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Hands4Hope has selected Milestone Restaurant as this month's Sponsor Spotlight! Milestone has been so supportive of Hands4Hope this year with sponsoring the Fall Festival, donating What is the reason(s) for sponsoring Hands4Hope? We always want to support the local community.

What is the reason(s) for sponsoring Hands4Hope? The reason we chose to sponsor Hands4Hope is twofold. First, the "Give" part of our "Live. Smile.

This month we would like to recognize Handler Farms as our Sponsor of the Month! What is the reason(s) for sponsoring Hands4Hope? Our reason for sponsoring Hands4Hope falls into our wish to continue community involvement.

Learn more about one of our sponsors, Wells Fargo, and why they choose to support Hands4Hope. 1. What is the reason(s) for sponsoring Hands4Hope?

Western Sign Company, Inc., has been operating in Placerville since 1959. We custom fabricate everything from small office plaques and lobby directories to illuminated storefront letters and 80 foot tall illuminated freeway signs with LED message centers. Our owners, Dave and Cindy Brazelton, are very engaged in the community and support a variety of causes. Western Sign is especially interested in supporting Hands4Hope because it works to empower our local youth to take part in becoming the next generation of great leaders. You've probably seen some of Western Sign Company's signs around the area. Here are just a few examples of the work they do:

Cassandra Conner, a 12th grader at Oak Ridge High School, first began her involvement with Hands4Hope in her junior year. She quickly jumped in, and has tallied more than 186 service hours through involvement in Winter Boutique, Empty Bowls, and outreaches including GVCC, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Honor Our Troops, and so much more. She found her way to Hands4Hope's after-school committee opportunities by participating on the Ryan Christopher Hersh Scholarship Committee. She also took on leadership roles, and is the current secretary for the Oak Ridge Hands4Hope Empower Club, Volunteer Manager for Winter Boutique Committee, and is a participant on the Operations Subcommittee for Empty Bowls. Cassie is taking advantage of all that Hands4Hope has to offer and making a tremendous difference for her peers, her community, and herself along the way! "From the moment I met Cassie, she has always been willing to step up and help in any way she can. This year, as a leader, she has truly shone. She leads with compassion and integrity, consistently bringing new ideas to the table and ensuring that every voice is heard." -Sydnie Warner, Hands4Hope Education Program Coordinator and Staff Mentor for the Oak Ridge Hands4Hope Clubs How did you first get involved with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? One of my closest friends was the president of the Oak Ridge Empower Hands4Hope Club. She knew I wanted a way to volunteer, but I wasn’t really sure how. She encouraged me to apply to the Club and come volunteer with her. I started going to Winter Boutique events, and I had a lot of fun, which made me start signing up for other things as well. How has your involvement with Hands4Hope shaped you? I’ve always been shy and struggled to talk to new people. However, after joining Hands4Hope, I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with so many different people every single time. I think I’m less shy now and more confident when talking to and meeting new people! Has your involvement with Hands4Hope helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life? I have opened up a lot and bettered my communication skills. I used to be very shy and nervous to share my ideas, especially when I was with an unfamiliar group of people. Now, however, I can speak up more! Hands4Hope has given me a safe space to express my creativity in and outside of volunteering. Do you have one special Hands4Hope moment to share? At Leadership Camp, there was a storm and we had to stay inside the cabins for a few hours. Everyone in my group got to hang out and talk, and it was really fun getting to know each other! I felt a lot more connected to the leaders in my club after this too.

Ella Coller's story is a little different from a lot of Hands4Hope Youth Spotlight stories.

