2014 ANNUAL REPORT
ENGAGING YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES IN COMMUNITY SERVICE AND INSPIRING LIFELONG VOLUNTEERISM
D E A R S UP P ORTER, 2014 was a milestone year for Little Helping Hands as we celebrated our 5-year anniversary! 2,400 families volunteered through our organization, representing 8% growth over the previous year. While growth is important, so is providing our volunteer families and partner organizations with high-quality, high-impact work. The benefits of family volunteering are multi-faceted. At Little Helping Hands we see evidence of these benefits each and every day. We see the satisfaction on an 8-year old boy’s face after he builds a birdhouse for a local park, using a hammer and nails. A 7-year old girl brings us her dolls to donate to a children’s shelter after she has seen the needs first-hand through her LHH volunteer work. A parent expresses his pride for his 4-year old son’s ability to work and stay focused for an entire volunteer activity. The “aha” moment when a volunteer child sees parents coming through the line at the food pantry with children her same age. We hear engaging conversations between parents and children about community needs and how they are helping. Witnessing these important moments drive us to keep inspiring the next generation of community-minded leaders. You will see in this report that we brought families from all over Austin together to work on a wide variety of community needs all year long. Thank you for your support and for helping us to create a foundation for lifelong volunteerism.
2 014 BOA R D OF D I R EC TO R S President
President Elect
Treasurer
Secretary
F IN A N C IA L S
��� ��� 2 014 REV EN UE
$252,411
55% Individuals Kind regards,
Marissa Vogel Founder and Executive Director
18% Grants
21% Corporate/Business
6% In-Kind
2 014 EXPEN SES
$212,069
77% Program
11% Administrative
12% Development
2 01 4 COM MUNIT Y IMPAC T 4,200 children volunteered • 692 volunteer activities • 62 local nonprofits served
9, 2 53 TOTAL VO LU N T E E R H O U R S HOW W E R E THOSE HOURS SPENT?
Our volunteers dedicated 3,600 hours to providing meals for individuals and families in need. Through this work, children learned about community needs like homelessness, struggles of the working poor, and the challenges of having a family member in the hospital.
1,902 hours spent taking care of our parks and outdoor public green spaces. Volunteers were exposed to the many ways in which a community must work to maintain a clean and beautiful environment.
“Initially my 7-year old was hesitant to do the work, but she quickly got into the role of food prep, and genuinely enjoyed herself. Most importantly, she understood why and whom the food was for.” -Katie Volunteer Parent
Volunteer families spent 1,850 hours working with organizations that support the needs of children and families. These community needs range from diapers, to school supplies, to books and knowledge, to gifts during the holidays. “My favorite part of all these events is the conversations that happen when I explain the purpose of our efforts. Usually it's hard to keep back the tears.” -Christal Volunteer Parent
“Each time we volunteer we learn something new and it has been incredibly valuable for my children to learn about so many different aspects of our community.” -Sarah Volunteer Parent
Service dogs, homeless pets, and pet owners in need of assistance were all served by our animal loving volunteers. 795 volunteer hours were dedicated to supporting our partners with a mission for animal welfare. “Our experiences with LHH have brought our family closer while helping the community. Each activity has been positive and educational.” -Emily Volunteer Parent
Smiles, conversations, and experiences were shared with seniors all across Austin. LHH volunteers spent 775 hours making arts and crafts alongside the elderly, bringing energy to senior communities.
Many of our partner organizations count on LHH to help with their fundraising events, walks, runs, and carnivals. 331 volunteer hours spent preparing for events, handing out water to runners and walkers, and staffing booths at events.
“It is amazing to see the difference volunteering has made in my children's lives.” -Erin Volunteer Parent
“My children are developing a better understanding of what it means to give; that giving of their time is just as valuable (maybe more so) as monetary donations.” -Roberta Volunteer Parent
WHO WE SERVE
THANK YOU TO OUR 2014 PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
Where our volunteer families live
Allen Park, AGE of Central Texas, American Heart Association, Animal Trustees of Austin, ARIA Memory Care, Arthritis Foundation, Austin Animal Center, Austin Creative Reuse, Austin Diaper Bank, Austin Dog Alliance, Austin Families with Food Allergies, Austin ISD’s Project HELP, Austin Pets Alive!, Blunn Nature Preserve, BookSpring, Brookdale Westlake Hills, Capital Area Food Bank, Caritas of Austin, City of Austin, Coats for Kids, Colin’s Hope, Colorado River Alliance, Dell Children’s Hospital, Easter Seals of Central Texas, El Buen Samaritano, Emeritus at Beckett Meadows, Foundation Communities, Green Gate Farms, Growing Roots, Habitat for Humanity, Helping the Aging, Needy, and Disabled, Hope Food Pantry, Hope Totes, Keep Austin Beautiful (KAB), Lemonade Day Austin, Manchaca Community Garden, Manos de Cristo, Mayfield Park, Meals on Wheels and More, Micah 6 Pantry, Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Mt. Bonnell Park, Operation Blue Santa, Operation School Bell, Partnerships for Children, Perry Park, Red Cross of Central Texas, Refugee Services of Texas, Ronald McDonald House, Run Free Texas, Safeplace, Sammy’s House, STARRY, Strong Start, Texas Humane Heroes, Texas Mamma Jamma Ride, The Thinkery, Treefolks, Westminster Manor, Zilker Botanical Garden
JAN – DEC 2014
ABOUT US Little Helping Hands provides meaningful volunteer experiences for Austin families, engaging young children in community service and inspiring lifelong volunteerism. Through age-appropriate, hands-on volunteer activities, families learn the value of helping others while providing a service to the Austin community. Since its inception in 2009, Little Helping Hands has organized over 2,300 volunteer activities that engaged more than 15,000 children and their families, logging more than 35,000 total volunteer hours serving 60 Austin-area non-profit organizations and groups.
littlehelpinghands.org 8711 Burnet Rd., Suite B-33 | Austin, TX 78757 | info@littlehelpinghands.org