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What grade are you in and how long have you been involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? I am in 10th grade at Oak Ridge High School and I have been involved in Hands4Hope for the last 4 years. How did you hear about Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? I learned about Hands4Hope from a neighbor and I signed up at Marina Middle School. How has your participation in Hands4Hope- Youth Making A Difference made an impact on you? Hands4Hope has helped me in a lot of different ways. Through the events, I have been able to work on my public speaking and confidence (asking local businesses for help wasn’t easy in the beginning). I have also worked on my leadership skills. I have had the opportunity to work as a leader on different programs and projects and it has been both challenging and fun. What has your experience with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference been like so far? I have had a great experience working with Hands4Hope. Working with local businesses and providing help to people in need has been very rewarding. It is great that we get to see the impact that we can have on other people and it has definitely allowed me to see things from a different perspective. What have been your favorite events/experiences since joining Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? My favorite project has been the Fall Food Drive where I was the Operations & Finance Committee Vice Chair. It was very interesting to see everything that goes into a large event and how much work it can be. My favorite Outreach program is the Senior Center Crafts & Games. We work with seniors with various levels of dementia. Working with people who have dementia can be challenging at times, but I always liked working with the seniors. It is nice to see them having fun and I really enjoy talking to them and hearing about their lives. I started working on this program in 8th grade and I am now the leader of this program and I plan crafts. What has your experience been with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference during the pandemic? There has definitely been a lot of changes for Hands4Hope during the COVID-19 crisis. I miss the in person meetings and we haven’t been able to do all of the same events as last year. While we couldn’t do the Fall Festival this year, I was able to be the Operations & Finance Committee Vice Chair for the Fall Food Drive. Organizing everything via Zoom calls was a little different, but The Food Drive was a success and we got almost 3,000 lbs of food.

1. What is your school and grade? How long have you been involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? I go to Folsom High School and I’m a senior this year. I’ve been involved in Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference for three years now. 2. Why did you join Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference & how did you hear about it? I joined Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference looking for new service opportunities and to be able to stay more involved in my community. I first heard about the club from my family friends and decided to join during one of our club rushes at school. 3. How has Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life? Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference has helped me in numerous ways. I’d say the biggest change for me has been my improvement in public speaking. Having to lead meetings, communicate with my team, and reach out to businesses truly frightened me at first, but sure enough, I’ve become more confident in my abilities. Hands4Hope has also helped me learn about different aspects of project development which is honestly slightly complicated but useful in the long run. Not only that, Hands4Hope has led me to find a community of great people who are just as passionate about helping our community as I am. 4. What has your experience been like since joining? Since first joining Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference everything has been so great! Everyone involved has taught me so much, and they are really great people to work with. Joining the Youth Board my junior year was really inspiring for me, I was able to be surrounded by great, passionate, hard-working peers who I otherwise wouldn't have met. Lately, I’ve been able to attend and help out with more drives like the Fall Food Roundup and Warm and Fuzzy Drive and it has been so much fun! Staying involved during trying times like these has definitely given me something to look forward to. Seeing hard work pay off is super rewarding. 5. Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experiences with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference or about a favorite project/committee? My favorite project so far has definitely been the Warm and Fuzzy Drive. It was the first drive that I had really been involved in during the planning, and it was such a big learning experience. While working on the drive, we had to think outside of the box as this year we had more restrictions on collecting clothes than in previous years. It was so amazing to see how many items we still ended up getting! So far we’ve received 142 bags and 2,326 usable clothing items, and items are still being donated daily! I can't wait until the Winter Boutique when all these great clothes can be put to use. However, it’s hard to pick a favorite project as I’ve had such a good time helping out with drives at Hands4Hope, they’ve all been great! A few images of Elise enjoying activities outside of school, work and Hands4Hope activities. Elise snow skiing. Elise painting....amazing talent! Elise scuba diving.