Andrea Howard is shown here visiting a Hands4Hope Stuff the Bus event to see youth in action. By Andrea Howard, representative of Parker Development and Vice Chair of the Hands4Hope Board of Directors Hands4Hope is so appreciative of your long time partnership! Why do you continue to support Hands4Hope and how does our mission to inspire and empower youth in leadership and service fit your current goals? Serrano – Parker Development has a long history of supporting the communities we build. Youth development is a particular focus for our corporate philanthropy because it provides youth with supportive networks and opportunities for connectedness that boost their social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral competence. Hands4Hope – Youth Making A Difference does just that. I am so impressed and inspired by the youth in Hands4Hope for the range of their positive qualities. They are inquisitive, good listeners, excel at interpersonal skills and communication, use their passions and strengths to solve real-world problems, possess resiliency and adaptability, and have confidence in their abilities. Why is our shared commitment to serving the local community so important to you? Adolescence can be such a challenging phase of life as teenagers develop their identities and experience pressure to conform to their peers. It is a crucial time of social and emotional development that can impact their mental health, but unfortunately, mental health determinants such as emotional and behavioral disorders and risk-taking are on the rise. Stress, bullying, quality of home life and relationships with peers can exacerbate mental health conditions. However, Hands4Hope is a supportive environment that creates a safe space where all youth are welcome and truly delivers on their core organizational values — youth-driven, inclusion, service, collaboration, and integrity. This positive atmosphere allows youth to find purpose and exercise their voices in meaningful ways for them personally as well as the greater good. What is your favorite thing about Hands4Hope? My favorite thing about Hands4Hope is how it offers a place for youth to connect outside of the usual array of extracurricular activities like athletics, academic clubs, band/choir, and student government. As a teenager, I did not have confidence in my intellectual or physical abilities and did not participate in extracurriculars, leaving me feeling like an outsider throughout most of my high school years. I wish I had a Hands4Hope growing up that would have helped me identify and appreciate my strengths at an earlier age and sparked my passion to lend a helping hand to those in need. If I had felt empowered, I would have recognized my capabilities, had the confidence to try new things, and learned from my mistakes instead of being afraid of them. On the contrary, Hands4Hope provides a framework and mentorship that instills belief in youth that they are capable of extraordinary things! Tell us about your company/organization. Parker Development Company is a third-generation, family-owned business that has created award-winning communities in the greater Sacramento area for more than 60 years. Our early projects were Greenhaven and Riverlake in Sacramento, followed by The Parkway at Folsom. One of our largest, current-day projects is the 3,500-acre Serrano community that we began developing in the early 1990’s. It is hard to believe this much time has passed, but we have had an office in El Dorado Hills for nearly 30 years (initially off Governor’s Drive and currently in the Serrano Visitor’s Center on Serrano Parkway) to house a small, but almighty staff who have overseen the construction of Serrano and its various amenities from day one.

Jack Clarke first started with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference via his on-campus Hands4Hope Club last year as a freshman, so he's only been with the organization for about a year, but he has already done a lot! Not only did he participate in his club, he also was elected Treasurer this year. Plus, he has taken on leadership roles in after-school Hands4Hope Committees, such as Glow Toys Manager for the Kids Zone Committee, and Co-Chair of Collections for the School Supply Drive Committee. "From the moment Jack joined the Oak Ridge Hands4Hope Club, he was filled with an insatiable desire to assist and make a positive impact. His radiant smile and genuine kindness create an atmosphere of warmth and inclusivity, making everyone feel welcome and valued. This summer, witnessing his leadership skills blossom at High School Leadership Camp was truly inspiring. I am thrilled to witness him lead his club with unwavering confidence this year. He truly embodies the spirit of Hands4Hope." Sydnie Warner, Hands4Hope Education Program Coordinator and Staff Mentor for Oak Ridge Clubs What motivated you to begin participating with Hands4Hope? I had a friend who was involved and told me about it. I was motivated by wanting to get involved with something. I wanted to help out the community in some way, and Hands4Hope was a perfect way to connect me with those opportunities. How have your experiences so far with Hands4Hope shaped you? I’ve had a few experiences that have shaped me compared to when I first joined. Leading the glow toys team in the Kids Zone committee has helped me get better at planning and following through with plans. It taught me how to lead and manage a team. A second experience was with the camp for high school leaders. It was a great way to learn some skills in leading groups and planning meetings, as well as getting comfortable with speaking in front of large-ish groups of people. Has Hands4Hope participation helped you in school, or in life in other ways? It has definitely helped me with public speaking. At school we have to give lots of presentations, and in club meetings I will have to talk in front of 30+ people. Hands4Hope has been a great way to help me practice public speaking, especially since it has been very nerve-racking for me in the past. What has been a favorite moment so far with Hands4Hope? My favorite memory with Hands4Hope was definitely High School Leadership Camp during the summer. It was a great time getting to know the other leaders and working as a team. I learned a lot of skills in terms of working with other people and leading meetings. What would you tell someone thinking about getting involved with Hands4Hope? If someone was considering joining Hands4Hope I would tell them that Hands4Hope is a great way to connect with the community and find ways to help out. They are super flexible in terms of timing and meetings, except for high school clubs, but they are a great group that is easy to work with. I love working with Hands4Hope and I am so grateful for the skills they are teaching me. It has been a very nice way to learn many life skills that I do struggle with, or have struggled with in the past. All the adults are amazing to work with and super caring. Overall, Hands4Hope is a great organization and I would highly recommend joining. What else do you enjoy doing? I run cross-country and track for Oak Ridge, as well as spend lots of the winter skiing in Tahoe. My family loves to travel to the beach when we can, and just traveling in general to new places.

