Healthy Volunteering
Relay for Life, American Cancer Society
This fundraising event takes place at local high schools or parks, where teammates take turns walking around a track or path for 24 hours.
More info: Relay Nation
All around the Bay Area, there are opportunities for you to support causes that promote health — and get you off the couch and boost your own health while you’re at it.
When Yvonne Hall took part in a recent Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure event to benefit breast cancer research and local community programs, she was advancing several personal agendas simultaneously.
“I was turning 70, and I decided to do something as a challenge for myself — I had never walked 20 miles in a day,” says Hall, who trained for more than five months and walked 57 miles of the 60-mile course up and down the hills of San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge and back, with a dozen or so fellow members of an East Oakland church and personally raised about $3,500. “I’m a breast cancer survivor, and that had a lot to do with my inspiration. We’d lost a couple of church members to breast cancer, and I had more than one or two friends who’d gotten breast cancer. I wanted to make a statement for them, too.”
Participating in the event, she hastens to add, was a moving experience. “Everyone came to cheer us on. It was a wonderful feeling of community.”
Want to do some good for a good cause and your own physique? Check the following sampling of the many worthwhile possibilities across the Bay Area over the upcoming year — and then, go for it!
Volunteer
Girls on the Run
Role: Coach or running buddy
Cause: Help girls, ages 8 to 13, get in shape and gain confidence
Where: Alameda, San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo and Contra Costa counties
More info: Girls on the Run of the Bay Area: Volunteer; 415.863.8942
Girlz Climb On With GirlVentures
Role: Mentor
Cause: Support middle school – aged girls as they learn rock climbing techniques and life skills
Where: San Francisco and Oakland
More info: GirlVentures; 415.864.0780
Green Volunteering
Lake Merritt Institute
Cause: Clean up Lake Merritt
Where: Oakland
More info: 510.238.2290
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Cause: Clean up beaches, natural habitats and trails
Where: San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties
More info: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy; 415.561.3044
CityTrees
Cause: Plant trees, prune and maintain “urban forest”
Where: Redwood City
More info: City Trees; 650.556.9380, ext. 4
Audubon Canyon Ranch
Role: Docent, weed watcher, habitat restoration
Cause: Help preserve the wildlife and lands of Marin and Sonoma counties
Where: Martin Griffin Preserve, Bouverie Preserve
More info: Audubon Canyon Ranch
Regional Parks Botanic Garden
Role: Docent, garden maintenance
Cause: Lead tours and provide light gardening work
Where: Berkeley
More info: Regional Parks Botanic Garden Volunteers; 510.544.3169
Habitat for Humanity
Role: Construction volunteer
Cause: Help build simple, affordable homes for families in need
Where: Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties
More info: Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco; 415.625.1000
Trips for Kids Marin
Role: Ride volunteer
Cause: Lead groups of inner-city and underserved youth on bike rides to China Camp State Park, Tennessee Valley, Golden Gate Park and East Bay locations
Where: San Rafael
More info: Trips for Kids: Volunteer; 415.458.2986
YWCA San Francisco & Marin
Role: After-school program volunteer
Cause: Lead children in activities, including exercise and arts and crafts
Where: San Francisco and San Rafael
More info: YWCA: Volunteer Opportunities; 415.397.6886
KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now)
Role: Coach
Cause: Help children and young adults with developmental delays and disabilities enjoy recreational activities
Where: San Francisco
More info: Keen SF; 415.710.4412
Camping Unlimited
Role: Year-round camp counselor
Cause: Help kids and adults with disabilities participate in recreational activities outdoors, as well as excursions throughout the Bay Area
Where: Camp Krem, Santa Cruz Mtns.
More info: Camping Unlimited: Volunteer Opportunities; 510.222.6662
Healing Waters Wilderness Adventures
Role: Outdoor Guide
Cause: Lead AIDS and HIV patients on whitewater rafting excursions
Where: South Fork of the American River in Lotus
More info: Healing Waters Wilderness Adventures: Volunteer; 415.552.1190
1,000,000
That’s the number of San Francisco area residents who volunteered between
2007 and 2009.
Fundraising Events
Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure
When: Sept. 9–11, 2011
Where: San Francisco (60 miles)
More info: Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure; 800.996.3DAY (3329)
Avon Walk for Breast Cancer
When: July 9 and 10, 2011
Where: San Francisco (walk up to 26.2 miles on Saturday; 13.1 miles on Sunday)
More info: Avon Walk for Breast Cancer: San Francisco; 415.834.0404
Did You Know?
At AIDS Walk San Francisco in 2010, an estimated 25,000 participants raised more than
$3 million to support local
AIDS organizations.
AIDS Walk San Francisco
When: July 17, 2011
Where: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco (6.5 miles)
More info: AIDS Walk San Francisco; 415.615.WALK (9255)
Memory Walk 2011, Alzheimer's Association
More info: For schedule, visit Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's or call 800.272.3900
Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes, American Diabetes Association
When: Tentatively scheduled for Sept. 30, 2011
Where: Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco
More info: Stepout Diabetes; 510.654.4499, ext. 7462
Light the Night Walk, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Participants of all abilities carry illuminated balloons to pay tribute and bring hope to those fighting cancer during this evening casual walk.
More info: Light the Night; 415.625.1100, ext. 5
Team in Training, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Support LLS by running, walking, swimming or biking a half or full marathon, a 100-mile ride, a triathlon or hike.
More info: Team in Training; 415.625.1100
