Several members of the Rotary Club of San Francisco joined scores of other volunteers at the Bayview Opera House to help Project Homeless Connect provide needed services to the homeless.
The objective of Project Homeless Connect is to bring a variety of services directly to the homeless population that may not otherwise be able to obtain such service. For example haircuts or, perhaps more importantly, California identification cards. All kinds of services are provided throughout the day.
Project Homeless Connect runs a number of specific events in different neighborhoods around San Francisco. This time around a handful of volunteers from the Rotary Club of San Francisco joined in their effort in the Bayview neighborhood.
Bob Hermann and I helped establish the venue that would be used all day long. Despite the early hour, it felt great to set up the infrastructure for a day we knew would be helpful to so many. A little later in the morning, Susan and John Dean showed up to help guide the homeless through the system. We provided critical resources to over 300 at-risk neighbors, many of whom stayed even after receiving services. The warmth and care from fellow volunteers and clients made this day especially sunny to us all. This is a great way to interface with a population that you might not understand well. Come join us at the next Community Day of Service. which will be in late September at Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco's Civic Center. While the Bayview project under discussion here was a small town of service sites, Bill Graham Auditorium is a small city where 1,500 homeless clients will be served and 800 volunteers are needed. Watch for a specific link which Rotarians can use to register for the event.