During her high school years, Jena Brasil was an active youth participant with Hands4Hope on-campus Clubs, after-school Committees, and other activities. She also took on leadership roles within those activities, despite being shy and doubting her leadership abilities at first. She found that she excelled in these roles, and it's now easy to find a connection between her experiences in Hands4Hope, her career thus far, and her future plans. What was your experience with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference as a youth participant? When I first began participating in Hands4Hope I was 14 years old, and I was involved until I graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 2020. The program I started with was Project Birthday. I vividly remember my mom telling me that they needed someone to lead it, and thinking that I definitely was not qualified to do it. I met with Yoko and decided to go for it anyway, and over time I really fell in love with the project and ended up being in charge of it for all 4 years of high school. During that time I also got to lead KidsOasis, had the privilege of joining the Youth Board and the Executive Youth Board, was elected president of one of the Oak Ridge Hands4Hope Clubs, and helped with other annual events like the Fall Festival and Winter Boutique. Tell us about where you are now. I am currently an AmeriCorps member contracted to work with Placer County for 1 year on their Sustainability Plan. If you’re unfamiliar, AmeriCorps is a federal agency that engages Americans in national service to address critical needs in communities across the country. Before my current position I was an AmeriCorps member building houses for Habitat for Humanity Maui for a year, and before that I went to San Diego State to earn my Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science. How have your experiences with Hands4Hope shaped you into the person you are today? Hands4Hope shaped me in many ways. When I was asked to help with Project Birthday freshman year I was incredibly shy. I hated public speaking and I had no confidence that I could lead anything. In fact, I was pretty confident that I was not cut out to be a leader. Today (almost 10 years later), I do public speaking, meeting facilitation, and project management tasks on a regular basis with no issue. Hands4Hope started me on the career path that I continue on today. I chose to go into public service with AmeriCorps because Hands4Hope had put me in the service mindset, and it was also incredibly useful to have on my resume to show my experience with project management and volunteer engagement. I also maintain connections and friendships I made through Hands4Hope to this day. What are some favorite memories from your time as a youth participant with Hands4Hope? I always enjoyed the leadership camp, which was held in Coloma. I learned so much about myself and gained confidence in my abilities each year, and sometimes even did the ropes course blindfolded. I also enjoyed working on large projects like the Fall Festival and Youth Board Benefit Dinner and seeing the culmination of weeks of work come together in one big event. What are your current personal and professional goals in life? When my AmeriCorps term is up I hope to continue in public service; either in the local government or nonprofit space. I hope to be able to also continue in environmentally related public service projects. I believe that Hands4Hope created a very strong foundation of skills to achieve these long term goals. Personally I hope to be able to strike a good work-life balance in order to spend time with my family while also serving my community. In what way are you staying involved with Hands4Hope as an alumni? I have participated in the occasional Hands4Hope alumni meeting when I get the chance, and I’m hoping to get more involved once I settle into a new job after my AmeriCorps term is over in August! What activities do you enjoy in your free time? Recently I’ve taken the first steps to get my private pilot license so I hope to be able to continue moving forward with that. I also enjoy playing music, going to the gym, and spending time with my boyfriend and family. One of the houses Jena built during her first AmeriCorps term with Habitat for Humanity Jena working remotely from a Habitat for Humanity forklift Jena tiling a shower during her time as an AmeriCorps with Habitat for Humanity

