Holidays in the Valley : Good Cheer--and Volunteers : Organizations: Many people start to volunteer for a variety of groups during the holidays and stay on after the rush ends.

June Simmons, 49, remembers one particular October afternoon when she began her clerical shift at Tarzana Medical Center and a 3-year-old girl was rushed in for an emergency eye operation.

“She was so tiny and helpless. Yet there was something about her that was also so strong,” said Simmons, a volunteer who until recently worked in the hospital’s emergency room. “I just knew that she’d pull through. You learn to sense these things. I wanted to share that hope with her parents, but I never saw them again.”

A while after that incident several years ago, Simmons inquired about the girl’s condition. She learned that the girl’s eye had been saved and her vision restored.

“She was one of my private success stories. I always kept a special place in my heart for the little ones that came through emergency,” Simmons said. “They were like twinkling stars. You’d look at them and just know that we’re all connected to something greater than ourselves.”

Many people such as Simmons first join the ranks of volunteering during the holidays. Most also stay on long after the holiday rush to volunteer ends.

“Here in the northeast end of the Valley, we often get overlooked,” said Vincent Maffei, executive director of the Pacoima Community Youth Culture Center. “But there’s a pride in this community that lasts the entire year. Our volunteers are the very best. And many of them don’t have much more than those they serve.”

Founded in 1977, the center is funded in part by the city of Los Angeles and private donations, and is kept going through its network of volunteers.

For the past four years, the center has worked in conjunction with the Seventh-day Adventist Church to serve Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to about 500 needy families and individuals. The rest of the year, it provides a variety of counseling, tutorial and other educational programs for low-income and poverty-level individuals.

“I was lucky,” said Maffei, who was born and raised in Pacoima. “I had a strong family unit that emphasized education. And they taught me to always give back what you took from your home. Our volunteers all have different stories and come from different circumstances, but they all give back.”

To volunteer at the Pacoima Community Youth Culture Center, 11243 Glenoaks Blvd., call (818) 896-8878. The center needs volunteers to prepare, cook, clean and serve Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas baskets.

Other organizations in the San Fernando Valley that need volunteers for the holidays and throughout the year are:

The Valley Interfaith Council, based in Chatsworth, is a network of temples and churches that provides nine different food pantries for the needy. Last year, the organization served 1.4 million meals to more than 250,000 people. Volunteers are needed for everything from meal preparation to telephone work. Call (818) 718-6460.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving needs volunteers to act as designated drivers during the holiday party season, assist with conferences, stuff envelopes and answer telephones in the office. Until this year, the organization also offered Valley Safe Rides, a student-run program; this year, adult volunteers can direct teen-agers to similar programs run by local high schools. Call (818) 986-6233.

Dedicated Older Volunteers in Educational Services is affiliated with the Los Angeles Unified School District. Senior citizens are needed to get involved with schoolchildren in a variety of activities such as tutoring, playground supervision, library and classroom assistants. Call (818) 997-2300, Ext. 6080.

Cabaret, which was started by Rena Le Blanc Dictor four years ago, auditions and uses professional musicians to perform at local convalescent and nursing homes. The group, which usually plays classic big band and Broadway show tunes, tours about once a month. During the holidays, Dictor said she tries for more frequent performances. Call (818) 887-6053.

Ombudsmen, Long-Term Care is a Los Angeles-based agency that recruits volunteers to assist senior citizens with legal questions about their convalescent or nursing home care. Volunteers require training. Call (818) 881-6460 or (213) 393-3618.

The American Cancer Society’s Discovery Shop in Sherman Oaks is a thrift store that uses volunteers to sort, price and serve as cashiers. Experience can be picked up on the job. Hours and days are flexible. Call (818) 905-9141. The society is also looking for volunteer drivers to take cancer patients to and from medical appointments and treatments. Call (818) 989-5555.

Heads Up, Therapy on Horseback is in Canyon Country. Volunteers help disabled children and teen-agers gain better muscle coordination through horseback riding. Prior equestrian knowledge is not necessary. Call (805) 297-7433.

The Retired Seniors Volunteer Program has Van Nuys and Burbank chapters. The program is dedicated to assisting senior citizens with their personal needs, from taxes to Medicare preparation. The program also places older adults as volunteers for various community projects. Call (818) 908-5070 or (818) 953-9503.

The American Red Cross in Van Nuys needs volunteers for its cardiopulmonary resuscitation courses, answering the telephones, filing, typing, computer data entry and organizing fund-raising campaigns. Bilingual speakers are also in demand for the emergency hot line. Call (818) 376-1700.

The Andres Pico Adobe in Mission Hills needs volunteers to help maintain the surrounding grounds, catalogue and file historical artifacts, and prepare the adobe to meet earthquake building standards. Call (818) 365-7810.

Haven Hills, an organization that assists battered women and their children, needs volunteers to run its emergency and referral telephone lines, offer alternative housing, donate clothing and furniture, and help with office duties. Call (818) 887-6589 or(818) 990-1379.

The Burbank Temporary Aid Center offers Thanksgiving and Christmas food pantries to local families and individuals. Volunteers are needed for food preparation, making baskets, sorting donated items and answering the telephones. Call (818) 846-2330.

