2012 Projects

Sharp HealthCare is proud to announce this year's projects for Sharp Lends a Hand. Our employees submitted more than 25 amazing ideas, and the following 8 were chosen.

		Helen Woodward Animal Shelter: Puppy Love 5K Run/Walk Helen Woodward Animal Center is a unique, private, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the lives of animals and enriching the lives of people. For more than 30 years, this no-kill center has provided humane care and animal adoption for orphaned animals, as well as animal-centered educational and therapeutic programs for people. The Sharp Lends a Hand volunteers will help set up the exhibit booths and perform various other assignments to support the run/walk.
		Home of Guiding Hands: Landscape Makeover Home of Guiding Hands provides services to more than 425 individuals with developmental disabilities in San Diego's East County. Guiding Hands serves individuals and their families in several different residential settings and providing various services in accordance with the needs of each individual. Our volunteers will provide the labor to remove grass and install bark, rock and plants. Volunteers are asked to bring their own gardening tools for this project.
		Jewish Family Service of San Diego: Hand Up Youth Food Pantry Jewish Family Service was founded in 1918 by a consortium of women’s clubs who sought to address the myriad of human needs of the time. Today, they have grown into one of San Diego’s premier human care service organizations serving more than 35,000 people annually with 12 locations throughout San Diego County and three in the Coachella Valley. They consider themselves the “One Source for a Lifetime of Help.” When a family needs help following a disaster, when a teenage mother needs parenting skills, when a family yearns to adopt a child, when a single parent can no longer make ends meet — they make a difference in people’s lives. With more than 50 programs and services, they are dedicated to serving the entire community. Our Sharp volunteers will help set up a food shopping area, assist parents in shopping and carrying their groceries to their cars and create arts and crafts with the children to entertain them while their parents shop.
		San Diego Coastal Clean-Up San Diego Coastkeeper protects the region’s inland and coastal waters for the communities and wildlife that depend on them by blending education, community empowerment and advocacy. These events engage thousands of volunteers that unite across the county to remove litter from beaches, bays, rivers, creeks, open spaces, and urban areas. All supplies are provided and each site is led by a trained site captain. Sharp Lends a Hand volunteers will participate for the fifth consecutive year.
		San Diego Food Bank The San Diego Food Bank feeds people in need throughout San Diego County and advocates for and educates the public about hunger-related issues. Over the past four years, Sharp Lends a Hand volunteers have inspected and sorted donated food, assembled boxes and cleaned the warehouse. Sharp Lends a Hand volunteers will continue their work with the San Diego Food Bank by inspecting and sorting donated food.
		San Diego Humane Society and SPCA: Telethon Serving San Diego County since 1880, the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA provide vital services to animals and people alike. With campuses in both central San Diego and Oceanside, the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA’s programs include: • Sheltering and adopting animals • Investigating animal cruelty and neglect • Rescuing animals in emergency situations • Positive reinforcement behavior training through public classes • Providing adult and youth education programs • Sharing animals through pet-assisted therapy and more • Providing animal control and stray pet services for the public Sharp volunteers will participate in the live telethon, which raises the vital funds needed for the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA to support the animals in their care and their various community programs. The five-hour show includes videos of their programs and highlights special adoption stories and moments of joy.
		SPORTS for Exceptional Athletes: Basketball and Floor Hockey Tournaments SPORTS for Exceptional Athletes is a San Diego-based sports program serving athletes with developmental disabilities ages 5 through adult. This organization is creating enhanced opportunities for people with and without disabilities to interact and form lasting bonds of friendship through shared sports and recreational activities in their communities. Sharp volunteers will assist the coaches and athletes as timekeepers, scorekeepers, way finders and escorts at both tournaments.
		Stand Down for Homeless Veterans One of Sharp Lends a Hands’ flagship volunteer efforts, this three-day event for San Diego’s homeless veterans was a huge success with Sharp volunteers for the past four years. Stand Down provides community-based social services for veterans without permanent residence. Sharp Lends a Hand volunteers will provide much needed medical attention, organize and distribute clothing in the clothing tent and provide other volunteer assistance as needed.