PRESS RELEASE

Volunteerism and civic engagement is an ingrained part of Long Beach’s culture. To continue encouraging and promoting volunteerism in Long Beach, the City has launched a citywide volunteer campaign, “Long Beach Serves,” with volunteer activities starting on October 1, and culminating with the October 22, 2016 “National Make a Difference Day.”

“Of all the things that make Long Beach such a great city, the most important is our people,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “Volunteers generously donate their time, energy and expertise to help our community, and we greatly appreciate their service.”

The City is partnering with the Volunteer Center South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach (Volunteer Center) to launch and promote Long Beach Serves, due to its expertise in volunteer management.

“Volunteerism is an important bridge between residents and government, as well as an opportunity to find solutions for pressing problems facing our community,” said Councilwoman Stacy Mungo, who launched Long Beach Volunteer Day last year in the Fifth District. “I am continually humbled by the thousands of volunteers and organizations who step-up to make Long Beach even better through projects that enhance our neighborhoods and public spaces.”

Councilwoman Mungo introduced a City Council agenda item on September 6, requesting a report on City efforts around civic engagement through volunteerism and Councilmembers Lena Gonzalez, Suzie Price and Roberto Uranga co-sponsored the item, which was unanimously approved.

Long Beach Serves will include volunteer events in each City Council District, and all volunteer opportunities will be open to any member of the public. The campaign will also highlight existing neighborhood services and organizations that play a key role in building social capital, a sense of shared purpose and collective action.

Long Beach Serves is designed to better connect residents with volunteer opportunities that they can participate in throughout the year, including beach beautifications, neighborhood cleanups, tree plantings, library and park projects, serving as a “Senior Police Partner” with the Long Beach Police Department, and outreach efforts for the Alert Long Beach emergency notification system.

Additional volunteer opportunities that occur year-round include coalitions, neighborhood groups, “Friends of” organizations, and countless other community-based causes and initiatives, whose causes include literacy, employment preparation training, assisting the homeless, and serving as a positive role-model for at-risk youth by being a coach, tutor, or mentor.

For more information on volunteering, including a list of volunteer opportunities, visit https://volcenter.org. Volunteers are encouraged to RSVP through the Volunteer Center’s website for any events they plan to attend.