Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) announced today a $25,000 commitment to support the Sacramento Tree Foundation and Greenwise Joint Venture in an effort to plant 30,000 trees in the Sacramento region by March 8, 2013 (Arbor Day). The 30k Trees Campaign engages volunteer organizations, individuals, businesses and local governments by adding trees to the Sacramento area to grow a healthy, livable community. Support from PG&E will help fund 10 tree planting events around the region over the next year. “We are committed to this campaign because we understand the importance of trees to the vitality of our communities,” said Jimi Harris, community relations manager for PG&E. “We realize a healt

Get your tree on! The Sacramento Tree Foundation is teaming up with Greenwise Joint Venture to generate 30,000 tree-planting pledges over a 30-day period, March 7 through April 8. The 30k Trees Campaign engages volunteer organizations, individuals, businesses and community groups by adding trees to the Sacramento region to grow a healthy, livable community. The ultimate goal of the campaign is to plant 30,000 trees throughout 2012. People can take part in the campaign by donating money to purchase trees, providing tree-planting locations, organizing a tree-planting event or simply by volunteering to plant a tree. To learn more about the 30k Trees Campaign and make a pledge, visit www.3

Teaching kids to read and helping college students navigate college requirements are just two of the ways city employees spend the 40 hours of paid leave they are given to do volunteer work each year. The Volunteer Mentor Leave program started in 2009 and offers those 40 hours of paid leave for city employees to act as mentors in Sacramento public schools, said Mary Lynn Perry, volunteer coordinator with the city’s Human Resources Department. Perry said volunteers can use an hour per week of their work time helping local kids who need guidance and encouragement. “Right now, there is a push for literacy (in the city),” Perry said, “so (employee) volunteers read with schoolchildren of all

During the current “season of giving,” many well-known volunteering opportunities – including helping at Loaves & Fishes, The Ronald McDonald House and Women Escaping a Violent Environment – already have enough volunteers for the Christmas holiday. But those involved with charitable work all year say that the need will continue well beyond the holidays. However, if you’re set on volunteering during the holidays, The Salvation Army still has opportunities. “We’re ramping up for our Coats for Kids drive,” said Salvation Army spokesman Sydney Fong. “Our big day is Dec. 30.” Fong said the distribution will be held then at the California Exposition and State Fair. In addition to needing v

The Volunteer Spirit Awards are a yearly opportunity for organizations throughout Sacramento to recognize the accomplishments of outstanding volunteers. On October 29, 2010, staff and volunteers from various programs at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) attended the 10th Annual Volunteer Spirit Awards luncheon the Grand Ballroom in downtown Sacramento. This event, put on by the Volunteer Center of Sacramento, is the largest volunteer recognition ceremony honoring Sacramento area volunteers. Nominees come from a wide range of local agencies, with areas of volunteerism ranging from education, animals, heath, family services, hospitals, seniors, counseling and more. SFBFS program

Mayor Kevin Johnson introduced a new member to his staff, Chief Service Officer Keith Hart. Hart is in charge of "working closely with the mayor's office to increase volunteer opportunities, encourage services and tailor volunteer efforts around city in most pressing challenging areas," Johnson said. The position is funded by a two-year grant that has only been issued to 10 cities in the nation. The Rockefeller Foundation grant is intended to assist the city with the upstart of the chief service officer position and volunteer efforts. Johnson's hope is that two years is enough time to prove the benefits of creating such a position and that the city will be able to sustain it without furth

SACRAMENTO – More than 10,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their friends will descend on parks throughout the Sacramento region Saturday, May 8, to perform necessary work from clean-up and general maintenance to painting, planting trees and even construction jobs. Under the banner of Mormon Helping Hands, an international program of the Church that has provided manpower in distressed communities and organized relief efforts after natural disasters, the volunteers have chosen parks in their own communities to perform work in state, regional and city parks that have been hit hard by the recent downturn in the economy. The Sacramento effort is part of a stat

Saturday April 24, 2010, almost 100 Sacramentans braved the morning sunshine to listen to candidates for City Council District 3 and Assembly District 9. The event was co-sponsored by the River Park Neighborhood Association and the League of Women Voters of Sacramento County, who moderated the session. Volunteers from the River Park Neighborhood Association, the League, California State University, Sacramento and  Saint Francis High School supported the event. See the League's website at www.lwvsacramento.org for a list of up-coming candidate forums.

Every time I eat rice now, I've become 13 again on a tiny fishing boat, bounding on the choppy green swells of the South China Sea. I was terribly nauseated, light-headed and felt quite limp sitting on the uneven surface of fishing nets. They felt damp, ropey, and stringy on my boney buns. My stomach felt mossy green, my throat overloaded with anxiety, big fat tears poised behind my weary eyeballs and anytime now everything could all scream out to match the roar of the wind, the tempestuous ocean. But neither tears nor screams came because survival was paramount. My mother hydrated the rice in a heavy-gauge plastic bag with hot water, and within minutes we had rice in bowls that we passe