
irvinehomeowner said:
I recall on the IHB or even the TalkIrvine 1.0 there was a thread about volunteers putting together food packages over in Tustin.

Does the program still exist?
Click to expand...

I don't know about that particular program, however, here is a really handy list for all the ways a person can get involved locally:

Orange County Volunteer Opportunities

There are so many cool things on there like helping at the zoo or John Wayne airport.

I started #2 & #the last one on the list this summer. I am currently helping an Asian immigrant learn to read, write, and speak English. It is very rewarding. You have never met a more grateful, appreciative person. She is always saying, "I'm so lucky", "You're the best tutor ever", "I'm so thankful". As I tell her, it is me who is the lucky one to have met her and have such a motivated learner. Our first session was full of happy-tears for her! She wants to learn English so much, especially to help her special needs son, who is only supposed to be spoken to in English. He doesn't understand her & she doesn't understand him. Imagine not being able to communicate with your own child. Even I cried when she told me about this. It is just heart-breaking!

Anyone who is reading this... I want you to know there is a LONG waiting list of people who really want your help. 1.5-2 years! If we spent half as much time helping them as we did surfing TI, it would go such a long way.  :)

At the risk of sounding like a weepy Sarah McLachlan / animal commercial which ruins your entire day :D I'll end on a positive note. It is a great way to meet people. Some real, genuine friendships develop out of these programs. Some tutors have been invited to their learner's weddings, seen them achieve great things with their English skills, and have become life-long friends.
 
SoCal78 said:
irvinehomeowner said:
I recall on the IHB or even the TalkIrvine 1.0 there was a thread about volunteers putting together food packages over in Tustin.

Does the program still exist?
Click to expand...

I don't know about that particular program, however, here is a really handy list for all the ways a person can get involved locally:

Orange County Volunteer Opportunities

There are so many cool things on there like helping at the zoo or John Wayne airport.

I started #2 & #the last one on the list this summer. I am currently helping an Asian immigrant learn to read, write, and speak English. It is very rewarding. You have never met a more grateful, appreciative person. She is always saying, "I'm so lucky", "You're the best tutor ever", "I'm so thankful". As I tell her, it is me who is the lucky one to have met her and have such a motivated learner. Our first session was full of happy-tears for her! She wants to learn English so much, especially to help her special needs son, who is only supposed to be spoken to in English. He doesn't understand her & she doesn't understand him. Imagine not being able to communicate with your own child. Even I cried when she told me about this. It is just heart-breaking!

Anyone who is reading this... I want you to know there is a LONG waiting list of people who really want your help. 1.5-2 years! If we spent half as much time helping them as we did surfing TI, it would go such a long way.  :)

At the risk of sounding like a weepy, Sarah McLachlan / animal commercial which ruins your entire day :D I'll end on a positive note. It is a great way to meet people. Some real, genuine friendships develop out of these programs. Some tutors have been invited to their learner's weddings, seen them achieve great things with their English skills, and have become life-long friends.
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Wow, that sounds so awesome.  I'm so fortunate that I was able to pick up speaking english so quickly after having arrived here from Poland.  I wish I had the time to do something like that...is there any way to provide a financial contribution to any of those worthwhile organizations?
 
USCTrojanCPA said:
Wow, that sounds so awesome.  I'm so fortunate that I was able to pick up speaking english so quickly after having arrived here from Poland.  I wish I had the time to do something like that...is there any way to provide a financial contribution to any of those worthwhile organizations?
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It is very generous of you to think of making a contribution, Trojan. The county literacy program itself is called "Read/OC". There is a non-profit group called "Friends of Read/OC" which supports Read/OC. You can become a "Friends of Read/OC member" by making a donation to them. Their website provides this link through "Network for Good" for those wishing to make a donation.

As far as time concern -- the time and places are mutually-agreeable between tutor and learner. You can meet at any public place. Literacy rooms are available at many of the libraries throughout the county, including the Katie Wheeler Library in Irvine.  :) You would be matched with a learner near you. The program asks for a minimum commitment of 1 day per week for 1 hour. Tutors and learners typically meet 1-2x/week for 1-2 hours per session. They ask for a minimum of 50 hours volunteer time which includes lesson-planning, drive time, tutoring, and any other way a volunteer could help the program such as office assistance, conducting assessments of new learners, the list goes on. It does not include the training workshops.

