April 16, 2003

By Adam Martin

SO THE UNEMPLOYMENT check miraculously covers rent, and you've managed to pick up enough odd jobs to keep yourself in canned soup. The aftermath of the economic bust is still not pretty. It isn't the lack of patio dinners at Elroy's or the severe launch-party drought. It's deeper. It's "what the hell do I do all day?" Not to mention "what the hell am I going to do all day when my unemployment checks stop rolling in?" You've checked Craigslist, Monster, and the jobs page at your alma mater. Nothing. Now where do you spend the remaining seven hours of the workday?

Three's Company reruns are not the answer. Volunteering is. A lot of nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area would love your help, whether you type 80 words a minute, work well with the animal kingdom, or remember your adolescence well enough to relate to teenagers. And while you're at it, you can build up skills, experience, and connections that just might lead to that next "real" job. In a world where government programs cover less and less human services, and federal funding for nonprofits is shrinking, it's up to nonprofits to pick up the humanitarian slack, and it's up to volunteers to help them do so. You can get a volunteer job doing pretty much anything imaginable, from rescuing seals to tutoring kids to striking a blow for the one-less-car movement. The organizations listed below all need your help, but they're just 10 drops in a very full bucket. For other worthy ways to spend your unemployed hours, go to www.volunteerinfo.org, which offers a comprehensive list of the Bay Area's volunteer opportunities.

Who wouldn't want to volunteer for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition? Offering events like parties, bike tours, and the annual Golden Wheel awards almost every week, helping out the SFBC is the most fun you can have as a two-wheeled politico. In between bids to create bike lanes, add bike racks to buses, and generally whittle the average number of wheels per person in San Francisco down to two, the SFBC provides such useful services as valet bike-parking at city events and legal assistance for cyclists. It also offers a host of maps on its Web site and puts out several publications, including the bimonthly Tube Times and a 40-page urban-cycling manual called Safe Bicycling in San Francisco. Needless to say, with so many projects, the coalition needs all the help it can get. "There are lots of different kinds of volunteering that all have their different advantages," volunteer coordinator Michael Calfee says. Savvy gearheads that they are, the folks at the coalition have set up some social activities for volunteers, including envelope-stuffing parties and a festive "volunteer night" each Wednesday, at which attendees take care of office drudgery in a party atmosphere. The SFBC also needs volunteers to help lead bike tours, work on campaigns, staff bike-parking booths, and more. In a somewhat ironic show of civic goodwill, through a city community-service program called Project 20 you can even pay off your parking tickets by helping out the coalition. Plus, all volunteers get a free SFBC membership. Ride on. www.sfbike.org.

Film Arts Foundation – which provides independent filmmakers with training, screening opportunities, equipment rentals, and production and postproduction facilities – tailors its volunteer work to fit the individual, according to Sharon Jue, office manager and internship coordinator. If you're an expert in some aspect of film production, you can lead a workshop or seminar, and a four-month, seven-hours-a-week internship could help you get your foot in the proverbial door of indie production. Or you could just make good use of some of that newly gained free time by helping out around the office, staffing seminars, screenings, and events, and generally doing whatever your skills allow. Current projects include organizing the resource and tape libraries, cleaning and organizing tapes from a recent festival, and gearing up for an open house at the end of May. And FAF is another place where you can work off your parking tickets through Project 20. "I don't think we could function without Project 20, interns, and volunteers," Jue quips. With the arts back on the rise in San Francisco, maybe this will be the next growth industry. The volunteer bubble, anyway, will never burst. Call Jue at (415) 552-8760, ext. 305, or e-mail her at sharonj@filmarts.org.

Those big, fuzzy slugs out on Pier 39 can't run the Marine Mammal Center by themselves, though many of them have it to thank for their ability to serenely honk and snarf in the sun all day. The center's twin goals are research and rescue/rehabilitation, and volunteers can pitch in at all levels. Research volunteers help with lab work, as well as observing and studying animals in the field. Volunteers also work as docents in educational outreach programs sponsored by the center. Of course, the organization also needs people to take care of the sick animals, and volunteers handle much of that job. Whether you're part of a rescue team for stranded animals or a regular caretaker at the Marin Headlands hospital, you can get up close and personal with those lovable, goofy pinnipeds. "[Volunteers play] a really active role in the center's operation," says Al Jennings of the Sausalito office. "Most of the work here is done by volunteers. We have 800 active volunteers and 43 paid staff." The center's Web site features contact information for every program and full descriptions of all of the volunteer opportunities. It also provides a full overview of the center's activities and updates. www.marinemammalcenter.org.

Oakland owes more to institutions like A Safe Place than Jerry Brown or the Oakland Police Department even knows. On the front lines in the fight against domestic violence, ASP provides a comprehensive program for abused women and their children; this includes a help line, a shelter in an anonymous location, and assistance in starting over. "Our shelter-program volunteers can provide [help with] the 24-hour crisis hotline, a children's program, and in terms of fundraising, developing a donor base and assisting with grant writing," says Vicky Galbert, an ASP staff member. ASP is the only program that accepts male children up to age 18, and because of its extensive focus on children and the family dynamic, volunteers are required to take a 40-hour domestic-violence training course to familiarize themselves with the issues and learn how to respond to clients appropriately. (510) 986-8600, www.asafeplacedvs.org.

