Helping seniors stay at home with a little transportation help and a friendly visit is the mission of the Caring Hands program at John Muir Health. Volunteers are matched with a welcoming house-bound senior for a few hours a week, to offer a ride to the doctor, the pharmacy or other errand and a friendly visit, or to provide a few hours of personal time for their family caregiver.

Caring Hands is managed by a professional staff at Muir. Hundreds of volunteers are needed to satisfy the growing demand of seniors requesting a match, currently numbering 400. Learn more about this program at a free volunteer session on March 23. To register for the event, call Volunteer Coordinator Stacy Appel at 925-952-2999 or email Caring.Hands@johnmuirhealth.com, and details will be provided.

Volunteers are vetted by Caring Hands, and given a brief training to ensure familiarity with transporting seniors who may require use of a wheelchair or walker. This is a very rewarding experience for volunteer and recipient. Volunteers must have a car. Friendships develop over time as matches are based on shared interests and compatibility.

Both volunteers and recipients enthusiastically shared their experience at the recent Caring Hands Volunteer Appreciation Dinner in the Ball Auditorium at John Muir Health in Walnut Creek. Each guest received a rose, and enjoyed a buffet dinner and dessert prepared by a JMH chef, with wine and entertainment. Caring Hands Manager Maria Amadea, Ph.D, LCSW, welcomed 150 volunteers, select recipients and guests, and introduced JMH Executive Vice President and President of Hospital Operations Jane Willemsen, and Caring Hands Advisory Committee Chair Joe Bettencourt. New Director of Guest and Volunteer Services Cathie Horton saluted her predecessor, Roxanne Foster, who retired last year.

Age well, live long, drive smart

Eldercare Services will present a free seminar for licensed drivers, conducted by a California Highway Patrol Officer, who will provide tips for driving safely, discuss new traffic laws, bicycle and pedestrian safety and suggest inexpensive car safety accessories. The event is from 2 to 3:30 p.m. March 16, at Eldercare Services, 1808 Tice Valley Blvd. in Walnut Creek. Guests must register in advance by calling 1-866-760-1808 or visit www.eldercareanswers.com.

Eldercare Services Speaker Series is held the third Friday of each month to help educate the community about issues and solutions concerning our aging residents. Learn to “Avoid Financial Pitfalls in Retirement,” is on April 20. Eldercare specializes in home, and live-in care services. Founder Linda Fodrini-Johnson is a tireless advocate for our elderly, and a past president of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. Eldercare Services Chief Operating Officer Bruce Johnson, is also leading member of Rotary Club of Walnut Creek.

Gift of Schooling Gala

Yours Humanly funds local, national, and global efforts to provide underprivileged children in underserved communities access to quality education and computer technology. The annual Gift of Schooling Gala black tie fundraiser will begin 6:30 p.m. with a cocktails and hors d’oeuvres reception, dinner, silent and live auctions, live entertainment, and dancing on March 16 at the Blackhawk Automotive Museum, 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle in Danville. Cost is $200 in advance at yourshumanly.ticketspice.com/gala.

Emcee for the event is Emmy Award-winning CBS 5 news anchor and reporter Juliette Goodrich. Guest speakers will include Miss California Jillian Smith, and Consul General of India, San Francisco, Ambassador Venkatesan Ashok. For more information about Yours Humanly, visit www.YoursHumanly.org.

Divided We Stand

Live! from the Library: “Divided We Stand: Testing the Resilience of Our Democracy” will be presented from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on March 14 , in the Oak View Room at the Walnut Creek Library, 1644 No. Civic Drive in Walnut Creek. Listen to a panel of professors from Saint Mary’s College, including Meg Honey, Monica Fitzgerald, and Steve Woolpert, discuss the endurance of the U.S. Constitution, historical crises, present-day challenges, and the state our Union.

Saint Mary’s College student leaders Kavya Maddali and Matthew Fitzgerald will discuss civics and history education in today’s classrooms and what has inspired their political activism. Save your seat by registering at http://ccclib.org/locations/walnutcreek.html, in the community events calendar.

