Greater Bay Area Community Outreach and Service Projects
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Service is an important part of the Girl Scout philosophy, and all troops and groups are encouraged to seek out opportunities for service. Projects may involve helping other people, animals or our environment. It can be a fantastic opportunity for girls to make new acquaintances and to experience the wonderful world of giving.
Click here for information about planning your own service project!
Click here for council-wide service projects!
My New Red Shoes
My New Red Shoes is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that serves children in the Bay Area. The mission of My New Red Shoes is to empower homeless and very low-income youth to succeed in school by providing them with brand new clothing so that they may greet the school year with pride and by educating and rallying the youth community around the needs of homeless children.
How Your Troop Can Participate
- Sew simple gift bags: My New Red Shoes distributes clothing gift cards and shoes to homeless children in simple, handmade, cotton gift bags, signed by the volunteer and tied with a shoelace. These bags are perfect project for Girl Scouts just learning how to sew as they only have three seams and an unfinished top.
For directions and more information on sewing the gift bags, please visit the Volunteer section of My New Red Shoes' website at www.mynewredshoes.org. - Host a brand new shoe drive: Would your troop like to host a shoe drive to help homeless kids start off the school year on the right foot? My New Red Shoes collects brand new school shoes for children ages 5-11.
For donation guidelines, please visit www.mynewredshoes.org. - Throw a Shiny Shoes Party: Ask guests to bring brand new shoes for homeless students in lieu of gifts. Inserts for party invitations and take-home cards to teach your guests about the issue of homelessness are available on the Kids Helping Kids page of My New Red Shoes' website at www.mynewredshoes.org.
For more information about My New Red Shoes' volunteer opportunities, please visit www.mynewredshoes.org or email info@mynewredshoes.org
Sew For Love
Is a weekend long sewing marathon in February to create much-needed items for the community within Santa Clara County. Troops and individuals participate for a few hours or as long as they want to make as many tote bags, blankets, clothing, bedding, and toys as they can in one weekend. This event creates thousands of items to benefit many organizations serving the public.
How Your Troop Can Participate
No sewing skills required. Your troop can sign up for one sewing session, a few, a whole day or both days. This is for grades 7-12 and adults. Individuals welcome.
Information on how to participate will be available soon.
To Kids From Kids
Our Girl Scout holiday service project is sponsored by the Girl Scouts of Northern California (GSNC). Since 1985, To Kids From Kids has reached out to children, newborn to 18 years old, who have been physically and/or emotionally abused or neglected. With the efforts of many volunteers, these children are ensured a gift during the winter holidays. The annual cycle of this project begins with girl training, builds with the collection of new, quality gifts and culminates in the project's packing day (Distribution Day).
Girl Participation
All girls, all levels are welcome. Depending on the individual or troop involvement this service project can offer an array of benefits including: daily money management, team building, goal setting, decision-making, building on creativity, enhancing writing, cutting, and designing skills.
In addition to above, Cadette, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts can also sign up to volunteer on the project's Distribution Day. Older girls are encouraged to take greater responsibility with each succeeding year. Older girls who take their role to a broader level are part of the "Team Coordinating Board" and can improve their leadership and organizational skills, develop the ability to confort and problem solve, and gain communication and presentation knowledge.
County Projects
Projects can vary depending on whether or not a county chair has been secured. Ultimately, To Kids From Kids strides to ensure the project is hosted in its existing five counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo.
County Chair Opportunities
To Kids From Kids is a short-term project beginning October 1 to mid-December each year. Registered adult Girl Scouts volunteer to oversee the project in their county. Interested in hosting an existing project or beginning To Kids From Kids in your county, contact us.
Project Needs
Gifts to provide to the social workers for the children included on their caseload. Without the contributions received To Kids From Kids would clearly never exist. It is solely through individual and troop donations as well as arrangements for collection drop boxes that enable us to brighten the holidays for so many abused children.
Contact Us Via
Website: www.galarc.com/gs/tkfk
Representative: Sydney Greenberg