My name is Kelsey Goscha and I am a sophomore at Ponderosa High School. I have been involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference since August 2020. Before Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference, I was a little lost. The COVID-19 pandemic occurred right after I had just gone through some losses , so I felt really alone. I spent a lot of time with my family, put myself fully into my education, and did my best to cope and make the most of things, but I knew I needed to do something to make my life more fulfilling. I started looking for ways I could help out my community and make a difference. Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference was everything I was looking for. I first heard about Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference through my school and I knew right away I wanted to join. Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference has boosted my confidence in so many ways. Being involved has helped me to step out of my comfort zone and take a risk to meet other people. I have learned there are a lot of other good people and I love working with them to make a difference in our community. I am now more social in school. I have made new friends and become more involved in things around me. I don’t feel so isolated and alone any more. I am a part of something good now. Working with the people from Green Valley Community Church has been one of my favorite things since joining Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference. Getting to know the people there has been life changing. I get to hear people's stories and do something to help, something I can be proud of, and feel good about every time I finish a day of volunteering. Another one of my favorite experiences with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference is seeing the joy on the faces of the residents at Creekview Manor Senior Center when we visit with treats. I hope to continue expanding my awareness of the world around me. For too long my world felt small. With Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference, I see there is so much more, that one person can make a difference, and together I hope we are making the world a better place for everyone.

What is your school and grade? How long have you been involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? I am a junior at Ponderosa High School and this is my fourth year as a participant of Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference. Why did you join Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference & how did you hear about it? I joined Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference in eighth grade because two of my close friends were the president and vice president of the Camerado Springs Hands4Hope Club. Their club needed a secretary, and they asked me to join to fill the role. I really enjoyed being a part of Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference, so I became more involved in outreach projects and after school committees when I began high school. How has Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life? Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference has helped me to break out of my shell and become more outgoing. Thanks to Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference I have been able to make more friends both inside and outside of school, and I now enjoy the time I spend working with my peers or participating in group activities much more. What has your experience been like since joining? I have had a great experience since I’ve joined Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference. The atmosphere at every outreach I have volunteered at and on every committee I have worked on has always been incredibly welcoming. Everyone I have met through Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference has been so kind and friendly to me, and it makes every Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference event a great and fun place to be. Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experiences with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? I have loved working on after school committees, and I hope to get other Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference participants involved in these. I find it incredibly rewarding to plan a project, prepare for an event and put everything together, then see the final product. I hope that I can market after school committee opportunities to the members of my school club to get more of them involved. One of my favorite memories that I have had through Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference is working at the Kids Zone a few years ago. I worked in the toddler area, and I absolutely loved being able to make all of the little kids smile and laugh by letting them onto the bounce houses and putting temporary tattoos on their arms. Kids Zone was the activity that really opened my eyes to how much Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference does in the community and made me realize all of the things I could do outside of my school club. Kids Zone was the first committee I worked on as well as the first outreach I participated in, so it is very nostalgic and special to me. I have missed it a lot the past few years, as the fundraiser has not taken place due to COVID related restrictions. I am very glad that even though I have not been able to work on the Kids Zone Committee again, I was able to work on many Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference projects virtually last summer when many other activities were canceled. I like to stay busy and I love working on Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference projects, so I am very grateful that we have been able to continue helping our community through COVID lockdowns.

What is your school and grade? How long have you been involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? I attend Oak Ridge High School and am in 10th grade. I’ve actively been involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference for just about a year! Why did you join Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference & how did you hear about it? I joined Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference to be able to meet new, like-minded people in my community and get the opportunity to participate in service through a variety of events. How has Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life? Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference has helped me immensely outside of the organization itself. At school, I’ve become a better leader and gained more confidence; whether it be with public speaking or helping my classmates. I’ve also learnt to appreciate what I have more since my time at Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference. What has your experience been like since joining? Since joining Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference, I’ve had amazing experiences at every event. It’s getting to meet new people at every event and grow your community that makes Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference really unique. I definitely got a lot more than what I expected from when I paid the $20 registration fee last year. Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experiences with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? One of my favorite memories from Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference was being at the Winter Boutique Committee event day. After weeks of work sorting clothes, it was finally time to be able to distribute them. As I stood at the register, someone without the ability to speak came to check out. Our team got creative and communicated with them by writing on a slip of paper back and forth. After we finished bagging their clothes, they took their time to write us a nice thank you note in front of us. That moment has since been the most heartwarming experience I have had through Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference and an amazing example of our youth’s creativity. Outside of Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference, I’m in Speech and Debate, started my school magazine Trojan Times, and teach Bhangra (Punjabi dance)! Throughout all of these activities I’ve gotten the pleasure of getting to learn so many new things, build greater communities, as well as teach others! In everything I do I make sure I am doing it because I truly enjoy it, and I’ve found that in common with these activities and Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference. In the future, I hope to pursue a major in Sociology so I can do research and answer unknown questions about our society. I like learning about current issues and have always been a curious person since I was a child. I remember asking so many questions in the car when I was younger that my aunt was befuddled. So getting to do this in the future as well excites me!