Tania Thomas has participated with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference for five years across all areas of the organization, from her on-campus Hands4Hope Clubs at Folsom Middle and Vista del Lago, to after-school Committees, Community Engagement Events, and other Hands4Hope events, as well. She is now on the Youth Board Executive Committee as the Community Engagement Ambassador, and also meets with the Folsom Steering Committee. She has already served more than 530 hours... and still counting as she enters her senior year at Vista del Lago! If you attended the Empty Bowls Dinner in April, you heard Tania speaking to the crowd of hundreds in her role as Hunger Education Lead. What you might not know is that she had to overcome a deep fear of public speaking to do that, and she did beautifully! She also served as Project Manager of Kids Zone 2025, after serving as Concessions Lead the previous year. She also served as Chair for the 2025 Ryan Christopher Hersh Scholarship Committee. For the School Supply Drive Committee, she has served in the roles of Distribution Lead and Marketing Lead. For Winter Boutique Committee, she served as Marketing Lead, and Clothing Layout/Decor Lead. "I had the pleasure of working with Tania when she was Chair for the Ryan Christopher Hersh Scholarship Committee, and she was so on top of tasks and so organized that I hardly had to do anything!" said Melissa Placek, Education Program Coordinator. "She kept everything running smoothly." "Tania led the Kids Zone project with confidence, positivity, and attention to detail," said Kate Barba, Special Events Program Coordinator.  "She led by example and made everyone feel welcome and included." What motivated you to join Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference? I first heard about Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference in seventh grade, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Like many others, I was bored out of my mind and lonely. When Hands4Hope was introduced as a new club at Folsom Middle School, I eagerly joined, initially just for the service hours. After helping deliver gift baskets to healthcare workers, I instantly became hooked, not on the hours, but on the feeling of joy and purpose that came from giving back. How have your Hands4Hope experiences shaped you into the person you are today? They’ve made me more confident, both in new situations and in my abilities. I’ve developed public speaking, project management, marketing, and collaboration skills. They’ve given me the platform to speak up about issues that I see around my community and the opportunities to try many, many different things, inspiring me to become the best leader I can be. How has Hands4Hope helped you in school, with your friends and family, and in life? Hands4Hope has helped me make so many friends—people who I would have never gotten to know. In life, I’m becoming more fulfilled in the personal impact I’ve made on my community. Ultimately, I hope I’ve made my family proud. I’m immensely grateful to Hands4Hope for stumbling into my life! What has been your favorite memory so far with Hands4Hope? My favorite recent memory (I have too many to count and I’m indecisive) has to be this year’s leadership camp! Unfortunately, during our high ropes climbing course, a thunderstorm rolled in that had halted all activity and forced everyone back into the cabins. My cabin had leaders from all over Placerville to Folsom and though we all mostly had only known each other for about 12 hours, Hands4Hope helped us all connect immediately and we had a blast doing karaoke and made the best of an unfortunate situation. My other favorite memory, more related to Community Engagement, is Empty Bowls. I was Hunger Education Lead and one of my duties was making a speech about food insecurity in front of this huge crowd (about 500+ people) and I’ve never done such a thing in my life. It’s insufficient to say I was scared, but I did it and it was the one of the most satisfying accomplishments I have done through Hands4Hope. What would you tell someone who is considering joining Hands4Hope? Do it! It’s about all the opportunities life throws on your path—you don’t know which ones will lead to the best outcomes so try them all. Hands4Hope always puts your voice first so that not only will you feel empowered to take action around you but you will feel also more prepared to face challenges that may befall you later in your professional/educational path. There is a plethora you can try—Community Engagement Events like MAPS Peer Mentoring to seasonal committees like Winter Boutique. What other activities do you enjoy? Outside of Hands4Hope, I love reading, baking, and painting in my spare time! My favorite genre is fantasy/dystopian but I would read any book that comes my way. I also love spending time with family and friends.

