Executive Director, HandsOn Central CaliforniaA large part of WE Connect's success will be driven by volunteers who come out to the events to help families get the assistance they need.
As Executive Director of HandOn Central California, Cathy Caples is helping to drive volunteers to WE Connect events in Fresno as well as other campaigns that help bring much needed services to the people of Central Valley.
HandsOn Central California is a partner of WE Connect and the local Fresno hub of CaliforniaVolunteers. They function as part of the
HandsOn Network, a non-profit organization that operates as the largest volunteer and citizen action network in the nation.
HandsOn got involved with the Fresno WE Connect event to help recruit and coordinate the volunteers needed to make the event a success. They also have a WE Connect AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) contact housed in their agency.
Cathy has been a part of HandsOn for two years, but has dedicated a good portion of her life to volunteerism, specifically in Fresno where she had lived for the past 25 years. She understands its importance and feels it can help WE Connect reach its full potential.
"Volunteerism is the key to getting things done. There are not enough resources to pay everyone who helps people and so volunteers can make that happen," Cathy said.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to think so as well, having recently appointed Karen Baker the nation's first state Secretary of Service and Volunteering.
Baker oversees CaliforniaVolunteers, the state office that manages programs and initiatives aimed at increasing the number of Californians engaged in service and volunteering.
When it comes to service and volunteering, HandsOn Central California's goal is to build strong local partnerships with groups that will create needed action, innovation and impact in their communities, empowering people to be the center of community change.
Cathy believes the partnership of WE Connect programs and volunteers will not only get money in the hands of people who need it, but also shows how ordinary citizens and community organizations can work closely together to achieve success.
"I've been a volunteer since I was 13 years old, so this is a continuation of my life's work and it's great to be able to get new people involved in the process," Cathy said.
Cathy is excited to be a part of the WE Connect campaign and its immediate success.
"First Lady Maria Shriver has created a project that not only brings people to the services they need, but it brings the agencies that provide services to the low income people in our community together in one place, and that doesn't happen often enough."
