Non-profits getting chance to show stuff
THIRD STREET PROMENADE From helping homeless vets access health care to protecting orangutans from extinction, Santa Monica is home to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations looking to make a difference in the world.
Those wanting to do the same would be wise to head to the Third Street Promenade on Saturday, when the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the annual Nonprofit Festival, a free event where attendees can learn more about the work local non-profits are doing in the community and beyond.
More than 30 booths will be set up between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue, as organizations display their products and services and have representatives for visitors to speak with and possibly sign up to volunteer in the future.
A Nonprofit Resources Guide will also be made available to attendees to use throughout the year.
“This family-friendly event is a great opportunity to tap into the heart of the Santa Monica community,” said Sharon O’Rourke, public affairs manager for the Gas Company, which helped organize the festival. “Santa Monica is home to numerous organizations that provide invaluable support to youth, seniors, the arts, homeless, and more that help foster the great quality of life that Santa Monica is known for.”
Some of those organizations include the American Red Cross, which is celebrating 90 years in Santa Monica next month, the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica, environmental watchdog Heal The Bay, Saint John’s Health Center and the Westside Pregnancy Resource Center.
The festival is not only a time for residents to learn more about volunteer opportunities in their area, it also provides nonprofits an opportunity to spread awareness of their causes and seek future funding sources to keep afloat.
“It gives us a chance to interact with one another in a way that we normally do not have access to,” said Murray Wood, director of development and marketing for New Directions, a residential care agency based at the Veterans Administration complex in Westwood that helps former soldiers access health care, vocational and detox programs, job training and housing.
“We’re kind of like a car alarm,” Wood said. “They generally go off and nobody does anything about them, so when we have an opportunity to talk about our programs and show what we do, face to face, it’s a wonderful thing.”
Pat Jordan, of the Center for the Partially Sighted, a resource for the growing number of people with limited vision, said the festival is especially important because many people are unaware of the severity of the problems non-profits address.
By attending the festival, non-profit are able to challenge stereotypes and break down barriers.
“Limited vision is a new field,” Jordan said. “Years ago, people didn’t hear about limited vision because people weren’t living long enough for it to become an issue. Now we have many who are struggling day-today to cook meals for themselves, get medication or go shopping.
“With this festival, we’ll be able to introduce ourselves to people who may not need our services, but may have a relative, a friend or someone who lives up the street from them who do and they can take information back to them,” Jordan added.
The festival will begin at 11 a.m. and run until 3 p.m. In case of rain, the festival will be moved to the Santa Monica Place mall.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 24, 2007. Read the original PDF.