Looking to volunteer in the desert? Consider helping these 4 Coachella Valley nonprofits
Life is better when we help each other, and the best way to make a large impact is through volunteering with a local nonprofit.
These four nonprofits were all inaugural recipients of the Inland Empire Community Foundation's new CIELO fund grant, which launched in 2022 as a Signature Fund celebrating the Foundation’s 80th Anniversary.
Read on to learn more about — and how to help — these Coachella Valley-based organizations.
The Galilee Center (Mecca)
Mission: The Galilee Center was founded in 2010 by Claudia Castorena and Gloria Gomez to fulfill the needs of the underprivileged by providing food, clothing, and other basic needs while affirming their dignity.
How the nonprofit lives up to its mission:
The Center shares weekly food baskets that serve over 350,000 meals annually.
The Center provides clothing, blankets, jackets, backpacks and new toys.
The Center assists families with rental assistance, utility assistance, infant supplies, senior services and more.
The organization is looking for the following types of volunteers:
People to perform maintenance tasks including electrical, painting, plumbing, etc.
People to pick up donations of food, clothing, furniture and other goods
People to perform reception and clerical tasks, such as answering phones, mailing and data entry
People to help with annual events such as the Back to School Backpack Drive and Epiphany Day Celebration
People to assemble food baskets for low-income families in the community (this is a weekly need)
People to maintain and organize the food pantry, provide basic services coordination and referrals
People to help organize or host special events, such as food drives or toy/clothing drives
People to help organize fundraising events
How to help: If you're interested, fill out the nonprofit's volunteer application at galileecenter.org/volunteer/. For more information, call or email 760-396-9100 or info@galileecenter.org.
More: Galilee Center receives historical donation for expansion project
Read With Me (Rancho Mirage)
Mission: In 2004, Roberta and Clay Klein started a fund at the Desert Community Foundation and began recruiting volunteers for the Read With Me program. Now, they bring volunteers from 11 sponsoring churches to 14 schools around the desert to help children practice English through reading aloud.
How the nonprofit lives up to its mission:
In the classroom, the teacher assigns individual volunteers to selected students to listen to them read.
Volunteers assist their assigned student with pronunciation and comprehension.
The organization is looking for the following types of volunteers:
People who can commit one to two hours a week to visit an elementary school classroom and read with students
People who are flexible and can work one on one or occasionally with two students at a time
People who can attend an in-person or virtual orientation to learn about different techniques like high-frequency words, phonemic awareness, leveled reading with age-appropriate books, fluency practice, spelling word sorts, or just simple alphabet and sound work
How to help: If you're interested, before the upcoming new school year, email Regional Coordinator of Read with Me Volunteer Programs Rachel Luiz at readwithmerachel@gmail.com, or call 760-567-1830 and tell her where you live and what school you would like to help. Visit readwithmevolunteers.com for more info.
More: Program that helps children read needs volunteers in east Coachella Valley schools
Get in Motion Entrepreneurs (Palm Desert)
Mission: Get in Motion Entrepreneurs was started to provide free educational resources for entrepreneurs throughout the valley.
How the nonprofit lives up to its mission:
On the organization's website, you can find hundreds of completely free business classes in Spanish to help users advance their endeavors, help understand the business system and learn business law.
The organization offers entrepreneurs a virtual training consisting of eight classes taught in Spanish that, if their application is accepted, they can be paid to take.
The nonprofit offers free family therapy for applicants experiencing mental health challenges.
The organization produces a monthly business podcast that is free for all to access.
The organization is looking for the following types of volunteers:
Prospective members of the Board of Directors
Prospective podcast interview subjects interested in talking about their organization, product or services and how it helps the community
People who want to help out at events or donate their skills and time to various tasks and projects
How to help: If you're interested, fill out the organization's volunteer application at getinmotion.org/voluntarios/. For more information, call or email at 760-237-0284 or contact@getinmotion.org.
More: Entrepreneurship en español: Valley entrepreneur pushes Spanish-language business training
Escuela De LaRaza Unida, Inc. (Blythe)
No, this nonprofit is technically not based in the Coachella Valley, but it is based in far eastern Riverside County, where towns are smaller and resources can be hard to come by — just another reason to help out.
Mission: Escuela De LaRaza Unida, Inc. was started in 1972 to provide a fun, safe and nurturing learning environment for children of all backgrounds while their parents work, train or search for work.
How the nonprofit lives up to its mission:
ERU runs an after-school childcare center for those up to age 12.
ERU helps families through obstacles such as learning English, interpreting, translating or filling out forms, finding housing, finding food and/or finding a place to cool off in the hot summer.
ERU has an apprentice program for 11th and 12th grade low-income students.
ERU provides trainings in special education rights, guidance in Individual Education Plans and Individual Family Service Plans.
ERU offers music classes and tutorials for instruments that pertain to a mariachi ensemble.
The organization is looking for the following types of volunteers:
Academic tutors who can also act as a community liaison for resource and referrals. These individuals also do light maintenance work, act as English-Spanish bilingual interpreters, and help fill out forms
Children’s book readers who can also walk children to childcare after school, do light janitorial work and help garden
Volunteers who can connect with underwriting sponsors, work as an on-air broadcast engineer and/or personality and write public service announcements
Volunteers who can introduce participants to mariachi instruments and share their musical passion/knowledge. There's also a need for volunteers who can assist with danza folklorico instruction and/or sew dance costumes and headdresses
How to help: If you're interested, fill out ERU's volunteer form at escueladelarazaunida.org/volunteer.html. If you'd like to learn more, call or email the organization at 760-922-2582 or info@escueladelarazaunida.org.
Coverage of nonprofits in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun is supported by a grant from the CIELO Fund through the Inland Empire Community Foundation.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 4 Palm Springs-area nonprofits looking for volunteers this summer