Volunteering for Back on Track is no small commitment, but for the right person it could be one of the most rewarding experiences of his or her life. The small, community-oriented program provides tutoring for kids in grades K through 12 from all over San Francisco, with special emphasis on the Western Addition, where the program is based. Volunteers hook up with kids on a one-on-one basis and stay with them for the duration of their schooling. "We want the tutors to be involved in the student's life," says Rita Grant, head psychology coordinator. "It's a tutor-mentor program, so we want the tutors to attach themselves to the child's well-being." This could mean helping with math problems, revising book reports, or explaining the rules of foursquare. "The program was founded [in 1988] by the pastor of the Third Baptist Church and the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El," Grant says. "We still have a lot of students and tutors from both congregations, as well as around the city, so it's a very diverse program." If you have the time and the dedication, drop by the office to pick up an application. 1399 McAllister, S.F. (415) 346-9316, www.backontracksf.org.

Volunteering for the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts can mean a number of things. It can mean taking tickets for one of the many dance, theater, or performance art shows; it can mean leading a summer school group or an afternoon program for neighborhood kids; it can mean patching, painting, and hanging art on the gallery walls. Most important, however, it will definitely mean contributing a valuable service to an organization that plays a vital role in its community. With instructional programs in a variety of artistic media, a community-oriented theater, an art gallery, and youth programs, MCCLA serves as a space for Mission District residents and others to practice, explore, and learn about Latino arts and culture. Project 20 participants and people on General Assistance can work off their hours here, and the center offers a number of internships as well as general volunteer positions, so people can get involved at all levels. "Volunteers are always welcome to come in and work on whatever fits their interest and helps the center," says Catalina Perez, the volunteer coordinator. All MCCLA staff are bilingual, and bilingual speakers are strongly encouraged to volunteer – Perez points out that it's a great way to practice your Spanish or English. Whether you excel at stuffing envelopes or performing capoeira, the MCCLA would love your help. Call Perez at (415) 643-2776 or go to www.missionculturalcenter.org.

The Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center takes some adult volunteers, but the vast majority of its staff, both paid and volunteer, is under 23. LYRIC's programs include "rap groups" (discussion sessions by gender and topic), a general talk line (415-863-3636) for queer youth across the country, peer health education, and a drop-in center, and it also organizes things like dances and a booth at the Castro Street Fair. "We have a peer-based philosophy here at LYRIC," outreach coordinator Lena Turner says. "Young people can help young people, and it's not always true that adults know best." Adults may volunteer in the office, present workshops, and coach the young women's softball and basketball teams. "We're here to give the tools to young people to do what they want to do," Turner says. "We don't want to enable them to just receive aid, but rather help them to create their own support." LYRIC provides training for young people who want to work the talk line, lead a discussion group, or become peer health educators, positions that require a six-month commitment. Other opportunities include participating in steering committees, helping with major events, and staffing the drop-in center. Call Turner at (415) 703-6150, ext. 18, or go to www.lyric.org.

Willie Warren of the Coalition on Homelessness likes to talk about volunteering. An eight-year veteran of the coalition's volunteer program, he recently joined the payroll as office manager, a position that allows him to dispense advice to future volunteers. "To some people, volunteering is a dirty word 'cause it means 'work for free.' If the person is under the gun, if they feel like the walls are closing in on them, they may not want to do it." In the coalition, he says, it's not a dirty word. Volunteers can get involved in any of the organization's programs, at any level of commitment. Warren stresses that the coalition always wants volunteers and that people can usually find a position exactly suited to them, but some of the options are office work, shelter visits, lobbying at City Hall, legal support for victims of police harassment, and training people on how to deal with the police. Between the publication Street Sheet, the Civil Rights program, the Family Rights and Dignity program, the Shelter Outreach program, and other enterprises, there is no shortage of personal, meaningful, and compelling work at the Coalition on Homelessness. (415) 346-3740,
www.sf-homeless-coalition.com.

PAWS is right. Pets Are Wonderful Support. The organization helps those with AIDS and other disabling diseases keep their pets healthy while they combat their illness – the idea being that someone whose dog or cat will hang around lavishing attention on them has a better chance of pulling through than someone forced to give up their animal. As the Web site states, "PAWS believes that pets can be a source of healing for our clients." Servicing 350-plus people and some 500 to 600 pets, the group provides services such as dog walking, feeding, veterinary care, transportation, and a pet food bank. With the bulk of the labor provided by volunteers, this is a good opportunity for someone looking to gain experience working with animals, but PAWS also needs help with administrative work and event planning. Volunteers are welcome at all organizational levels – they even sit on the board. "Two things that are cool about this organization are that we're run by volunteers and we don't use any government funds," says Ned Howey, outreach-volunteer coordinator and one of four paid employees. "We really are fueled by love." The group also offers several formal internships and externships, including some in the veterinary field. Call Howey at (415) 241-1473 or go to www.pawssf.org.