Youth Committees
Hands4Hope's after-school project committees incorporate our mission by providing opportunities for students, ranging from 8th grade to 12th grade, to Explore needs in their communities, Act on them by creating, developing and implementing service-learning projects, while offering a variety of opportunities to Lead. The goals for this program include: creating awareness of community needs and inspiring compassion that leads toward meaningful action; offering opportunities for leadership and personal development; and building life skills such as communication, cooperation, problem solving, and budget management.
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Participants Will Have the Opportunity to:
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Participate in a real-life leadership experience, where decisions made will have a real impact
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Gain skills in managing a budget
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Understand better how a non-profit operates
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Gain decision-making skills and learn how to work as part of a diverse group
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Gain a better understanding for the struggles some in our community face
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Appreciate the value of service to the community
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Make new friends from different schools and backgrounds​
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If you are interested in a service-learning project that is not listed and would like to lead a committee in that area, we are always open to ideas. Please email info@hands4hopeyouth.org with your ideas and suggestions.
Check out our current list of committees and how to get involved.
Fall Festival Committee
The Youth Board voted to replace the Hands4Hope Haunted House fundraiser with a Fall Festival fundraiser. This fundraiser would be organized and run similar to the Scare4Hope Haunted House, but will not be as labor or time intensive.
The project team will be organized in a fashion to mimic a functioning event planning/production company with the end product being an entertaining and family friendly Fall Festival (think Apple Hill in EDH), the management and staff being youth, the goal being to raise funds, build leadership skills, and have fun.
Youth leads will be in charge of each department or team. Each team will be in charge of and responsible for a different part of the project. Teams will be made up of high school and college students (ages 14-20) from El Dorado & Sacramento Counties, and each team will have at least one adult mentor. Team choices are as follows: Operations, Games & Activities, Finance & Legal, Marketing, and Volunteer Management.
To participate in this committee, complete the following application:
The Freedom and Firework KidsZone is a service project to raise funds for the Hands4Hope Youth Development Programs. The management and staff of this committee are youth (with guidance of adult lead and Hands4Hope staff). The goals of this project are to raise funds, build leadership skills, gain real life experience and have fun. To find out more information or how to participate in this committee, email our Youth Development Coordinator, Nicole Craine, for more information.
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Freedom and Firework Kids zone Internship
This is a great opportunity for one young adult looking to have a more in-depth experience in project development, management and leadership. The Kids Zone Intern will work closely with the Youth Development Coordinator to lead the Kids Zone Committee through the full event planning process! This internship is approximately a 20 hour commitment beginning in April and ending in July. Candidates should be committed, willing to learn and motivated.
To find out more information or how to participate in this internship, email our Youth Development Coordinator, Nicole Craine, for more information.
Freedom and Firework Kids zone Committee
The Homeless Outreach Committee has a diverse set of goals, from providing sack lunches at outreach events in Sacramento, to project proposals that encourage local grocery stores to donate food to homeless services. It plans to increase awareness around the needs of the homeless community and support services in El Dorado and Sacramento Counties, and is open to any ideas that can directly impact individuals coping with homelessness. If you are interested in interacting and supporting the homeless community, creating projects that benefit local homeless support services, or addressing systemic issues of homelessness on a government level, this is a committee that will help you hone those skills while working and interacting with other youth who are passionate about this issue.
Kids Oasis Committee
The Kids’ Oasis Committee hosts a bi-monthly children’s program at Green Valley Community Church (GVCC) in Placerville. Every Saturday, GVCC holds a Saturday Cafe for individuals living in low-income or homeless situations, and provides a hot breakfast, clothing, groceries, and other resources. This process can often take several hours though, and can be especially long for the children waiting with their families. To lessen the amount of time that these children have to wait, and make the experience a little more engaging for them, Hands4Hope created Kids’ Oasis, a program that provides games and crafts, encourages building positive relationships with other attendees, and offers mentorship opportunities between the children and youth volunteers.
The Kids’ Oasis Committee is instrumental in this process, designing crafts, coordinating games, regularly attending and running the program, recruiting volunteers, working with the GVCC staff, hosting fundraisers, and mentoring the children who regularly attend Kids’ Oasis. If you are in 8th grade or up, and are interested in working with children, planning projects and fundraisers, or collaborating with other youth volunteers to create a unique and fun experience for Kids’ Oasis participants, this is the committee for you!