AIDS Project Los Angeles has numerous volunteer positions available throughout the county. Volunteers are needed during the holidays to be buddies, offering warmth and companionship as well as assisting with small errands and other household tasks. Volunteers are also needed for the organization’s hot line, clerical duties and fund-raising campaigns. Training is provided. Call (213) 962-1600, Ext. 109.

Focus Center, based in Panorama City, works primarily with drug and child abuse cases. Volunteers are needed to lecture and train young children, teen-agers and families about prevention through a variety of techniques. Training and professional supervision are provided. Call (818) 989-4175.

The West Valley Symphony Orchestra, which features Pierce College students as well as professional musicians, needs volunteers for its fund-raising activities, writing press releases, clerical duties and assisting with concert set-ups. Call (818) 883-8030.

Meals on Wheels needs volunteers with valid California driver’s licenses and insurance to drive meals to homebound individuals. Days are flexible; hours are generally 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are several area headquarters: North Hollywood, (818) 761-6224; Van Nuys, (818) 988-7188; Pacoima, (818) 353-1413, and San Fernando, (818) 361-8089.

Children’s Home Society of California is looking for volunteer foster parents, especially those who are bilingual, for one week or on a permanent basis. Children are newborns to 18 years old. Training is offered. Call (818) 908-5055.

The Irish Fair Foundation of Southern California needs volunteers to help with its ninth annual Southern California Rose of Tralee Pageant and Christmas Debutante Ball. The foundation also recruits volunteers for other fund-raising and festival events throughout the year. Call (818) 509-8177.

Dragonwood Inc., a Northridge-based organization that holds the annual Dragonwood Autumn Festival, needs volunteers to help with publicity, filing and office duties. Call (818) 780-3325.

Las Mujeres: Harmony in the Family in Van Nuys provides support services to Spanish-speaking families who experience violence in the home. Bilingual volunteers are needed for its hot line, speakers bureau, fund-raising and publicity. Call (818) 786-2079.

The Bernardi Multipurpose Senior Center in Van Nuys offers a variety of programs for senior citizens. Volunteers are needed for teaching group activities such as playing cards, giving health tip lectures, hair styling, singing, dancing and other special performances. Call (818) 781-1101.

The East Valley Multipurpose Center in North Hollywood also offers day-care services for senior citizens as well as hot lunches, social activities and lectures. Volunteers are needed to plan field trips, cook, clean, entertain and organize holiday activities. Call (818) 780-0633.

Jewish Elder-Care Corps is a program that provides care and companionship to senior citizens in nursing homes. Volunteers are needed to visit on a regular base to read, write, play games and converse. Volunteers are matched with nursing homes in their area. Days are flexible. Some training is necessary. Call (818) 377-9849.

The Joslyn Senior Center in Burbank assists senior citizens with Medicare problems the first and third Thursday of each month. Volunteers are needed to help with the advocacy program. Mandatory training is provided. Call (818) 953-9594.

The Los Angeles Zoo uses volunteers to give tours for schoolchildren and other organizations as well as provide basic information and answer questions from the public. The zoo also has a volunteer program for teen-agers. Training is required. Call (213) 666-4090.

Valley Storefront Multiservice Center for Seniors in North Hollywood provides events, lectures, field trips and other educational services for senior citizens.Volunteers with professional and non-professional training are needed. Call (818) 984-1380.

Libraries use volunteers for sorting and stacking, cleaning, cataloguing, book sales and specific programs such as “Grandparents and Books,” where grandparents read and discuss books with young children. For details, contact the specific library:

* Canoga Park: (818) 887-0320. * Chatsworth: (818) 341-4276. * Encino-Tarzana: (818) 343-1983. * North Hollywood: (818) 766-7185. * Pacoima: (818) 899-5203. * San Fernando: (818) 365-6928. * Sherman Oaks: (818) 981-7850. * Sylmar: (818) 367-6102. * Studio City: (818) 769-5212. * Sun Valley: (818) 764-7907. * Valley Plaza: (818) 765-0805. * Van Nuys: (818) 989-8453. * West Valley: (818) 345-4393. * Woodland Hills: (818) 887-0160. All area hospitals need volunteers for various duties: * Encino Hospital: (818) 995-5036. * Glendale Adventist Medical Center: (818) 409-8280 or (818) 409-8000. * Granada Hills Community Hospital: (818) 360-1021. * High Desert Hospital Auxiliary: (805) 945-8269. * Holy Cross Medical Center: (818) 365-8051 or (818) 898-4613. * Humana Hospital-West Hills: (818) 712-4100 or (818) 712-4169. * Kaiser Permanente, Panorama City: (818) 375-2400. * Kaiser Permanente, Woodland Hills: (818) 719-4060. * Medical Center of North Hollywood: (818) 984-3258. * Newhall Community Hospital: (818) 365-5617 or (805) 259-6300. * Northridge Hospital Medical Center: (818) 885-5404. * Nu-Med Regional Medical Center: (818) 340-0580. * Palmdale Hospital Medical Center: (805) 273-2211, Ext. 3151. * Panorama Community Hospital: (818) 787-2222. * Rancho Encino Hospital: (818) 788-5923. * St. Joseph Medical Center: (818) 843-5111, Ext. 7161. * Tarzana Regional Medical Center: (818) 881-0800 or (818) 708-5134. * Valley Hospital Medical Center: (818) 908-8669. * Valley Presbyterian Hospital: (818) 782-6600.