What is your school and grade? How long have you been involved with Hands4Hope? I am a freshman at the Virtual Academy. I have been involved with Hands4Hope for 2 years now, I’m actually on my third. (Woo-hoo!) Why did you join Hands4Hope & how did you hear about it? So, I didn’t hear about it in the way you might expect. I’m an extremely curious person, and one of my middle school teachers had “H4H” written up on the whiteboard. I remember wondering what it was, and was even more interested when it was described as a club. I know that’s a general term, but I’d never been in a club before then. Honestly, it was on my bucket list. I nearly forgot about it until just before lunch when another of my teacher’s wrote “H4H” on the board. I went right over to the classroom that the meeting was being held in, and met Lori and the leadership team, as well as others who wanted to join. They explained what Hands4Hope was, and gave me some paperwork to fill out. I’m not going to lie, it was all so quick and confusing at first! But I joined up because I wanted to give something new a try. Now, the reason I make sure to be involved every year is because I fell in love with Hands4Hope. How has Hands4Hope helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life? It’s helped me in many ways, especially with teamwork. I used to prefer working independently and was terrible at working with others. Then I joined Hands4Hope, and now I prefer working with at least one other person. Everything is so much easier and enjoyable that way. I also find it easier to make new friends...and keep them. As for my family, it gives me special experiences to share with them and I feel more cheerful around them after volunteering. My life has been made a million times better with Hands4Hope. I’ve felt safer, happier, and most of the time I HATE being around a lot of people, but not when I’m volunteering. When I’m doing that, I feel the strongest I’ve ever felt. In fact, one of the only things that got me through COVID was Hands4Hope. Though some things changed, the basic idea stayed steady. I got to see everyone on Zoom, I always had a day to look forward to each week, AND I was the Herbert Green Hands4Hope Club’s secretary from 2020-2021. There’s nothing like it. What has your experience been like since joining? My experience keeps improving with each event that I attend. It’s a lot like upgrading an app. There’s always something new and improved. You can never get bored! It recharges me, too. Every week takes a lot out of me, so it’s nice that I can get a break from my life at school and at home. And everyone at Hands4Hope, it’s an honor to get to work with them. They’re kind, caring, and supportive. Thank you everyone! Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experiences with Hands4Hope? My absolute favorite event is, hands down, GVCC Common Ground. The people we serve there are so sweet, and it’s comforting to know that I can help them. My name is insignificant to the world, but I can make a big difference, and that’s the best feeling in the world.

What is your school and grade? How long have you been involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? I am in 8th grade at Camerado Springs Middle School. I have been involved in Hands4Hope since 6th grade. Why did you get involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference & how did you hear about it? Even before I found out about Hands4Hope, I wanted to help make a difference in the community. I heard about Hands4Hope through a school event and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do so. When I signed up, I wanted to be involved in something in which other people felt the same about making a difference for other people and that’s exactly what I found! How has Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life? Hands4Hope has helped me in school, with my family and friends and in life because I have learned many important skills for me to be successful. Prior to Hands4Hope, I always liked to think for the entire group, planning things my own way. When I became a leader for my school club, I learned that I had to change my perspective. I learned it’s important for everyone to be included and get their own say in the decisions that are made. Another thing I have learned from Hands4Hope is to come out of my shell, talking to groups of people. I have always been shy, so when I was given the chance to be a leader, I was reluctant, given the fact I would have to talk in front of and to groups of people. Ever since the beginning of this school year, our club has been meeting in person. This has given me the chance to work on my shyness and I now feel comfortable talking to those groups. What has your experience been like since joining? My experience with Hands4Hope ever since I joined has been great! All of the adult mentors and high school leaders I have met and worked with have been very nice and fun to be around. I have helped with two school projects and both of the organizations and the people there have been super friendly and very appreciative of the donations we have provided. Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experiences with Hands4Hope? Being a leader in a Hands4Hope school club has been a very positive experience for me and something I hope younger club participants will want to be a part of as well. When I was in 6th grade, I remember listening and watching the club leaders run the meetings. I thought of how well organized and leader-like they seemed. In 7th grade when I joined the leadership team, I didn’t realize how much time, involvement and commitment was needed in order for the meetings to run smoothly - it just didn’t seem like that at first glance. Over time, I realized that I liked to contribute to the leader meetings because of my organization and how it could benefit the rest of the group. Of the two projects I have worked on with Hands4Hope, my favorite would be our project last year - raising money by selling homemade masks to benefit the El Dorado County German Shepherd Rescue. Our club only had seven members, which is a small number, but we managed to raise $682. It was super fun, working with a smaller group, because everyone had more time to share their opinions. At the end of the day, I think it is amazing that I get to help make a difference in someone’s life - whether it is an animal or person. I hope to continue this work with Hands4Hope throughout high school and further on because having an impact with the community is meaningful to me. I encourage everyone to join Hands4Hope because it is really something special.

