California Wildfires: Ways to Help

What a horrific few days we are going through.  Monday morning I got my first news report of the wildfires ravaging the Northern California wine country.  A couple of days have gone by, but the very real threat of disaster has not.  Wanting to help out,  I've learned a lot about what we can do to offer assistance and support to the victims of the fires and to those helping fight the fires and assisting evacuees.

I started by asking my CalFire Chief neighbor.  He recommended checking with Red Cross and local faith based charities near the evacuation areas.  The Red Cross is currently asking for donations, which you can give online at www.redcross.org/donate/donation, call 800-RED-CROSS or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.  I also recommend considering giving donations to the Salvation Army, which is supporting many of the evacuation centers,  http://www.salvationarmyusa.org.  

NVCC Donation Board from 10/11/17 around 10:30 AM

Evacuation Centers:  Yesterday I headed to the Solano Community College evacuation center to deliver supplies and volunteer.  They were in good shape with donations, and at this time are only requesting monetary donations.  For more information, please visit the KROC Center Suisun City Facebook page.   This morning a good friend brought needed supplies to the Napa Valley Community College evacuation site.  To find out what needs they currently have, please visit the NV College Facebook page.  They are updating it regularly.  For information for the The Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds Evacuation Center, visit the Office of Emergency Services Facebook Page. Many shelters are in need of Spanish language translators.   If you can translate, please check in with a local evacuation shelter to find out that sites needs.  

Getting Current Information:  With things changing both with the fires and with the needs at evacuation centers, it can be tough to know what to do.  First of all, Petaluma has a google doc which is kept up to date.  For information on needs there, and resources for residents, please visit the google doc here.  

Facebook has been a lifeline to hearing about how friends are doing.  You can keep up to date about the needs of many volunteer organizations there.  

• Visit the Tubbs Fire (Lake/Sonoma/Mendo) Facebook group to get involved in community discussion, find lost pets and offer services, along with the Tubbs Fire Safety Check-inFacebook page, which has a support link. You can post services you have to offer. Search for other community groups on Facebook to open the conversation and get up-to-date needs.
• Visit the Atlas Fire (Napa and Solano Counties) Facebook group for ways to offer and receive help from the community.  
• The Sonoma Humane Society is sharing lost and found pets on its Facebook page. 
• Yesterday I also brought donations so the Solano SPCA, who are accepting donation of pet food and supplies.  Please visit the Solano SPCA Facebook page for current information. 

Fundraising sites:  Knowing we want to make our contributions count and go to the right organizations, please find additional information about ways to help here:

• Many local fundraising efforts are on the GoFundMe pages.  Here is a list of GoFundMe pages dedicated to California fire relief: www.gofundme.com/raise-funds/CAfirerelief.
• Napa Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) has mobilized its Disaster Relief Fund. Make a gift here. 
• The Community Foundation of Sonoma County supports local Sonoma County charities, getting funds where they are needed most, quickly and effectively.  https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1431417

Keeping up the fight:

I haven't nailed down a way to help the firefighters directly, but if you can, I am sure they love a thank you and a hot meal, coffee, cool water, etc.  I know many of the evacuation centers are coordinating catering for the staff.  Check with your local evacuation center for ways to assist. 

Thank you firefighters, volunteers and emergency responders.  And thank YOU for helping out in any way you can.  

Interests, Hobbies and Community Involvement

In college I remember writing my first resume. The career center gave out an employment guide, and it had several samples of resumes that would be appropriate for a recent graduate. One of the last items on several of them was Interests and Hobbies. While I don't encourage people to put this down on a professional resume, many of the resumes I receive do list this. It is interesting to see some of the pastimes people list. I didn't know what a luthier was until someone listed it as a hobby. Making stringed instruments does sound like fun.

Something I encourage you to list however is community involvement activities. Being active in non-profit and other community organizations can be very rewarding, as I wrote about in a past blog post. Everyone moans about the lack of time they have. Charitable organizations and community programs often need talented individuals to oversee their operations and help promote them. Not everyone wants to participate in volunteer activities, and this is a way you can differentiate yourself from them. By getting involved and participating in your community you are helping others and showing your willingness to share your talents and time.

If you are volunteering, put that information on your resume. List how long you have been active with each organization, and any positions you held on boards, committees or projects. These items are very telling to future employers about you and create a robust profile of your skills, interests and commitments. I think many companies would like to have an active contributor who can interact with people in various ways and is working to improve things for others.

Nor sure where you could help out? Start by looking at organizations in your industry and within your field of expertise. If you are a seasoned business owner, the Small Business Association has many programs you can help out with. If you are a college alumni, contact the alumni association to find out where they might need your assistance. Looking for something local? Many city and counties have volunteer needs and list them on their websites. When you are out in your community and see a volunteer project, ask them what they are doing and how you can join. Charitable organizations have lots of volunteer opportunities, and list them on their websites. Meetup.com also lists lots of opportunities on their website, and has been very helpful for finding projects here in Sacramento. For all you parents of school-age children, those schools can use your help. Contact your child's teacher and find out how you can help.

And participation leads to other opportunities too. I started out planning a school garden project and quickly got involved with the UC Davis school garden group. Then I was enlisted in another garden project, and now am starting an urban farm project with the local food bank. It is very rewarding to get involved with like minded people. And your community involvement can be helpful in your career as well.

Try it, you might like it. And then make sure you put it on your resume.

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Volunteer

A trend among the newly unemployed is to volunteer. This is a great way to stay active, involved and possibly learn some new skills. With the economy in the doldrums, many non-profit organizations aren't receiving their usual charitable donations. Countering this financial deficit is the new influx of people willing to give their time. Volunteer time can be the most helpful donations a charity can receive.

Volunteering your time when you are looking for work might seem like the wrong use of your time, but staying engaged and hopeful can be the best medicine for you right now. Look at what time you have available, and then explore some local charities that could use your expertise. Whether you are helping out at your children's school, fixing a website for the local shelter or helping with bookkeeping at the health clinic, you will be using your skills to help others. And not surprisingly, you will probably expand your network of contacts. The executive director of the charity may also be involved in a new winery start-up, and after seeing how giving and skilled you were, would love to talk to you about a future position.

Volunteering is also a great way to explore new roles. If you have been in management for years, and are tiring of some of the emotional demands, try a different role. By allowing yourself to try on new duties, you might find an area of work that you really enjoy.

Enjoy yourself. This is a very important way to spend your time. You're not sitting on the couch watching TV. You're not wallowing in self pity. You are out there interacting with others. You are enjoying some new camaraderie. You are also getting to know some people in ways you haven't in the past. Helping out at the school allows you to see how your kid's day goes. While helping clean cages at the SPCA you get to see new families light up when they find their family pet. There are so many ways you can lighten up and have fun that you need to take advantage of it.

And most importantly, you'll be helping others.