As far as donating to the others, I'm sure it's possible. There should be info contained within the respective links. Hope this helps.
 
IHO, do you mind if I hijack your thread once again. Pretty please?

If anybody is thinking about helping tutor English learners, I have a couple letters I would like to show you that are written by learners. I hope this can express what it means to them to have help learning English. If I can put into words how much it means to them, somebody reading may be interested in helping.

I will share the first one today and the second one another day.

This letter was written to me. I received it last night after a tutoring session. I am very glad I waited until I got home to read it! I had a hard time containing myself!  :'( Confidentiality is extremely important in this program. I will change names and details to protect the person's identity. I will type it exactly as written, not correcting for grammar.

Background: Chinese immigrant mom with two kids. The older son is Paul. The younger son is David. David has special needs.

"                                                                  August 13, 2012

Dear [SoCal],

How are you? I'm thinking about you! I have a lot of stories I need to tell you.

On the first day when you called me, I was very afraid. Every time my cell phone rang, I always said, "Could you call back, please!" (Because I don't understand English very well, I am scare!) But, at that time, Paul was behind me, he helped me answer. He yell in Chinese: "[Chinese translation...]" = "Somebody will be tutoring you at the Library!" I've been waiting for that a long time (one year and eight months.)

I was glad but worried!

And then days after, Paul and I guessed:
- How do you look?
- May be we Saw you Somewhere?
- Are you the Mother of one of Paul's friends?

Finally, there's only onething right. You are so nice, so beautiful, so kind... and you are the best teacher!

I'm so lucky!

This summer, I have no time for myself. David is learning to swim at [Name of Swim School]. Paul's learning guitar and Tae Kwon Do.

My husband spends a lot of time at work even weekend.

Sometimes, we go to the Disneyland, or Sea World or Grandpa's house.

[I said I was going to Hollywood]. We don't know how's Hollywood. We never have been there.

Uh...oh... what happened? My special boy put playdol in sink and put his socks in toilet. I asked him: "What are you doing?" David said, "Wash!" I'm always watching David. You cann't imagine what him does.

Anyway, I'm so happy right now because David can go to the puplic restroom. Before he's scare with noisy. That's better.

How are your children? They are Angels!

See you latter.

Best wishes,

[Learner's Name]"


~~ I really admire these adults who are willing to spend time learning a new language. They have adult responsibilities such as work and family just like anybody else. It is not easy finding the time and energy to work on learning English but they do it! She cares so much about helping David. That is her primary reason for enrolling in the program. It is very touching. As you can see, the learners are very appreciative of the help they receive. Last night's session ended in happy-tears for her AGAIN!  :)
 
If anybody has questions about the English tutoring program, feel free to post your question here or P.M. me. If you are a person who wants to improve your English or know somebody who does, send me a message and I will help you.

Does anyone want to see the next letter? It was written by an English learner a few years ago. It is very touching. She explains how her life has changed.
 
Hey Cam... nice to see you on TI. :)

I saw that thread by nilam but I think Shooby started another one for Tustin in that Village of Hope area in Tustin Legacy... I just can't find it.
 
My volunteer program has become depressing.
On that note - who wants to join me?!?

Kidding.

Seriously, though. It is depressing. It starts out where you're told what the time commitment is. That was 1-2x/week for 1-2 hours/day. Little did I realize I would be so pressured into giving more. Not by the program itself but by the person I'm helping. She is asking for 3-5 days a week or more and for 2 hours per day. Also, asked if I could help her for "1,000 hours". I told her the commitment is for 50 hours. Her reply?: "What's the maximum?!"  :-\ I can't use too many Googleable words here. I'm trying to think of how to say it. I just don't know what to do. I've explained myself several times that I wish I could help more but unfortunately, my time is limited. This person won't take, "No" for an answer. It's hard for me. Really hard. I have trouble saying no to people in the first place. I have been "helping" (can't use the real word) her more than I initially agreed to but it's got to wind down if I want to have a life outside "helping".

