Tom Bagamane to sit on UCLA Volunteer Center Panel

Students at UCLA will be attending a panel discussion and community service fair this week designed to introduce students to ways in which they can make a difference in their communities as a volunteer. TGS founder Tom Bagamane will be one of the experts sitting on that panel discussing with students ways in which they can be of assistance to L.A.’s enormous, and growing, homeless population of over 60,000.

The event is called, “The Power of One, Making a Difference in Our Communities” An exploration of the exciting possibilities and opportunities of a Volunteer.

This is a great opportunity for TGS to reach the many students who are looking for ways to give their time and efforts to improve our communities.

Last December we had many UCLA alumni volunteers helping us during Giving Spirit Week 2010. TGS is now working closer with UCLA and the student community to share our common objectives of positively impacting the community of Los Angeles.

Tom Bagamane and The Giving Spirit are honored to participate in this event and we hope that our relationship with UCLA will produce many future benefits for L.A.’s homeless, for this organization, and for our communities.

Please Don’t Forget Us – The Giving Spirit Needs Your Help…

Dear friends and family, a reminder…

 

In a few short days volunteers from all over the country will gather in LA to celebrate TGS’ 11^th year by serving over 2600 homeless children, women and men. We hope…

 

As of today, The Giving Spirit (www.thegivingspirit.org) is well short of our goal to raise $200,000 to build and deliver our survival kits to our homeless children, women and men. We have raised only $96,309 with just ten days to go.  We need your help to raise the remaining $103,691. We have never faced such a large deficit with so few days to go.

 

If we can’t meet our goal we will either curtail this year’s mission and/or not be able to fund our Reach Out Event in Summer 2011 – which serves another 1000 + children and women.

 

I know times are still hard. Very hard. However, if we are suffering at our level of life…can you imagine how are homeless friends must be trying to hang on in the most desperate of times? If you can find it in your heart and budget we can use your assistance. I know you will help us if you can. If you have never seen our work up close – step up, volunteer, and see for yourself what you have helped us build these past eleven years.

 

For those of you who have already sent your donation, thank you very, very much. If so inclined, please forward this on and challenge others to join you.

 

DONATE – online at (http://www.thegivingspirit.org/index.php?id=10&link=donate) – or make out your check to The Giving Spirit and mail it to - The Giving Spirit, 11908 Montana Ave. #205 LA, CA 90049. We are mandated to return a minimum of $.95 of every donated dollar directly and personally to the homeless.  Our outreach is only limited by the funds we raise.

 

VOLUNTEER – December 9^th-12^th is when it all happens. Please sign-up to volunteer  (http://thegivingspiritdecember2010.eventbrite.com/), and see how your generous gift impacts the lives of thousands of homeless people and the hundreds of volunteers who reach out to the forgotten.

 

Blessings to you and yours for a happy and healthy New Year. Thank you, in anticipation, for your abundant generosity.

 

Peace and Godspeed,

 

Tom

‘Tis the Season to Give: TGS Needs Your Help

Dear Friends of The Giving Spirit (TGS):

Weathering the storm. This describes what TGS, our homeless friends and Los Angeles have endured over the last twelve months.

Last December, our volunteers assembled and delivered survival kits to 2500 shivering, starving and soaked homeless friends all over the city while we and they fought driving rain and hail.

It was the worst weather we had ever experienced while distributing our kits.  Not only did our loyal volunteers turnout – they brought friends! 700 volunteers served on Saturday, bringing our TGS Week total to 1200+ volunteers, a new record.

As an organization, we beat the economic storm last year, but barely.  We were $15,000 short of our fundraising goal the morning of our event.  But we were able to close the gap through your generosity.  Unfortunately, the fundraising climate has only gotten worse. As I write you, TGS has raised just $57,150 year-to-date against an increased fundraising goal of $200,000 for the year.  If we don’t close the gap in the next four weeks, we risk depleting all of our reserves in order to serve the 2640 lives we have committed to this December and another 1000+ next summer.

Our agency partners have told us that the number of homeless teens has at least doubled since the recession began. These precious young lives are easy prey for predators.  Their predicament contributes to an astonishing statistic that left me speechless – we lose 13 homeless children EVERY DAY in the United States.  Let that one sink in.

 

The LA Times noticed – http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-homeless-backpacks-20100606,0,6158194.story

 

Can We Count on You to Help?