What is your school and grade? How long have you been involved with Hands4Hope? I am a sophomore at Oak Ridge High School. I started volunteering with Hands4Hope in 7th grade, and got involved with leadership in 8th grade. Why did you join Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference & how did you hear about it? I joined the Hands4Hope Club at Marina Village Middle School after hearing about it through the school newsletter. I had just become part of Ohana Climate Committee, my school’s culture club, and I realized how much I enjoyed leadership and helping others. I wanted to get more involved with my community, not just my school. When I learned about Hands4Hope’s service-learning approach, I was sold! How has Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life? Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference has shown me how to empathize with others, which has really helped me understand different points-of-view. Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference leadership has taught me so many life skills, from writing a professional email, to collaborating with a team, to communicating efficiently with a large group. I have applied these skills to many different areas of my life, such as my co-chair position on the El Dorado County Youth Commission and role as secretary of Youth and Government. Above all, Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference has helped me become more outgoing, share my voice, and find my place in my community. What has your experience been like since joining? Absolutely amazing. My friend was recently signing up to volunteer at the Winter Boutique, but she was nervous because she didn’t know anyone there. I immediately told her, “Don’t worry. Literally EVERYONE in Hands4Hope is nice.” And it’s so true! My experiences in Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference have been nothing but positive. I have made so many amazing friends, and I have met so many wonderful people through volunteering and leadership - kids from Oak Ridge High School, kids in different schools, people younger than me and people older than me. The Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference adult staff have always made me feel so comfortable sharing my ideas, which I am so grateful for. My friends have a running joke where they make fun of me for calling Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference a “hobby”, but I really do enjoy it so much. Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experiences with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? The school clubs have always been my favorite part of Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference although, wearing an inflatable shark costume for the Endless Summer Beach Party Fundraiser is definitely a close second! My experiences as club president have meant so much to me. I have so much fun learning about leadership at our annual retreats. Working with my fellow leaders has always been a blast. I mostly enjoy teaching others about the service-learning approach the most. It is truly motivating to know that you are not only helping your community, but helping other youth do the same by guiding them to plan and implement their own service project. Right now, our Oak Ridge Hands4Hope Empower club is in the investigation stage, so we are hearing guest speakers from two local animal organizations. Huge thanks to Nicole and Kathy for being such awesome education program coordinators for ORHS!

Volunteering with Hands4Hope and seeing firsthand how I could make a difference within my community is one of the most fulfilling things I have done. What grade are you in and what school do you go to? Also, how long have you been involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? In the fall, I will be a junior at Oak Ridge High School. I got involved with Hands4Hope in early December and quickly began joining their numerous youth-led Community Engagement Committees. I currently participate in the ASPIRE Outfitters and Emergency Food Pantry Committees and I am one of the leaders on the Ryan Christopher Hersh Scholarship Committee. How did you hear about Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? What motivated you to join? I heard about Hands4Hope from my friends who brought me along to volunteer at the Fall Festival. The Fall Festival gave me a peek at the incredible community and environment that Hands4Hope has created for everyone including volunteers, adult leads, and community members. How has Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life? Hands4Hope has taught me how to properly organize, communicate, and lead with my peers. It has taught me how to create an approachable and welcoming environment for people. These skills have transferred over into my school and personal life as it has helped me communicate effectively with the people around me. Hands4Hope has not only grown me into a better leader, but it has also grown me into a better person as a whole. What value do you think Hands4Hope-Youth Making A Difference adds to the community? Hands4Hope has helped this community in ways that most people wouldn’t be able to do on their own. Joining Hands4Hope has made me feel that I am a part of something higher than myself. All of the fun events, fundraisers, and drives that Hands4Hope has done have given families safety and security during crises like the Caldor Fire and the Covid-19 outbreak. One of the first things I remember about Hands4Hope is volunteering at the Winter Boutique and being in charge of the kids' station. At the kids' station, I remember talking, playing, and laughing with all of the kids there. I played hide and seek, tag, candy cane ring toss, and even hosted a game of Twister! Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experiences with Hands4Hope? Volunteering with Hands4Hope and seeing firsthand how I could make a difference within my community is one of the most fulfilling things I have done. I am so glad I have dedicated my time to Hands4Hope and its cause.