[Deleted by SoCal]

How do you let someone down who views you as their last and only hope?! I don't see a way without making us both feel terrible. On the other hand, I do not want to become resentful of the situation. She's a wonderful person who deserves to have a happy-go-lucky person helping her.
 
Hey SoCal. I've done alot of volunteer programs in the past so I know sometimes you can get someone you're helping that asks for more than you can give. It's tough because you start feeling guilty but at the same time resentful because you want to help more but you can't save the world right?

Do you have a program coordinator at the volunteer place where you can talk to them about this? I am sure this topic has come up many times already so they probably already had experience with it, they probably have several options they can give you.

Anyway let us know how it goes, it's a tough situation, but think about how much you have helped that person already.
 
Yeah, I spoke with the director when she asked me to take on yet another case.  :-\ I explained the case I currently have wants all the help I can give and then some. She was very straight-forward, no nonsense, saying the people receiving help know from the get-go what to expect and just to stick with the minimum. She told me to remind her of that.

It's easy for her to say. She's not the one sitting with this lady who is sobbing every time we meet.  :-\ She's in a bad spot in her personal life with no support system. I am "her only friend".  ??? She sees this / me as her way out to save herself and her kids.

I do way more than the bare minimum we agree to do but I know she wants more than I can do and even beyond what I'm trained to do. So, I am helping her find additional resources. So far so good.
 
I was going to volunteer in the jails.

I decided not to.

I attended the orientation at the jail, conducted by the deputy.

It was scary y'all. Worse than you'd imagine.

The jail is not like "jail" anymore. Since California ran out of room in its prisons, it has sent 30,000 inmates back to their local jails. This means instead of the average Misdemeanor Mike staying for 72 days on average, you're seeing serial killers like the infamous Charles Ng coming through.

It's their mission to groom the people helping them so they can A) steal our identity, B) attack us and C) manipulate us into doing their evil deeds.

If I did something like accidentally leave my pen on the table, I could be facing years in jail myself. They would take the pen. Make a shank out of it. Stab the guard in the head and say, "SoCal wanted me to do it. She gave me the pen." They would look at fingerprints and videos, which would confirm I did it. The officer said he would kick my door in at midnight, dragging me out of bed in handcuffs.

There are already several deputies in jail for offenses related to being suckered in by inmates.

There were also so many restrictions in place, that I doubt the quality of help offered. Kind of makes it hard to do my job. That's an understatement, really.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Yeah... not so sure that jail thing was a safe gig for you.
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Yeah, you were right, Iho.

Charles Ng is a perfect example. He couldn't get a "fair" trial in northern CA, so he was moved down to Men's Central Jail. He is a small Asian man of short stature and petite frame. The deputy said he was the most well-mannered, respectful inmate. He was such a nice guy. The deputy wondered what he could be in for. He didn't seem menacing.

Charles Ng's M.O. was to kidnap a woman, then her boyfriend / husband. He would mutilate her in front of the man, making him watch. Then he would kill them both. He did this repeatedly.

He came from China. I'm sure he'd like help with his English skills.

Do I want to help a man who hurt a woman like me? So he can use his newfound skills for despicable things? No. He's in prison on Death Row now and will never see the light of day. The jail is full of "Ng"s. Just as we don't get caught every time we speed on the road, they don't get caught every time they commit a crime.

 
Even the help can be dangerous.

They said if a problem occurred, they would send in a group of 50-70 armed men, each weighing over 200 lbs. storming the jail to protect us.

That comes with dangers of its own. If you are in their path, they will throw you to the ground either by choice (mistaking you for an inmate who is wearing the clothes they were booked in with) or by accident, trampling us, as they've done to others.

I was also surprised the inmates have free reign to roam around, depending on their bracelet color which indicates security threat. They warned us to always watch our back and not allow someone to come up behind us. Nice!
 
ALSO...

hehe. I'm still talking about this.

