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Source: Lordelyn del Rosario
415-476-2557
20 October 1998
UCSF HELPS THE COMMUNITY DURING "WEEK OF CARING"
For the sixth year, members of the UCSF community generously donated their time at the recent "Week of Caring" -- a series of volunteer activities to support Bay Area community agencies. More than 400 UCSF employees and students and UCSF Stanford Health Care employees participated in 25 projects. They weeded, raked, and planted flowers at the AIDS Memorial Grove, a national living memorial dedicated to all lives touched by AIDS. For Habitat for Humanity, UCSF volunteers spent a day building and rehabilitating low-income housing. They also prepared meals for the homeless at the San Francisco Food Bank
Cathy Sandeen, UCSF assistant dean in the school of dentistry spent a Friday morning playing with preschoolers at South of Market Childcare. " I was so impressed," Sandeen said. "The facility was immaculate, the program was well organized, the staff was extremely competent and caring and the children were just adorable. I certainly have renewed respect for the staff and all they do for the children each and every day. Week of Caring allowed me to share some time with a wonderful group and let me see new ways I can help my community in the future."
"It's great how this event that serves our community has spread within our university." said Katherine Riordan, UCSF's Week of Caring Coordinator. "Week of Caring has become an anticipated and planned for event in some of our employee's lives. I now begin to get calls requesting what volunteer opportunities are available even before the Volunteer Center has received them from the agencies!"
The George Washington Carver Academic Elementary School project out in Bayview Hunter's Point is an excellent example of a concerned and connected employee taking the Week of Caring ideal to his old neighborhood, said Riordan. For the third year, UCSF's Joe Bluford works with the school, sets up the projects with the Principal, and recruits volunteers. " You know it's a successful, worthwhile program when people take it upon themselves to have ownership," she added.
Arthur Conti, a lab assistant in phlebotomy at UCSF Stanford Health Care, has participated in Week of Caring for the last five years. He chooses a different project each year. This year, he cooked enchiladas and tortillas for families of Catholic Charities, a 50-bed emergency housing center for homeless families. "It was fun," said Conti, "I always feel good inside, that’s why I do this every year. I wish I could volunteer more often."
Aley Kochuvelikakam, MPharm, PhD, UCSF post graduate researcher in neurosciences, has participated for three years. Like Conti, she works on a different project each year. This year she chose the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival which produces free summer productions, arts education, campus, and after school programs. She distributed flyers and programs, worked on pre-show preparation, and ushered at the shows. "Volunteering for Week of Caring allows me to show how much I care for people," said Kohuvelikakam. "It’s a kind service to humanity."
For Jennifer De Sousa, UCSF administrative assistant, this was her first year to participate. She participated in the Rose Resnick Lighthouse for the Blind project, escorting the visually impaired on a visit to the San Francisco Zoo. "It was the perfect day! Going to the zoo is something that everyone should be able to enjoy, and I was so happy to be able to share that experience with the people from Rose Resnick. Everyone had a great time. The people from Rose Resnick were inspiring and it was also fun to spend time out of the office with people from UCSF.
"Sometimes we can get so caught up in our hectic lives we get too busy to seek out volunteer opportunities on our own. Having Week of Caring at UCSF is great because everything is conveniently laid out. It has certainly gotten me motivated to look into further volunteer opportunities. It’s a wonderful feeling to give something back to my community," added De Sousa.
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