SPOTLIGHT: Karen Blanchard
By Sue Murray, Volunteer Spotlight Writer

Every month, I am constantly amazed when I hear about the wonderful work that Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) volunteers do to support their community. From helping out at the front desk to delivering meals or running errands, the support is much-needed. BCHD volunteer Karen Blanchard is a perfect example of this and is so passionate about her service to our community. 

Karen is a native of the South Bay. When she retired from 30+ years in the corporate world, she wasn’t ready to sit back and relax, she was however ready to be of service and give back to the Beach Cities community she loves so much.
Karen started volunteering with BCHD by jumping in head-first! 

She started out as a lobby greeter at the main campus. She was happy to use her initiative and helpful personality to give visitors directions and information to make their day as easy as possible. 

However, those busy volunteer shifts weren’t enough for Karen! She soon took the opportunity to also help out in the administrative offices at Del Amo as a Purpose Connector. Karen worked on recruiting new volunteers and matching their talents to the areas where support was needed.

Featured Volunteer Opportunities

Do You Knit or Crochet? Make a Blanket for a Veteran
As part of a long-running legacy program at Beach Cities Health District, volunteers make blankets for individuals who could use some warmth and care. You are invited to make a blanket of approximately 36”x48” in honor of National Day of Service and Remembrance as Americans across the nation are united in service to their communities to honor the victims and heroes while marking the 20th anniversary of 9/11. We imagined this blanket drive for 9/11 but have pushed the deadline to Veteran’s Day in November. Please fill out our signup form here to sign up to make a blanket.

Errand Volunteer: Support Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities
Errand Volunteers are matched with one of our Community Services Care Management clients and do weekly shopping for basic needs like groceries and prescriptions. Could this be right for you? Take a look at a brief overview of the role here. Weekly commitment of 1-1.5 hours on a regular basis.

Center for Health & Fitness Front Desk Volunteer
CHF is looking for volunteer support with screening members at its check-in table downstairs, ensuring members have read and signed the new COVID-19 Code of Conduct, reviewing verbal screening questions with members, taking and recording temperatures on a log sheet, assisting with cleaning equipment between reservations, and greeting members and directing them for proper gym entry and exit. Weekly commitment of 3 hours a week on a regular basis.

Center for Health & Fitness Outdoor Exercise Assistance
Center for Health & Fitness is looking for additional support with their outdoor exercise classes by assisting instructors with setting up equipment, checking in and screening class participants, and assisting with clean-up. There are various shifts available throughout the rest of the year. Click here for more details and to sign up for a shift.

Administrative Office Front Desk Volunteer
Our admin department is looking for volunteers to help with telephone coverage, front desk screening of staff and visitors, periodic disinfection of shared spaces, mail and package distribution, badge making, supplies inventory, assembling marketing packets, assisting with Help Desk Ticket tasks and projects. Weekly 4-hour shift commitment on a regular basis is required.


If any of these roles sound like a fit for you, please fill out our Volunteer Application at www.bchd.org/volunteer if you have not already done so, or email us at volunteers@bchd.org if you are or have been a BCHD volunteer in the past.
BeachLife Festival
September 10-12, 29 volunteers came together and dedicated 145.5 hours to staffing BCHD’s booth at the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach. They assisted by inviting concertgoers to write kindness messages for our kindness board, distributing hand sanitizer and encouraging event attendees to spin our wheel for prizes. They also provided information about our programs and services along with collecting Healthy Living Campus comment cards. Thank you so much for those who supported our booth at the BeachLife Festival! 
Volunteer Efforts for FY20-21 by the Numbers

June 30th 2020 marked the end of the BCHD fiscal year and we reviewed this past year by the numbers. During this time period, active volunteer roles and responsibilities continued to be impacted by COVID-19. The below hourly statistics do include new and temporary roles created to meet community support needs, but do not include any volunteer programs which remained “on hold” during the fiscal year due to COVID-19 restrictions. These numbers include volunteer opportunities such as testing site and COVID-19 vaccine clinics, groceries and prescriptions picked up, well-being calls made by volunteers, COVID-19 results calls, front desk staff, intern projects completed and more.

