Volunteer Highlight: Burbank Adult School
Kalinda Reyes, Daniel Nakanishi, Elayne Howitt and Teresa Cosio volunteer at the S. Mark Taper Bridge Housing kitchen.
Daniel Nakanishi and Kalinda Reyes are counting bread, bologna, and cheese, as they assemble lunches at LA Family Housing’s S. Mark Taper Bridge Housing kitchen. Those lunches will go on to be distributed to participants who come to our Family Solutions Center and Individual Solutions Center. Daniel and Kalinda are part of the FACTS Program within the Burbank Adult School, which volunteers weekly at LA Family Housing. The students form an assembly line and make sandwiches, which they bag along with cookies, chips, and water. If they get done early, they sometimes help the LAFH cooks in preparing lunch for the residents at Bridge Housing.
What makes this volunteer experience unique is that it is part of a greater job training program for young adults aged 18-22 with special needs. The FACTS Program, led by Elayne Howitt creates opportunities for students within the school district who have not received their diploma to gain job and life skills so that when they exit the program at age 22, they’ll have experience to put on their resume and can find gainful employment. The program teaches using math to accomplish tasks and offers life skills such as travel training, grocery shopping, working with different types of bosses. But another goal of Elayne’s is to heighten awareness of the special needs community.
“How often do you see a person with a disability? Maybe a handful of times. We want to show that people with disabilities can work just as hard as anyone else, and we want to get people with disabilities gainfully employed.”
“How often do you see a person with a disability? Maybe a handful of times. We want to show that people with disabilities can work just as hard as anyone else, and we want to get people with disabilities gainfully employed.”
Students have been volunteering at LA Family Housing since 1998, usually in the kitchen but also occasionally putting backpacks together, organizing the donation room, and doing special holiday and community outreach activities. Chris Cisneros, when asked about his volunteer experience at LA Family Housing, said “I like giving back to people experiencing homelessness.”
Daniel Nakanishi and Chris Cisneros prepare sandwiches as the S. Mark Taper Bridge Housing kitchen.
But LA Family Housing isn’t the only location in which students get work experience. They also volunteer at the Food Bank and the American Cancer Society Thrift Shop, and hold paid positions at Sharkey’s, Barney’s Beanery, Ma’s Italian Kitchen, and Petco.
The program gives students the opportunity to capitalize on their strengths and find the best positions for them. “It’s a source of pride seeing students grow and learn. For example, one of my students who works at Sharkey’s rolls 200 silverware an hour – that’s more than any other employee. He was actually offered a paid position just made specific for him.”
Daniel has his Food Handlers Card and enjoys the opportunity to work in different restaurants. “I like cooking, so I enjoy getting to make sandwiches here at LA Family Housing and go out in the community and work in different restaurants.”
LA Family Housing is proud to partner with such an amazing organization and is thankful for Burbank Adult School’s support! Melanie Berringer, Community Engagement Manager at LA Family Housing expressed her gratitude for the longstanding relationship, “We love having volunteers from Burbank Adult School join us, not only are they incredibly helpful and reliable, they bring positivity and excitement with them wherever they go! We are so lucky for our years of partnership and look forward to many, many more.”