It makes me so happy to see my daughter excited about her 2nd grade class’s donation drive for Berkeley Animal Care Services. Having my children learn about community service and want to make a positive impact is very important to me. After she told me all about her class’s project, she mentioned OAP’s biannual food drive with the Alameda County Community Food Bank, and asked if we could do something similar for her class’s animal shelter drive. (She also talked at length about how much she loved animals and if she could adopt a dog or a hamster).
Community service was a big part of my own upbringing and the values of my family. My grandmother, June, had her own non-profit theatre company that brought theatre to underserved schools in the area. She ran the company, did the fundraising, and acted in one woman shows into her 80’s. When I was growing up, my mom used to regularly volunteer at our local homeless shelter in Santa Monica and I have very vivid memories of when she would take me with her. Both of these strong, brilliant, generous, and heartfelt women instilled in me the importance of being involved and making a difference in one’s community. And, it looks like these values have taken root in another generation of my family.
You’ll find donation jars through the month of February at each of our clinics at the Do-It-Yourself payment station.