  • Between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, 942 volunteers contributed 20,772 hours of service
  • 56% of volunteers provided direct service to the community, and 44% provided support (such as administrative, interns and committees)
  • To specifically meet community need for support due to COVID-19, five new volunteer roles were created and managed on a temporary basis 
  •  COVID-19 opportunities accounted for the greatest number of volunteer hours (7,873) followed by Community Services, which also included COVID-19 support to older adults and adults with disabilities (21%) and then by support functions (20%)
  • The greatest number of individuals volunteered with COVID-19 opportunities (30%), Community Services (24%) and Youth Services (26%) 
  • 15 interns from six different schools gave 3,062 hours of their time
  • This year’s volunteer service represents the full-time equivalent (FTE) of 10 employees 

2021 Volunteer Hours

While volunteer support has changed due to COVID-19, we are so grateful for the commitment of our community. Below shows volunteer hours in 2021. The numbers below indicate groceries shopped for, prescriptions picked up, calls made, Center for Health & Fitness front desk volunteers, Free Fitness event volunteers, committees met, administrative support, intern projects, gardens kept, and more.


January: 1,314
February: 1,551
March: 3,402
April: 3,173
May: 2,566
June: 1,391
July: 1,580
August: 1,648
Total: 16,625
Volunteer Anniversaries

Although many of you still are not back to actively volunteering in your usual roles right now, we are endlessly grateful for your commitment. The many collective years of efforts toward a healthy beach community from our volunteers is truly incredible. Special shoutout to Mary Burschinger and Donna Chiodo-Guthrie for hitting the 5-year mark! We are so glad for everyone’s support, time, and dedication. 
September

Karen Brandhorst, 9
Lindley Montoya, 8
Terri (Mary) Burshinger, 5
Donna Chiodo - Guthrie, 5
Christopher Conaway, 4
Christina Dier, 4
Ellen Gilman, 4
Jo Labor, 4
Barbara Skas, 4
Teri Neustaedter, 3
Janet Christy, 2
John McCarthy, 2
Jessica Taylor Vara, 2
Diane Yu, 2
Paula Dobin, 1
Alan Janson, 1
Jackie Jedynak, 1

*Official years of service in BCHD system.
Volunteer Opinion Survey Prize Winners!

As thanks to our volunteers for participating in our annual opinion survey, we offered a prize drawing, and we are pleased to announce this year’s winners!

  • Insulated Volunteer Water Bottle: Colleen Otash, Power 9 Committee & Volunteer Advisory Council Member
  • Insulated Volunteer Water Bottle: Sunni Won, Admin Front Desk Volunteer & Community Health Committee Member 
  • $50 Green Belt Gift Card: Andrea Hughes, CAPS Volunteer
  • $50 M & Love Gift Card: Keith Montoya, Errand Volunteer
  • $50 Maderos Cocina Gift Card: Marilyn Rafkin, CHF Front Desk Volunteer 

Volunteer Services will contact winners to redeem their prize and STAY TUNED! Survey results will be published in an upcoming newsletter.
Just for Fun Puzzle Time!
Enjoy some down time solving this super fun Word Search by finding all of the words hidden in the puzzle. The words may be placed diagonally, horizontally, vertically, or backwards. 
August Answer Key
Virtual Mindfulness Drop-In
Take 30 minutes to downshift and practice mindfulness techniques. The guided session will be led by a trained Beach Cities Health District instructor, Carrie Kerster.
Wednesday, October 6
4 – 4:30 p.m.
City of Manhattan Beach Flu Vaccine Clinic

Flu vaccines are free and for ages 6 months and up. Standard dose only (no high dose or nasal dose available). Masks required while inside the building. Wearing short sleeve shirts or shirts with sleeves that can roll up is recommended. There may be some waiting outside. Please dress accordingly for the weather.

Wednesday, October 20
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Joslyn Community Center,
1601 N. Valley Drive, Manhattan Beach
No appointments needed, walk-up only
Virtual Mental Health & Happiness Series
Learn how to boost your well-being through evidence-based practices to build resilience, feel more connected and be happier. The series focuses on the building blocks to help create a healthier and happier you. Presented by Beach Cities Health District in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at California State University, Dominguez Hills. 


Topics include:
Boost Empathy: Support connection and shift perspective 
Tuesday, September 28 from 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. 

Reaffirm Purpose: Navigate transitions and focus on meaning
Tuesday, October 19 from 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. 

Maximize Gratitude: Express appreciation and savor kindness 
Tuesday, November 9 from 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.