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ProgramsA portion of the money that Sandpipers raises from our fundraising events goes to fund several Community Service and Philanthropy programs. These programs help a wide variety of people right here in our South Bay community. Community Service Programs:Community OutreachCommunity outreach plans a beach party for children who participate in the TeamWorks program. TeamWorks is a mentoring program for middle school children at risk. Those children who successfully complete the program are treated to a day at the beach including lunch, games, and even surf lessons. Done in a DayCommunity outreach strives to complete at least 2 “Done in a Day” projects where approximately 15-20 Sandpipers along with family and friends where appropriate work to complete a project in one day. These projects could include cleaning a beach, painting or refurbishing a building, or planning a party for underprivileged children. Kids on the BlockThis 23-year-old project was originated on the East Coast when disabled children were mainstreamed into public schools. Sandpipers has been involved for the past 12 years. A troupe of puppeteers using life-size puppets performs in schools and various organizations teaching children how to deal with life's challenges. Among the topics covered are divorce, gang violence, diabetes, disabilities and cultural differences. SugarplumThis program grants Christmas wishes to approximately two thousand children in Los Angeles' foster care system. Handmade ornaments with a child's age and gift wish are hung on a Christmas tree displayed in a local shopping mall. Shoppers choose one or more of the "wish ornaments" and purchase the gift(s) for the children. Sandpipers coordinates the collection and delivery of these gifts. Often this is the only gift the child will receive. Summer ArtsEach summer, Sandpipers funds, organizes, and teaches a nine-week arts program made available to underprivileged children living in the South Bay. The classes are always full with eager children, 4 - 14 years of age, ready to create their own piece of original artwork. Parents are quite fond of the program because it provides a safe and positive place for their children during the summer; a place away from the influence of local gang activity and recruiting. The program is free to all children. Philanthropy Programs:Back to SchoolThis wonderful event matches a child from a local agency or homeless shelter with a Sandpipers member who spends an hour purchasing clothes to prepare the child for his or her return to school. In the past we have supported children from Rainbow House, House of Yahweh, Harbor Interfaith, All Life Charities, and 1736 Family Crisis Center. Sandpipers allocates approximately $150.00 per child for clothes and a backpack filled with school supplies. Mervyn’s always generously agrees to open their store early for us, provides a 15% discount on all merchandise, and underwrites the sales tax on all purchases. Participating in this event is truly one of the most rewarding experiences of Sandpipers. Emergency CaseworkThe primary goal for which Sandpipers was formed is to provide immediate and confidential assistance to worthy members of our community- that is to those struggling to make ends meet and are actively taking steps to remedy their situation. Sandpipers assists 40+ families each year through our casework program. Families are evaluated and referred to us from local social workers, school nurses, churches and other non-profit agencies. For these families Sandpipers is often the last source of hope; all other resources have been exhausted. Sandpipers is fortunate to be able to respond quickly (often within 24 hours) to the needs of these families supplying them with the means to provide their children with most basic of needs: shelter, food and clothing. For many families our emergency aid makes the difference between being forced onto the street or preserving the family unit. Last year Sandpipers provided $23,143.60 in emergency assistance to individuals and families in the South Bay, which included families who received help from the Homeless Fund, Day Care and Child Enrichment Scholarships. Holiday BasketsSince its inception in 1931, Sandpipers has been delivering Holiday Baskets to financially struggling families, providing them with much needed material necessities and hope based on the realization that strangers really do care. At an average value of nearly $700 per family, a Sandpipers "Holiday Basket" (in actuality, an entire car load of goodies) contains $250 in grocery scrip, $50 in gifts per child, $40 in shoe certificates per child, and many other toys and gifts donated by the local business community. Each "basket" is lovingly assembled and personally delivered to the family. We hope to reach 100 families this year! School Nurse ProgramWe at Sandpipers understand that the need for new shoes is so great that we simply had to find a way to increase our outreach…and we did! Each year our Associate Members fund the PayLess Shoe Source gift cards that are provided to each child under the age of 18 in our Holiday Basket Program. We are also very pleased to provide the local school districts with gift cards. The school district will find the children with the most need in their district and provide them with the PayLess Shoe Source gift cards. These cards are especially for the families who are not able to afford new shoes at this time.
Spring BasketsOur goal since 1931 has been to offer a helping hand to our neighbors. Our hope is that these Spring Baskets brings a bit of cheer to families. Typically these baskets include:
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