Making a Difference in Your Community : Warner Center Staff to Take Steps for Health

An army of Warner Center workers will march down the streets of Woodland Hills on Thursday in a one-mile walk to raise money for the March of Dimes’ fight against congenital defects and infant mortality.

Last year, 1,500 walkers raised more than $85,000 for the March of Dimes Campaign for Healthier Babies.

Organizers are hoping to surpass both statistics for the event’s 12th year.

The goal this year is to include more than 2,000 walkers and raise $87,000, although organizers are worried that residents still rebuilding and replacing since the earthquake won’t be able to donate as much as in past years, said Shelley Hutsler, marketing director for the March of Dimes.

Walkers are asked to get friends, family and colleagues to sponsor them.

The walk through Warner Center Business Park starts at noon at Warner Center Plaza I, 21600 Oxnard St. There are no prizes for speed, but the walkers will be awarded a free lunch from Subway. Registration begins at 11:45 a.m.

“We’re always looking for more walkers,” Hutsler said.

For more information about walking or to submit donations, call the March of Dimes at (818) 972-9449.

Other volunteering opportunities:

St. Joseph Medical Center Home Health and Hospice Department is seeking compassionate people to work with recuperating patients and terminally ill patients and their families. The care involves donating four hours a week to help meet the needs of the patient and family. Activities may include staying with the patient for short periods, running errands, providing emotional support, and giving the family and patient a respite from the daily routine. For more information or to apply, call (818) 843-5111, Ext. 7051.

Community Hospice Care in Sherman Oaks is also seeking people interested in becoming hospice volunteers to offer support to the terminally ill and their families. The seven-week training session begins May 26. For more information, call Jean Gaines at (818) 760-2273.

Visually Handicapped Adults, a Van Nuys organization that helps the blind, is seeking volunteers for their recreational and social activities. For more information about volunteering, call the Volunteer Center of the San Fernando Valley at (818) 908-5066.

Volunteers are needed to help with the “Earthquake Survival Project” at Valley Storefront, Jewish Family Service. After being trained, pairs of volunteers will visit senior citizens in their homes to make suggestions about earthquake preparedness and provide earthquake kits. Volunteers are needed one day a week. For more information, call Phyllis Waxman at (818) 984-1380.

Valley Women’s Center, based in Tarzana, is seeking women as volunteers to answer phones, assist with mailings, run errands and update resource files. No experience is necessary but some knowledge of Spanish would be helpful. The nonprofit center provides counseling, education, support and referral services for alcoholic women and their families. To volunteer, call Vicky at (818) 757-2188.

The J. Paul Getty Museum is recruiting for orientation docents and information-post volunteers. Orientation docents welcome visitors by giving brief orientation talks in the museum’s main garden. They also answer visitors’ questions and participate in special educational projects. Docents work one afternoon a week, Tuesday through Sunday. Information-post volunteers staff an information desk at the museum entrance, greet visitors and answer questions. They also may usher at special events. Volunteers work one morning or afternoon a week. For more information, please call (310) 459-7611, Ext. 255.

The Volunteer Center of the San Fernando Valley, a service of the Assistance League of Southern California, seeks volunteers to work with an agency that helps people who have AIDS or are HIV-positive. Volunteers are needed for support groups, counseling and weekend seminars. Bilingual volunteers are especially needed. Training is provided. Call the center at (818) 908-5067.