The Project Birthday Committee hosts monthly parties at the White Rock Village Apartments for any children having birthdays, complete with decorations, games, and cake. This committee creates, plans, and carries out themed birthday parties; designs and leads games and activities during the event; hosts fundraisers for party supplies and birthday presents; collaborates with the apartment coordinators to learn more about the kids that they will be interacting with; and works to mentor and build relationships with the children who regularly attend parties. Project Birthday provides many opportunities to develop skills in mentor- and leadership, as well as communication and project planning.
If you are in 8th grade or up, and love working with kids, eating birthday cake and playing games, or just getting to know other great youth volunteers, this is the committee for you!
Project Birthday! Committee
School Supply Drive Committee
Looking for a great summer project? Hands4Hope's annual School Supply Drive involves youth volunteers to coordinate and collect school supplies for local schools!
The School Supply Drive Committee works with local businesses and organizations to collect donations. This committee is entirely youth led (with the help of adult mentors), and collects, sorts, and counts all the School Supply Drive donations, and then advertises, markets, and hosts the School Supply Drive to distribute donated items.
*Participants must be 8th grade or older*
For more information or to participate in this committee, please email our Education Program Coordinator, Melissa Placek, melissap@hands4hopeyouth.org.
RCH Scholarship Committee
Hands4Hope hosts the Winter Boutique in December so that low-income families can receive warm clothing and new undergarments to keep them warm and safe during the cold winter months. The items distributed through Winter Boutique are collected through the Warm and Fuzzy Drive throughout October. Families also receive a handmade blanket from Hands4Hope's Blanket Making event and other blanket-making opportunities.
The Winter Boutique Committee is led by youth and mentored by adult volunteers. The committee is responsible for marketing, decorating, set up, break down, as well as hosting the Winter Boutique Distribution events, which usually occur the first two weekends of December. If you are interested in being a part of this committee, please email our Education Program Coordinator, Melissa Placek, melissap@hands4hopeyouth.org.
Winter Boutique Committee
MAPS Committee
We are so excited about our new partnership with Montessori Autism Programs and Services (MAPS) in El Dorado Hills. Hands4Hope created the MAPS committee for youth volunteers of all ages (K-High School), to interact and build relationships with youth involved in MAPS by socializing in interactive play sessions. In addition to volunteering at MAPS, members of the committee will also work on projects to benefit the facility. Meets 1-2 times a month plus projects and fundraisers.
Ryan Christopher Hersh was a young man who was an active participant in Hands4Hope and loved being involved in making a difference in his community. He was a kind and gentle and served his community with love, respect, and an open heart. The Ryan Christopher Hersh Memorial Scholarship Fund is a fund that was initiated by Ryan’s grandparents in his memory. Ryan passed away at the age of 18.
To honor Ryan and his love of serving, his grandparents Nancy and Darwin Myers and Sharon and Dick Tietgens created this fund so that others may explore needs in their community and have the opportunity to take action in their own way, as Ryan did through Hands4Hope. They also want young people to be able to explore their own strengths, whether it be sports, art, music, leadership, or something else, through local summer camps. Ryan was an avid athlete with a passion for football and lacrosse.
The Hands4Hope Ryan Christopher Hersh Scholarship Committee will be made up of high school and college-age students (14-22) from the greater El Dorado Hills area. Members of this committee will be responsible for determining criteria for scholarships, creating and distributing the RCH Scholarship Application, marketing the scholarship program, reviewing completed applications, and awarding scholarships, while managing the program budget.
Participants Will Have the Opportunity to:
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Participate in a real-life leadership experience, where decisions made will have a real impact
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Understand how a perpetual endowment fund works
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Gain skills in managing a budget and dispersing funds
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Understand better how a non-profit operates
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Gain decision-making skills and learn how to work as part of a diverse group
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Gain a better understanding for the struggles some in our community face
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Appreciate the value of service to the community
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Meet new friends from different schools and backgrounds​
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For more information about this committee and how to participate, please email our After School Education Program Coordinator, Melissa Placek, melissap@hands4hopeyouth.org.