With your continued generosity and support we can provide the basic necessities to survive. Every $60 kit provides a family or an individual with choices – now they can seek shelter instead of worrying about staying warm, seek a job without worrying about hygiene, or feed their children instead of leaving them to forage for food.  Steadfastly operating as an all-volunteer organization, we are proud of our mandate to deliver at least 95% of every donated dollar directly to the streets (often, it is closer to 98%). Very few organizations can guarantee as pure a pass-through of your dollar as TGS. We have increased our goal this year to $200,000 to serve the aforementioned 3600+ lives.

Please donate now – http://www.thegivingspirit.org/index.php?id=10&link=donate (please add 3% to cover Pay Pal fees) or send a check as soon as you’re able, to:

 

The Giving Spirit

11908 Montana Avenue #205

Los Angeles, CA 90049

 

Please volunteer now – Register online at http://thegivingspiritdecember2010.eventbrite.com. TGS Week is December 5th-12th this year. We have expanded our week to include satellite assemblies at B’Nai David Temple and Wilshire Presbyterian on the 5^th.  As the need for our aid spreads we need you, your family and your friends to assemble and distribute these kits, and to see firsthand the difference that The Giving Spirit can make. Volunteer once and you will never hesitate to join us again. Over 5,000 volunteers have stepped up for TGS in our history.

 

Simply ask the kids and families that have faithfully volunteered since 1999. Changing the lives and perspectives of our children has been a cherished gift that we humbly give to our city.

 

As tough as we may have it right now, there are literally thousands of people within a few miles of us that are suffering more than we will ever know. We can show those in need that hope is not lost.  We can offer a reason to stay resilient in seeking a better life.

 

Our 11^th year finds us in the humbling position to have served over 13,000 homeless children, women and men by the end of 2010. But we can’t get close without your support and compassion.  Together we will weather what is proving to be our stiffest storm yet.

 

Please give generously.

 

Peace and Godspeed to you and yours. Thank you for your commitment to our cause.

 

Tom

 

Tom Bagamane

Chairman and Founder

www.thegivingspirit.org

Serving LA’s Homeless since 1999

Thank You from TGS Founder, Tom Bagamane

To our volunteers:

The picture above captures 1 of a 1000 life changing moments experienced this summer by our volunteers and the homeless people they reached out to and helped. It is with a tremendous thanks to the entire TGS community that we were again able to conduct a successful Reach Out Saturday. Our visits to the shelters across the city have become greatly anticipated by the organizations who operate them, the people they serve and, of course, by our energetic and passionate TGS volunteers.  We wish to express our deepest appreciation!  Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. We distributed 1000 backpacks this summer and involved over 250 volunteers. We had a great article written about the event as well in the Los Angeles Times which you can read by clicking here.

Without generous contributors and volunteers, we would never have been able to touch so many lives in such an immediate yet profound way.  Reach Out Saturday is particularly important as it gives us the opportunity to reach many mothers, infants and teenagers.  The growing adolescent homeless population in Los Angeles is truly a disturbing trend, but with the kindness and generosity of people like you we’re making life on the street a little more bearable.  As you know, it’s not just the survival kits we distribute, but the chance to make a genuine human connection that bolsters the spirits of our TGS volunteers and the homeless individuals whom we serve.  The need to be acknowledged and looked compassionately in the eye is a daily essential, too.

This year, we are certainly looking to get the word out more — about both the dire need and about how people like you are joining together with fellow members of the community to make a concrete difference in the lives of those around us.  Our big winter outreach week is scheduled for Dec 5-12th so mark the date in your calendars now. Should you have a story or comment, please visit the blog to help make sure residents of the Greater Los Angeles Area are aware of this unique opportunity.

Again, heartfelt thanks goes out to you and to the entire TGS family for making Reach Out Saturday possible.  With ambitious goals for the holiday season, we ask you to keep The Giving Spirit in your heart.  Should you wish to become involved in an even greater way, please know we welcome all the support we can get! We are looking for folks who want to get involved throughout the year to take on leadership roles in our organization. Even if you can’t get involved more than once or twice a year, please remember to donate what you can – every dollar helps. Contact us at info@thegivingspirit.org or visit the website at www.thegivingspirit.org to volunteer and/or donate.

Yours in caring,

Tom Bagamane

Founder

The Giving Spirit