2016 Wish List for Our Local Non-Profit Organizations

I have never been part of a community that is able to rally around a great cause and make such a large impact.  Originally from a very small town, I have only been a Santa Clarita resident for about a year, but it didn’t take long to figure out why this community is something truly special.  In no other community have I felt the spirit of volunteerism so strong.  This is a community that cares afor its own, with an unrivaled willingness to give back to those in need.  Through community-wide volunteerism and donations, we are able to lessen the burden on community members in need by supporting local non-profit organizations – and that is definitely something worth celebrating as we start this New Year!
It is up to us to better our community as a whole.  Please read below for the wishes and hopes of our local non-profits and consider supporting them through in-kind donations and volunteerism.  Sometimes all it takes is a box of pencils and pens.  Cheers to a New Year and an even stronger community! 

American Cancer Society – 661-298-0886
Our wish is for a world with less cancer and more celebrated birthdays.  To do so, we want to be able to provide more support for our cancer survivors.  We wish for new wigs, new scarves, new head coverings and volunteers who want to help in the fight against cancer.  We also wish for companies who would like to donate event equipment, rentals, decorations, food, etc., in exchange for sponsorship at our Relay For Life of Santa Clarita fundraising event, which lowers our expenses and allows us to provide more free programs and services to our cancer survivors.  cancer.org or www.scvrelay.org

American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
213-291-7000
Our wish is for donated printing services to help produce our educational and event materials.  We also wish for continued contributions and volunteer involvement to support our mission of building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke.  www.heart.org

Assistance League – 661-255-1991
Our wish is to have a storefront that is more in harmony with the ambiance of Downtown Newhall.  We wish for a group or a business that would be willing to design and implement improvements to our Assistance League Resale storefront, so our store looks more welcoming and reflects the upscale nature of our business.  www.assistanceleaguesantaclarita.org

Boys & Girls Club – 661-254-3063
Our wish is for in-kind donations, including: art supplies, a ping pong table, chess sets, computer keyboards, 2 Terabyte external hard drives, a foosball table, volunteers for our paint and plant project, a new phone system, large whiteboards and a new or used van to shuttle kids. www.scvbgc.org

Brenda Mehling Cancer Fund
661-586-4244
Our wish for the Brenda Mehling Cancer Fund is 100 gas or grocery store gift cards valued at $50, so we can provide a gift card to every cancer patient applying for assistance.  A tank of gas and groceries go so far for our patients, who are battling the fight of their lives.  www.bmcf.net
Bridge to Home SCV – 661-254-4663
Our wish is to provide breakfast for our homeless clients.  We need dry cereals (Cheerios, Raisin Bran, etc.), instant oatmeal, coffee, tea and hot chocolate.  We also need dinnerware for serving: plastic plates, bowls, foam cups, knives, forks and spoons. www.btohome.com

Canyon Theatre Guild – 661-799-2702
Our wish is for new desktop computers and software for our rehearsal room, ballet bars for dance classes and rehearsals, an electric keyboard with transposition option, a digital HD video camera, specialty theatrical lighting equipment, a keyboard amplifier, a clothes steamer, fabric cutting scissors, thread, needles, pins, closures, laundry bags, press blocks, stain removers and detergents.  www.canyontheatre.org

Carousel Ranch — 661-268-8010
Our wish is simple … for the continued love and support we have been blessed to receive from this incredible community.  In kind donations are greatly appreciated as always, with a big need for donated tack and horse supplies this year.  These donations will be used toward the start of our new “Carousel Tack Shack” Vocational Training Program, benefitting young adults with disabilities through “tack that gives back.”   In addition, the gift of time is always greatly appreciated as we utilize volunteers at the Ranch on a daily basis.
www.carouselranch.org

