“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” 

Audrey Hepburn

Each year, the Violence Intervention Program helps 20,000 people heal from assault, abuse and neglect. Volunteering with the Violence Intervention Program for the last 3 weeks has been incredibly rewarding and I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to participate. Last Thursday, Dr. Heger took some time to talk to us about how the organization has evolved since she founded it over 30 years ago. It was truly inspiring to learn from a woman who has dedicated her entire life to helping others. 

We created 1,000 gift bags for The Violence Intervention Program and Redeye to pass out for Moter’s Day. Each bag included handwritten greetings, makeup, and orchids donated by Westerlay Orchids who are currently doing a 100,000 orchid gift challenge to give back during COVID-19

Last Wednesday at the Watts Empowerment Center, we passed out the gift bags we made along with 3 semi-truckloads of food that was donated by Children Mending Hearts.

On Friday, we donated 150 gift bags to the Union Rescue Mission. This organization focuses on the homeless and offers 4 comprehensive levels of service: Outreach, Emergency Services, Transformation, and Restoration.

On Saturday, we donated 150 gift bags to the Downtown Women’s Center. It’s mission is to end homelessness for women in the Greater Los Angeles Area through housing, wellness, employment and advocacy.

It was pretty wild trying to dodge Coronavirus when we also walked through skid row to pass out waters, flowers, masks, gloves, and the rest of our bags. Almost everyone was extremely courteous and grateful.

I’m not going to lie – quarantining solo for the last 2 months has been an emotional roller coaster. Each day, positivity and depression have been fighting for custody over me. But, as of late, volunteering has helped put some things in perspective that have given better odds to positivity. Nothing feels better than seeing the joy and gratitude on another person’s face when I help them. It’s an immediate positive impact – both for them and for myself.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”  

Anne Frank

We all have a lot more time on our hands right now so get out at volunteer! If you are nervous about leaving your house, you can volunteer at home by mentoring students via Zoom calls or spreading the word about your favorite organization via social media. There are tons of ways you can help out, all of you have to do is take the time to search and take action, no matter how small it is. Collectively, we can make a difference!