1. What is your school and grade? How long have you been involved with Hands4Hope? What committees and/or school club have you been involved in? I’m currently a senior at El Dorado High School and I got involved with Hands4Hope - Youth - Making A Difference at the beginning of my junior year. Since then I have had the opportunity to be part of the Winter Boutique Committee and mainly the Emergency Food Pantry Committee! 2. Why did you join Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference and how did you hear about it? I first heard about Hands4Hope through ParentSquare. I saw the digital flyer about the Fall Food RoundUp and decided to attend hoping to meet people since I was totally new to the area. I had moved during the middle of the COVID pandemic while school was online and I knew no one so this was the perfect opportunity to meet people! 3. How has Hands4Hope helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life? Especially since I joined during the pandemic, Hands4Hope has really helped me in so many ways. I have been able to meet SO many new people and improve my own relationship building and communication skills. It has also given me an opportunity to take on more leadership roles, allowing me to increase my confidence and improve on skills that will prove beneficial in all areas of life such as: time management, teamwork, and professionalism. 4. What has your experience been like since joining? Since joining Hands4Hope I have been able to gain a family outside of my family. Especially in regards to the Emergency Food Pantry Committee, it’s provided me with a safe place to improve on myself and the skills I have acquired and to create long lasting relationships with positive people. It has been amazing to go from a learning position to now holding a leadership position and being able to step up to help others. My experience has been nothing but positive and it has allowed me to feel like I have a real impact in my community. 5. Is there anything else that you would like to add about your experiences with Hands4Hope? Throughout my experience I have realized the adult mentors/volunteers that are part of the committees, school clubs & various outreaches are incredibly selfless and influential. The relationships I have formed with these adult mentors are some of the best relationships I have. They prove to have the youth and the community’s best interest in mind in everything they do and truly love the work they are doing. They are individuals I know I can always rely on and go to in times of need. Every aspect of Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference is well thought out and shaped to support the growth of youth!

Since Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference started in 2008, thousands of youth have participated in Hands4Hope clubs, committees, and community engagement outreaches. One way we measure the impact of our program is through conversations with our Alumni. This month, we have a special opportunity to hear from one of the founding youth of Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference, Jacob Bassett, who was just nine years old when the idea for Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference was born. Please take a moment to read Jacob’s reflection on being part of Hands4Hope at its earliest stages, and how this experience shaped his growth. A recent graduate of Knox College in Illinois, with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Marketing, Jacob will be on special assignments with us, interviewing other alumni to find out what their experiences have been since graduating and the impact of Hands4Hope has had on their lives. It’s hard to talk about my experience with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference as one quantifiable thing. The truth is, I have no idea who I’d be without it. When I was nine years old, my mom came to my brother and me and told us that she wanted to be more involved with the community. It was a small operation at first - just a dozen people with an inclination towards volunteering. It’s a rare thing to witness the birth of something this significant but as I grew up, it grew with me. I was able to track the progress towards each major milestone that we achieved… mostly because I was brought along to most projects after school. My mother, Jennifer Bassett, asked my brother, Andrew, and I for advice every step of the way, trying to get our opinions on the hundreds of ideas running through her head. Because of that, I had a sense of agency that I’d never felt before. While I started out as something of a yes-man growing up, this inspired me to start making my own decisions and grow into my own person. Some kids had football or soccer, but I had this; this is what I knew. Homeless outreaches became commonplace in my childhood, going out to help the less fortunate once a month. Now it’s worth noting that I was a fairly anxious child and I was nervous each and every time we went out. That is, up until the point we gave out the first meal. It was at that point that I got to see the smile on this complete stranger’s face - the gratitude for something I had a part in. Because of that, I got to meet amazing and interesting new people who I never would’ve had the chance to in my El Dorado Hills bubble. There were hundreds of people from all walks of life that lined up to get our simple sack lunch, each one of them with a lifetime's worth of stories to tell. To this day, it is still one of the most astounding and inspiring things I’ve ever experienced. These days I’ve taken a step away from the operational side of Hands4Hope, instead assisting with more behind-the-scenes projects, such as making deliveries or renovating new areas of operation, and I really love the work. I’ve smashed furniture with hammers, reached through fiberglass to do electrical work, made deliveries to people all over the county, and now I’m here presenting this fun little blog to you all. It is my absolute honor, as one of the founding members of Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference, to highlight our volunteers who go out of their way to assist our community. Each one of them has had a positive impact on someone's life, spreading their much-needed kindness throughout the world. Until I next help tell their stories, this is Jacob Bassett proudly signing off and encouraging you to hope, dream, and inspire the world for a better tomorrow.