I did kind of feel bad for not wanting to do it once I didn't have much faith in the value of the program (on the inside, not the outside). Even if there was the potential for danger, I was hoping better English skills could allow an inmate to participate in church services, which is offered by a different volunteer group. I knew if that if I was put in an inmate's life for that reason, God would provide for my safety and would give that inmate a gentle spirit. So, I wasn't as concerned about safety as I was the restrictions put in place. It's not exactly a conducive learning environment.

HOWEVER, I was really surprised to learn the church group has translators! I met the group and spoke with them. That was great. The opportunity is still there for those inmates.



 
bones said:
Haha.  So you could go to jail for leaving behind a pen? Sorry, but that sounds ridiculous.  It also sounds like they're trying to scare housewives into NOT volunteering at a jail.
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The group of volunteers attending the orientation was composed of a wide variety of people - attorneys, counselors, students, retired people, missionaries, etc. Anybody who wants to visit the jail for the purpose of working with an inmate.

Yes, a pen is dangerous. Sunglasses. (Plastic is melted down to make a shank.) A full length pencil. Even more than one sheet of paper. A watch if we take it off to keep time. Paper is a commodity inside the joint. So is a watch. Trading commodities is prohibited. Any help I accidentally provide, I am held fully accountable for as it is an actual crime in and of itself.

It may not have been as dangerous when jails were run like jails. Now that jails are run like prisons, it's a different story. Understandably, the security needs change on a daily basis.

The only thing I could bring is 1 mini golf pencil and 1 sheet of paper. Possibly a soft cover book (no hard covers - again, weapon material.)

 
Wow this whole pen volunteer stuff is fascinating. I will stick to watching Lockup on CNBC lol. The whole prison system in our country is broken. If you look at the history it's really a post Civil War model so could use some reform. I don't claim to have the answers but it at least needs a major reform since it does form a basic fabric of our society.

It does crack me up though when people start complaining about how "cushy" prison guards have it with their pay and job benefits. I'd like to see any of us do it for a day without running away.

I got respect SoCal for you at least looking at it, you are braver than most.

Anyway, other places people can look for ideas are volunteermatch.org, and if you want to do it online, the UN has a great online program, along with Sparked.com, which is very time efficient. I personally spend my whole day at work behind a computer so don't have the initiative to do it at night or the weekends. I'm in selfish mode right now so I am not volunteering so just give money through stuff like Kiva.
 
It was pretty fascinating.

Guards are subject to manipulation which can lead to jail time, just as us volunteers are. Here is one story they told us which I found interesting:

A guard began working as a new hire at the jail. He came across an inmate he grew up with back in the day. The two had been friends but lost touch over the years.

The inmate began asking him for one small wish - a hamburger. The inmate said, "I'm facing 7 years in prison. All I want is a hamburger before I leave. Can you please bring me one?" The guard said, "No way. It's against the rules." The inmate asked every day for nearly six months. Just one small favor from an old friend.

One day the guard was out on his lunch break. He happened to be eating a burger. He thought of the inmate, and decided what the heck. He picked up a burger, returned to the jail, and gave it to him.

The next day, the inmate said, "My girlfriend is waiting in the lobby. She's got a little bit of dope on her. Bring it to me. I want to get a fix one last time before I head to prison." The guard said, "Absolutely not." The inmate said, "If you don't do it, I'll tell your supervisor about the burger. You'll lose your job."

The guard was intimidated at the thought of his supervisor finding out plus his "old buddy" turned out to be a snake. He went and got the dope.

Now the inmate says, "I want you to go to the corner of X St. and X Ave. and do a drug deal for me. Don't worry, we'll take care of you. There's some money in it for you. If you don't do it, I'll rat on you about bringing me the dope."

The guard did it.

He now has a 5-year stay at the jail he once worked in.

------ The inmates have also asked their tutors, "Hey, my mom wants to give me a letter but can't afford postage. She's in the lobby. Can you just bring me the letter?" The letter will have drugs cooked down and turned into an adhesive on the seal or it'll be a letter written in code.

 
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