East Bay Community Foundation

The East Bay Community Foundation representing Black-Led or operated nonprofit community organizations and businesses recently hosted more than 130 leaders from nonprofit, local businesses, municipal and civic communities to celebrate the launch of the ASCEND: BLO Initiative, (Accelerating and Stabilizing Communities through Equitable Nonprofit Development of Black-Led Organizations). Speakers at the event included James W. Head, president and CEO, EBCF, and Seitu Jemel Hart, Vice President of Membership and External Affairs, Association of Black Foundation Executives.

“This is a critical time for local anchor organizations and the communities that depend on their programs and services,” said James W. Head. “ASCEND:BLO is designed to enhance the growth and sustainability of participating organizations to more effectively address the needs of the communities they serve,” he continued. “Our primary objective is to develop a replicable approach to collaborative capacity-building that further advances the nonprofit sector with a lens toward race and equity.”

The East Bay Community Foundation will partner with leaders from Akonadi Foundation, The California Endowment, The California Wellness Foundation, the County of Alameda, Kapor Center for Social Impact, The San Francisco Foundation, the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, and The Y & H Soda Foundation to pursue this initiative. Currently, more than 200 BLOs across the Bay Area are a part of this network. Visit www.ebcf.org for more information.

Newborn layettes

Individuals and groups donate baby items to the Newborn Infant Project at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, organized by the CCRMC Auxiliary. Auxiliary members assemble layettes from donated items including receiving blankets, onesies, sleepers, digital thermometers and hats. CCRMC nurses give a complete layette to each mother as she takes her newborn home.

“We do appreciate all donations, as there are approximate 200 babies born each month,” said Deloris McDonald, publicity chairwoman. For more information, call 925-370-5818 or contact the CCRMC Volunteer Coordinator, Rhonda Smith, at 925-370-5440 or email rhonda.Smith@hsd.cccounty.us.

Blossoms for Barbara

The Clayton Valley Garden Club sponsors an annual event for Valentine’s Day called “Blossoms for Barbara.” Members recently arranged and delivered 1,311 lovely flowering plants to seniors under hospice care, shut-in patients in assisted living and convalescent locations, battered Woman’s Shelters, a Veterans Hospice, and the elderly and shut-in recipients of Meals on Wheels in the Contra Costa area.

Linda Karp, the events founder and chair, created this event in loving memory of her mother, Barbara, who has passed away. Linda wanted to bring a little joy to those who were dying, and families dealing with the grief of losing a loved one. Over the past seven years, 5,656 recipients have received a flowering plant around Valentine’s Day.

Donations for this event are gratefully appreciated: Clayton Valley Garden Club, c/o Blossoms for Barbara, P.O. Box 633, Clayton, CA 94517. Visit www.claytonvalleygardenclub.org to learn how you can participate and join this wonderful group of volunteers. Meetings are held from 7 to 9 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month at Diamond Terrace, 6401 Center Street in Clayton.

Community Awards

The 47th annual Pleasant Hill Community Awards event will be held from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on March 27 at Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive in Pleasant Hill. Cost is $50. Tickets are available through the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce by calling 925-687-0700 or visit www.pleasanthillca.org/tickets. The event includes awards for Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year, Teen of the Year, Educator of the Year, Education Supporter of the Year, Mayor’s Award, and many more.

Local hero

Cathy Ivers has been at the forefront of community involvement for Shell Refinery in Martinez for more than 15 years, and has become a beloved member of the nonprofit community thanks to her hands-on interest, enthusiasm and dedication to making our community a better place. She will soon retire, and will be missed.

Ivers’ tenure in the Shell Public Affairs division contributed to earning the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award in 2014 for leading Shell Refinery contributions to the Mount Diablo Beacon Restoration Project, and recognition for her leadership in projects at the Martinez Library, Martinez Senior Community Center, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Veterans Memorial Building, and many more.

Ivers has been a member of Kiwanis of Martinez for more than 14 years, serving two consecutive terms as president. Ivers was named Martinez Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year in 2006, and serves on many Martinez community organization Boards of Directors, where she will continue her service to our communities.