Chaparral House

Jan 2015

RE: Volunteering in Nursing Homes--Where to start?

Volunteering with seniors is very rewarding and easy to do. Chaparral House in Berkeley welcomes volunteers and has a range of activites. I helped out with a Valentine's Day party and went on an outing to the Lawrence Hall of Science. Another option is Ashby Village. It is an organization that helps seniors remain in their homes as they age by providing volunteer services. There are so many different things you can do there. The staff is fantastic and the volunteer program is very well run. Lastly you can check out Love Is The Answer (LITA). They match volunteers and organizations. They will help you with choosing an opportunity and in applying. Organizations are hungry for volunteers. Please don't worry about being turned away! Here are the websites to check out. http://www.chaparralhouse.org http://www.ashbyvillage.org http://www.litaofcontracosta.org Julie

Try Chaparral House in Berkeley. They have a very good volunteer coordinator. A

You should call Chaparral House in Berkeley. I used to take my daughter there weekly when she was a baby just to say hi to the residents. The volunteer coordinator's name is Erika. I loved going there! wendy

Jan 2011

RE: Volunteering with 3-year-old in tow?

Chaparral House (home for very frail seniors) has a ''balloon toss'' activity on Saturday and Sunday mornings in which the seniors (those who are able) hit balloons back and forth with volunteers. I brought my five-year-old son a few weeks ago and the seniors just lit up when he came into the room. They were so excited to see a cute little kid, and some of them reminisced about their own child-rearing years. He was the star of the show! And he had a great time playing balloon ball with the seniors. Your daughter might not be old enough to actually hit the balloon back and forth, but she can just have fun playing with one of the balloons and the seniors can have fun watching her kid energy while you play balloon ball with them. Have fun!