Who We Are > Volunteers

Imagine a world without Volunteers

The sick, those with disabilities, the lonely, the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the neglected, the abused, the young, the old--all without hope that someone, anyone, would care. No one to hold a hand, give a hug, hand out a hot meal, dry a tear, say a word of encouragement, teach a new skill, plant a tree.

Were it true, the world would indeed be a bleak and frightening place.

Thankfully, volunteers abound. Each carries forward an American way of life that began in the early days of this country. Today, volunteering is different from those first days when neighbors pitched in to build another neighbor's barn or nurse a friend back to health. But the spirit has never changed.

Volunteering is the spirit of care, concern, giving, hope, and yes, love--for others, the community, the country and the world. Volunteers have taken the hopes and dreams of others and empowered them with feet and hands and minds.

Determined to make a difference, if only a small one, people from all backgrounds have taken on projects as diverse as hospices, multi-services for people with disabilities, fundraising, counseling young children, nursing home and hospital visits, and many other wonderful projects.

CRIL is fortunate to count many special volunteers working tirelessly. They give up their own time so that other's lives may be enriched.

Currently CRIL is seeking volunteers to join our Board of Directors, help with various clerk tasks and event mailings, and run the front desk including answering phones. Persons interested should contact John Quinn, Program Director at 510-881-5743 or Karen Marshall or e-mail info@cril-online.org

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Dennis Flores

Dennis Flores has been volunteering for CRIL since August 2007. He helps staff every week with copying and mailings, plus putting together client intake and outreach packets. He is dedicated, responsible and shy, but very friendly and has become part of CRIL’s “family.”

Dennis was born in Nicaragua with a disability that affects his ability to walk and stand. (He had to go through two operations when he was 12 to improve his ability to walk.) Dennis has lived in the East Bay for over 20 years now, attending Alameda County Public Schools in Hayward, Union City and Richmond. He now lives in Hayward with his mother, step father, sister and brother.

Before volunteering at CRIL Dennis worked at the Jelly Bean Restaurantin Union City but had to leave that job since his legs didn’t allow him to stand up for as long as the job required. When not volunteering at CRIL, he does chores around the family home, rides his bicycle around town and plays computer games. Dennis’s ambition is to learn more about how to fix and work with computers. In October, 2009, Dennis received the Heart of Hayward Volunteer Award for outstanding service to a local non-profit agency and the Hayward community. Congratulations, Dennis!

Jamie Caron

Jamie Caron is a high school senior who has volunteered with CRIL for the past year. During that time she has shown great pride in having a disability and being a part of the disability community. She has educated her community and served as a mentor and leader. She has stood out among her peers by being one of the leaders of the Disability Action Network for Youth (DANY), an advocacy group for young people with disabilities in Alameda County. As a volunteer, she makes calls to her peers about upcoming events and meetings and encourages them to get involved. She attends outreach events where she educates county residents about CRIL, and she does any task assigned to her with great enthusiasm. As a young woman with a disability, Jamie understands the importance of being involved in her community and contributing in whatever way possible. Her enthusiasm is contagious as she constantly finds ways to get more people involved.

Jamie was an integral part in advocating for the 2010 statewide Disability History Week Campaign. She single-handedly educated her peers and collected signatures from nearly 200 classmates, teachers and family members in support of having schools teach the history of the disability community during Disability History Week. She also successfully led the campaign to pass a Disability History resolution in Fremont by speaking in front of the School Board. When it came time to educate her peers about disability history, Jamie took the initiative to set up classroom presentations at her high school and other local schools, and she taught her peers with very little outside assistance.

Jamie constantly invites other youth to join meetings and speaks to her peers about DANY. She is a vibrant and energetic person who has led discussions, encouraged her peers to speak up, and facilitated meetings. She is able to draw connections to disability issues and is passionate about them. She was a loud chant leader during DANY's first rally in support of keeping a job training program in the city of Hayward and spoke out to a local City Council about the dangers of secondhand smoke. She continues to show her pride by speaking openly about her disability, encouraging her peers to sign up for the CA Youth Leadership Forum, and to join a statewide network of youth with disabilities: YO! Disabled and Proud.

Even with Jamie’s full schedule of going to school and volunteering at a gym, she is someone who continues to ask what more she can do for the community and how else she can help. She embodies what a great volunteer should be by having pride in herself and her community, showing leadership by advocating, and being enthusiastic about all the great work she does.

Special Accomplishments & Awards:

2010 YO! Volunteer Corps Award from California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC)
2011 Jack Campbell Award Recipient Presented by the Systems Change Network at Disability Capitol Action Day, May 25, 2011
Certificate of Recognition from Senator Ellen Corbett in 2011
American High School Choir “Most Improved Voice” Award, May 2011