Tag Archives: Volunteer

Riversiders Pledge Over 9,600 Volunteer Hours for 2013

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The Pick Group, Young Professionals of Riverside, ran a successful social media volunteer drive in January in which young professionals and others in the Riverside area were called upon to promote volunteerism.

The Pick and Pledge Challenge provided a media forum to publicly post hours that participants will volunteer in 2013 to local organizations and non profits.

The Pick Group is a local organization that offers young professionals social, professional, and civic opportunities, sponsors the event annually.

Together, Pick Group members, board members, friends and community members pledged over 9,600 volunteer hours to the community on the group’s Facebook page.

2013 Pick and Pledge Campaign

2013 Pick and Pledge Campaign
(source: The Pick Group Facebook Page)

“According to the Independent Sector, the monetary value of a volunteer hour is $21.79. The economic impact of those 9,600 hours pledged is over $200,000,” said Brent Lee, president of the Pick Group.

“We may have added up a numerical value, but the service that our community members dedicate each year is invaluable,” said Jesse Limon, chair of the Civic Involvement Committee, which hosts Pick and Pledge and the Board Development Training Program every year.

The Board Development Training Program is another component of involvement in the Pick and Pledge Challenge. Since 2009, the Pick Group has hosted a Board Development Training Program to teach young professionals about various aspects of being a board member.

Graduates of this program actively seek and obtain positions as board members on several nonprofit boards throughout Riverside. The annual Pick and Pledge event seeks to pair eager young professionals with local nonprofit boards. The graduates contributed by posting their projected board volunteer hours.

“I’m very excited to volunteer my time with a nonprofit by serving on a board,” said Khevin Curry, a current Board Development training participant. “I feel as if this program has prepared me to be a successful board candidate.”

The Pick and Pledge Campaign showcases Riverside’s passion and commitment for a better quality of life for all residents. The Pick Group is a 501(c)6 organization that provides opportunities for career-minded young professionals to connect socially, develop professionally, and engage civically for the betterment of Riverside. For more information, visit the website www.PickRiverside.org or Facebook page www.facebook.com/pickgroup, or contact them at email thepickgroup@gmail.com.

Riverside’s Pick Group Holds Campaign to Increase Volunteerism

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The Pick Group is calling on young professionals and the Riverside community at large to participate in the “Pick and Pledge” challenge, through January 31st, to promote volunteerism in 2013. The Pick Group matches volunteers with local nonprofits and ask participants to publish their pledges via social media on the Pick Group Facebook page. At the same time, the Pick Group is highlighting Riverside area non-profits through the Pick Group website and its social media pages. The Pick Group is a local organization that offers young professionals social, professional and civic opportunities.

“This is our 5th year hosting ‘Pick and Pledge’, but the first time we’ve tried a month long social media presence instead of a single event. Our hope is that we’ll be able to build on our experience and reach a wider audience,” shared Pick Group board member Samantha Jobelius.

Pick Group Board Members pictured with their volunteer pledges for 2013.

The group will also host an opportunity drawing for the Volunteer Tool-Kit. The tool-kit is a basket full of items valued at $150.00 to help the winner be the ultimate volunteer. Pick members and residents who make a commitment are asked to print out the “Pick and Pledge” flyer available on the website, write in the number of hours they commit to do in 2013, and post a picture of themselves holding the flyer onto the Pick Group Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pickgroup) or email (membership@pickriverside.org) to the group for posting. Organizers hope to both keep track of participation and help participants be accountable to one another.

Board members of the Pick Group will be leading the way in this challenge. All 18 board members have pledged combined volunteer hours of over 2000 hours and the group will be highlighting their pledges on the The Pick Group social media pages on Facebook(www.facebook.com/pickgroup), Twitter (www.twitter.com/pickgroup), and LinkedIn(
http://www.linkedin.com/in/pickgroup
).

“The benefits of volunteering are enormous to you, your family, and community,” says Pick Group board member Jesse Limon. “Giving back allows a volunteer to create new friendships, connections with community, learning new skills, and even advance a career.”

The Pick Group aims to develop not only its members, but invest in our wider community. “We think the best young professionals are those that have an ethic of service and care about the public square as much as their personal careers.”

This past November, local nonprofits rallied around the inaugural ‘Give Big Riverside‘ event as a way to increase philanthropy in the Riverside community.  The Pick Group’s volunteer pledge campaign will provide another valuable resource to our local organizations – manpower – and demonstrates the increasing collaboration and compassion growing throughout this ‘Unified City‘.

Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful Honored For Dedication to Engaging Volunteers In Community Beautification

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Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful was honored November 30, 2011 at the 58th annual Keep America Beautiful National Conference for distinguishing itself as an exemplary affiliate organization. Taking first place in its population category, the organization was honored for its outstanding litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling and community greening programs within the City of Riverside.

Keep America Beautiful’ s annual National Conference, which took place this year in New Orleans, brought together award-winning affiliates from across the country to share best practices and celebrate the successes of the last 12 months. The Keep America Beautiful Affiliate Awards are open to all KAB affiliates for program activities during the 12-month period from July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011. The honored organizations encourage individuals to make simple daily choices and to engage in volunteer activities that improve their communities and their local environment.

“It is my privilege to honor Keep Riverside Clean & Beautiful and celebrate its dedication in engaging volunteers to make its community flourish,” said Matt McKenna, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “Award-winning affiliates, such as Riverside, serve as a great inspiration in our national effort to keep America beautiful.”

KRCB is a community program sponsored by the City of Riverside’s Public Works Department and Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. The mission of KRCB is to instill a sense of community pride by creating partnerships that work toward the beautification of the city.

Their formula for success is simple and since 1992 the program has provided opportunities for volunteers to receive hands-on stewardship with beautification projects that reduce litter, remove graffiti and coordinate tree-planting projects throughout the year.

KRCB focuses on multiple programs that address the specific needs of our unique and diverse geography throughout Riverside to ensure that it is a highly desirable place to live, work and play.