Rivaan started participating with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference as he entered middle school in 6th grade, and liked it so much he ran for President of the Rolling Hills Hands4Hope Club as a 7th grader, with plans to continue his leadership roles. Through participating in his on-campus club, he has tallied 52 service hours so far! "Rivvan has grown as a leader this year. His cheerful smile and warm personality create a welcoming environment for everyone in the club. He sets a great example by readily stepping in to help whenever needed. His innovative thinking encourages collaboration and incorporates everyone's ideas into the solutions. It has been a pleasure to mentor him this year," said Sydnie Warner, Hands4Hope Education Program Coordinator and the Staff Mentor for the Rolling Hills Middle School Hands4Hope Club. What motivated you to join Hands4Hope? I first heard about Hands4Hope through one of my friends who literally would not stop talking about how excited he was to join and make a difference. Honestly for the first two meetings I was not really interested and was just there to hang out with my friends. But then I saw what a huge difference that Hands4Hope makes on the community and I was set on helping as much as possible. What really motivated me to stay and join was because I could make an impact on my community and the people in it, while hanging out with my friends. How have your experiences with Hands4Hope shaped you? Unlike everyone else who was scared, nervous, or shy about middle school I was excited and super talkative. Hands4Hope has really made me a better person overall because my (amazing) mentor Sydnie and all the other leaders have taught me to be okay with listening to others and disagreeing with them. The Hands4Hope Club at RHMS has also taught me to trust other people, to let other people help me, and not let the burden fall only upon me. I was always a really loud, confident, and kind person. But through Hands4Hope I have learned to quiet down sometimes. I have become 10 times more confident in front of other people. But most of all I have become a more kind, compassionate, and thoughtful person because I know what others are going through and what hardships they face. Have you found being in Hands4Hope helpful to you? It has helped me in so many ways from making me more comfortable with talking and sharing ideas in class to being more confident to connect with others and make new friends. I believe that the experiences and teachings Hands4Hope is providing everyone with will really make not only our communities better but also the people in them better. What is a favorite Hands4Hope memory so far ?  By far my favorite memory with Hands4Hope has been our car wash fundraiser event. Not only did the event raise a bunch of money for Jake's Journey Home, but it also created new friendships and stronger bonds within our club. I vividly remember my friends and I playing around in the water trying to spray each other with the hoses, and abruptly stopping a moment later to clean another car, and then after we washed the car we would play around again. I really thank Hands4Hope for making me and my friends better friends and better people. What would you tell someone who is considering participating with Hands4Hope? If anyone was remotely interested in Hands4Hope I would drag them to a meeting/event and I bet you they would fall in love with it just like I did because we all get to make our communities better and we also get to meet new people who are all amazing. Everyone is always supportive and kind to each other, everyone also listens to your ideas. Overall Hands4Hope is a great place to be and anyone on the fence about it should give it a try. What other activities do you enjoy? I play competitive soccer. I have played soccer since I was a little kid and it is one of my favorite things to do ever! I like to spend time with my family by playing board games and watching movies. I also enjoy doing debate. I'm on a debate team and really enjoy expressing my thoughts through debate.