Please give a warm welcome to Casey Hanson who joins Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference as our new Operations Director! Casey will play an important role in helping us maximize our time and resources so that we can best serve and support the youth in our Education and Community Engagement programs. Casey’s goal is to expand our organization’s capacity to “encourage our future leaders while at the same time having a direct impact on those in our lovely community.” We hope you’ll take a moment to get to know Casey whose adventurous spirit has taken her as far as Bangkok, Thailand! Her journey eventually led her back to the Placerville area where she was born and is now raising her two daughters with her husband (who she’s known since 3rd grade) in the home that belonged to her grandparents! Welcome, Casey! Tell us a little bit about yourself! I’m a small-town girl, born at Marshall Hospital right here in the heart of Placerville. I grew up exploring the forest trails of the Sierra Nevada and breathing the sweet mountain air. I’ve lived in many places since then: from Monterey Bay and San Diego and San Luis Obispo to Bangkok, Thailand, but my heart belongs to El Dorado County. My husband (who I’ve known since 3rd grade) and I moved back to Placerville in 2015 after our oldest daughter was born. Now we have two girls who are 5 and 8 years old and three sassy cats. We just bought our first home in the Fall of 2022 - an adorable 1951 ranch-style home that belonged to my grandparents. Together we are giving it a little TLC and transforming it into our dream home. What were you involved with before starting with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? Most recently, I was the Treasurer for the Gold Oak Elementary PTO Board. I absolutely loved working alongside the other amazing and talented PTO Board Members who spent long hours and countless weekends making our little school community the best it could be. It was so rewarding to be giving back to my daughter’s school, which happened to also be my alma mater. Prior to that, I worked in healthcare administration, for the California State University system, in magazine copyediting and teaching at Chitralada Royal Palace School in Bangkok. I’m proud of the skills and experience each of these varied positions has given me and I’m looking forward to using them in my new role as the Director of Operations for Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference. What do you like to do in your free time? My days are never dull - I feel as though I could fill 5 lifetimes with the hobbies I enjoy! When I’m not shuttling my kiddos to swim practice or dance or softball games, I like to take in a coffee date with my friends, plan parties and events, create fun things on my Silhouette machine, book a flight for my annual girls' trip or play Settlers of Catan with my family. In the warmer months, you can find me playing ball on my women’s and co-ed softball teams or hiking to Lake Winnemucca. Home design has moved to the top of my list lately and one thing I’m very excited about is the art studio my mom and I plan to make out of a converted horse stable! What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know or are surprised to learn? I’m a thrill seeker and have absolutely no fear of heights. I always want to go higher, faster and further! I once jumped off a rope swing 50 feet up while tubing down the Nam Song river in Vang Vieng, Laos. Unfortunately for me, my oldest daughter seems to have inherited this gene and is likely the reason I have so much gray hair. I also happen to be very good at remembering names! What goals do you have for your work with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? My immediate goals are to quickly learn the intricacies of this awesome organization and make myself an asset to the team. I want to put my enthusiasm, creativity and positive energy to good use! A more long-term goal is to help the day-to-day operations of the organization run like a well-oiled machine, to help improve processes and make them more efficient, freeing up more time for learning, growing and expanding. I think the possibilities for Hands4Hope are endless and I can’t wait to see where we are going next! What are you most looking forward to in working with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? Not only am I excited to work with a very inspiring team of people, but I also can’t wait to be a part of an organization that is working to encourage our future leaders while at the same time having a direct impact on those in our lovely community. I’m looking forward to meeting new people who share a vision for a better tomorrow and are ready to put their thoughts into action!