The yoga program operates under contractor Community Works, but is self-sufficient, said Executive Director Ruth Morgan. "Each year we get a grant from Yoga Dana Foundation, which is a yoga-supporting foundation, and the teachers reach out to the yoga community for whatever they need."

Program manager Bhavani Kludt said, "Our new teacher Deanne created a promotional flier describing our class and our need for new equipment. She set out a donation box at her Being Yoga studio requesting contributions for this cause. Her yoga community donated a little over $1,000. Deanne then approached yoga equipment supplier Manduka and received deep discounts. We are now enjoying the use of 30 new mats, 20 new cushions, and four gallons of mat wash cleanser!"

The generosity of the yoga community also extends to volunteerism. "Jail Psychiatric Services asked if I could find a yoga teacher to offer a class to the high functioning men in their care," Kludt said. "I reached out to teachers from the Integral Yoga Institute. Two teachers immediately responded. Anjali had her first class on November 16. We hope the second volunteer, Muktidevi, will soon start a second class."

Weighing in for sworn staff, Facility Commander Capt. Kevin Paulson said, "I have seen what a calming effect yoga has on the men who participate. I think that yoga is a great tool to get people to a place where they can reflect on what brought them here and what they are going to do differently in the future. Yoga for all!"

Since then, Lt. Quanico has coached Pop Warner football in Pacifica and boys' and girls' basketball at the school and American Amateur Union (AAU) competition levels. He also is the head coach for junior varsity and assistant coach for varsity high school girls' basketball programs. Additionally, he previously coached track. 

Lt. Quanico said part of the reason he coaches is out of a love for sports, but he enjoys teaching children core values such as hard work, dedication, courage and discipline. "All of my teams have a trademark culture: 'family first' and 'never quit,'" he said. 

He added that volunteering, whether it be in athletics or anything else, is a great way to achieve work-life balance. "I highly recommend to all my colleagues to find other hobbies or activities after work."

He said that before he retires, he'd like to implement a youth sports program at the Sheriff's Department, similar to the San Francisco Police Department's Police Athletic League and the San Francisco Fire Department's FLAME youth athletic program. 

There is a personal side to volunteering for Lt. Quanico as well - cultivating the relationships he has with his three sons. "It was a way for me to be a father and a role model," he said. 

Lt. Quanico does have one tough critic - his wife. "My wife has supported my coaching from day one," he said. "It helps that she is a complete fanatic when it comes to sports. She is always criticizing my strategies. It's tough hearing it from her, but she is usually pretty accurate."

 

Crispin Hollings

Volunteering is important in my life. I have found that it benefits me as much as my efforts benefit the community. 

It has helped me create community as my experiences have brought me together with others with a similar goal or passion. My time has generally been focused on labor and LGBT community organizing, whether it be participating in legislative or electoral politics, building faith community, or working to preserve community space in my neighborhood. And in my experience, I have found that the broad spectrum of volunteers who come together for a cause make things happen that no one could accomplish alone. 

One volunteer opportunity that I found especially rewarding was being part of an effort to save a public institution in my neighborhood, the Castro Country Club (CCC). The name of this institution is misleading. For over 30 years, it had been a well-loved, heavily utilized but run-down, dilapidated sober community space in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. The CCC is open to anybody who walks through the doors, and is a place where people gather, whether for 12-step meetings or one-on-one fellowship, to support each other in sobriety. In 2009, the club was threatened with eviction after the building owner died. The community came together to secure a long-term lease with the new owner, establish a structure for community governance, and create a business model that supports the club financially. The doors to the CCC remain open today with hundreds of people passing through daily. 

While my volunteer efforts helped keep the CCC open, more profoundly, my efforts gave me an opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself. Knowing that I was involved in making a positive contribution to my community was an emotionally uplifting experience. This, and other volunteer gigs, also helped me learn subjects that were previously unknown to me, such as negotiating a lease or building a cafe. 

Volunteering has been rewarding for me. I like to think that it has brought some small benefit to the world. I know without a doubt that it has helped me to build a path on which to trudge the road of happy destiny. 

 

Sgt. Gunn

Aristotle was once quoted saying that the essence of life is "to serve others and do good." I think that is true. Volunteering is important to me. My parents, who both spent a lot of time volunteering or working for nonprofits when I was growing up, passed on the volunteering spirit to me.  

Volunteering helps keep me grounded, focused and cognizant of the fact that there are many who through no fault of their own need some help or support. 

For instance, one group I have volunteered for since its inception is the Parents Education Network (PEN). I was first made aware of the organization because of family members who have learning differences/disabilities. PEN's mission is to empower students, parents and educators to find solutions for all those who learn differently and redefine what "normal" is. What this group has accomplished in 13 short years is amazing. While my part in the organization is small, it has been rewarding to see this group go from meeting in someone's living room to renting out AT&T Park for our annual conference. 

I urge all reading this to find a passion or issue that is meaningful to you and reach out to those organizations trying to make a difference. Your contribution, however slight, can reap psychic and karmic rewards beyond measure. There is one caveat. A key to deriving those benefits is to do it for the right reasons. A 2012 study in the journal Health Psychology found that participants who volunteered with some regularity lived longer, but only if their intentions were truly altruistic. Do it because you want to, not because it will look good or just make you feel better. 

 

Cadet Pastran

Once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout. 

Sheriff's Cadet M. Pastran freely gives her time to several organizations and volunteering is a way of life for her. She said the biggest influences as to why she volunteers are her mother and being a Girl Scout. "When I was little, my mom always volunteered," she said. "And I've been a Girl Scout since third grade. That's why I always volunteered. I felt like I had to be involved. Volunteering is such a habit, a way of doing things." 

 

She also raises funds for the Lupus Foundation of America in honor of her friend's sister, who died from the disease. Additionally, she is the shop steward in her union and advocates for cadets. In all of her volunteer activities, she makes sure to donate her time at least twice a week, often more. "I feel like it's a societal and civic duty to give back to your community," she said. 

Pastran suggests that people interested in volunteering should start by deciding what their interests are. "Find something you're really interested in, passionate about," she said. "Just go out there and do it."