The Hands4Hope Placerville Steering Committee is delighted to announce that Hands4Hope will be launching clubs at both El Dorado High and Markham Middle Schools this fall, thanks to the generous support of the community.
The committee’s initial goal was to secure three years’ worth of funding to sustain leadership programs at both schools, and to date, $35,000 out of a $37,000 goal has been raised in just this last year alone. Our deepest thanks go to community sponsors that include the Women’s Fund, Leadership El Dorado Class 12, the Freda B Runyon Foundation, as well as generous donations from US Bank, El Dorado Disposal, Western Sign Company, and Hangtown Village Square.
The Placerville Steering Committee is composed of several local community leaders, including school administrators at El Dorado High School and Markham Middle School. “Edwin Markham Middle School is looking to provide opportunities for our students to participate more fully in service learning and have avenues for them to serve their local community,” said Principal Terry Edinger. “We know that many of our students are very knowledgeable about the needs of our community and Hands4Hope will provide a meaningful way for our students to give to those in our area.” El Dorado High School Assistant Principal Justin Gatling adds, “Through a variety of thoughtful and directed, student-led programs, Hands4Hope empowers youth in our community with the knowledge, skills, and community-awareness they need to become the leaders of tomorrow. I'm excited about the opportunity of having this incredible program at El Dorado High School!”
Student leadership for the Hands4Hope Clubs is already in place at both schools, and students will be attending Hands4Hope Leadership Camp this August before launching their clubs at the beginning of the school year. Kayla Orr, incoming Hands4Hope Club member at El Dorado High School noted, “Having a Hands4Hope at my school is a great opportunity for lots of kids at my school. I’m so excited to be a part of the club and also to help launch it. I would suggest to everyone that they should explore or join this club!”
The Steering Committee’s next goal is to identify, secure, and fund a permanent Hands4Hope Youth Center near downtown Placerville in the next year. The youth center, modeled after the popular youth center in El Dorado Hills, is a key component to successful community engagement programs, serving as a safe, secure, supervised home base for students to meet and collaboratively identify and plan all aspects of community service projects, both after school and on weekends. The youth center will also provide needed storage for outreach materials to execute projects like the Hands4Hope School Supply Drive that benefits Placerville Unified School District, soldier care packages, and homeless outreaches. With the support of Markham Middle School, a temporary youth center is being established on its school campus.
Our deepest thanks to the community for supporting Hands4Hope expansion into Placerville’s schools. Hands4Hope is a nonprofit youth driven education and community engagement organization based in El Dorado County, whose mission is to inspire and empower youth in leadership and service. For more information about Hands4Hope or to support the Placerville expansion, please visit https://www.hands4hopeyouth.org/placerville or contact Jennifer Bassett at jbassett@hands4hopeyouth.org.