 
Child & Family Center  –  661-259-9439
Our wish is to help children who have recently been removed from their home due to abuse or neglect.  We wish for the following in a backpack.  For infants and toddlers, we request: teething rings/rattlers, pacifiers, stuffed toys, coloring books and crayons.  For children ages 4-6, we request: stuffed toys, coloring books, crayons and small board and card games.  For children ages 7 and older, we request: journals, colored pencils, small board and card games, stuffed toys, colored pencils and pens and pencils.  childfamilycenter.org

 
Circle of Hope, Inc.  –  661-254-5218
Our wish is for copy paper, which is our largest need, as well as general office supplies.  We also are always looking for volunteers to help us out.
www.circleofhopeinc.org

College of the Canyons Foundation –
661-362-3433
Our wish is to provide the best value in higher education, but many students still need assistance with fees, books, supplies, housing and transportation.  A large percentage of our students must work either full-time or part-time in order to pursue their higher education.  Many of our students are returning to college to retrain or update their skills for job advancement and technical expertise. Scholarships bring higher education into the reach for all students for whom a college education would perhaps otherwise not be attainable.  www.cocfoundation.com

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – 323-939-0758
Our wish is to raise $100,000 at Valencia Great Strides, our largest fundraiser, on April 30.  We are looking for new teams and additional corporate support from within the SCV to help us achieve this milestone! www.cff.org

Domestic Violence Center of SCV
661-259-8175
Our wish is to help offset the daily and monthly costs of running our Domestic Violence Center here in Santa Clarita.  We average a monthly cost of $500 for operations and food expenses, roughly $20 per day.
www.Dvc-scv.com

Family Promise of SCV – 661-251-2867
Our wish is to continue to help the families in our program with laundry costs and on-site services.  We wish for laundry detergent, softener and bleach.  www.FamilyPromiseSCV.org
The Gentle Barn – 661-252-2440
Our wish is for help in sponsoring animals, new picnic benches, large blankets or comforters, horse cookies (Mrs. Pastures), as well as gift cards for: office supplies, hardware, feed and pet stores. We also welcome visitors every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. donations and especially volunteers.  www.gentlebarn.org

HandsOn Santa Clarita – 661- 257-1997
Our wish is for SCV residents to continue to give back to the local community by signing up to volunteer through our website.  We are also very grateful for continued support of the organization by way of sponsorship and donation of office supplies, including toner, paper, etc.
www.handsonscv.org

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation
661-317-8408
Our wish is for the people of Santa Clarita to continue to give generously in 2016 in support of their local community hospital so we can continue to improve health of our community.
www.henrymayogiving.com
JCI Santa Clarita   – 661-755-8294
Our wish is for a storage unit larger than 5×5 and help designing a new website.
www.jcisantaclarita.com
LARC Ranch  – 661-296-8636
Our wish is for new furnishings for common rooms in our homes, which house 102 developmentally disabled adults.  LARC Ranch would greatly appreciate dining room tables and chairs to accommodate eight people, as well as new sofas and new loveseats. larcfoundation.org

Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children’s Cancer  –  661-250-4100
The Michael Hoefflin Foundation is a non-profit organization that assists children diagnosed with cancer and their families.  Our wishes include: a cure for childhood cancer; a happy and healthy year for all; foundation sponsorships; toys for children of all ages, including teenagers; gift cards for gas or groceries; and general gift cards for teens.  Gillian@mhf.org

New Leash On Life Animal Rescue
661-255-0097
Our wish is for all animals to have loving homes.  We wish for a new van for our rescue efforts, appliances/furniture, office equipment, building/renovation materials and dog supplies. nlol.org
Pleasantview Industries, Inc.
661-296-6700
Our wish is for 20 six-foot folding tables and 65 padded stacking chairs, which are used by our program participants with disabilities on a daily basis.
www.pleasantview1.org

Prayer Angels for the Military, Inc.
661-799-8865
We wish for a new computer or lap top, ink for printers, postage to mail care packages, a truck or van, storage/office space and continued donations to
support local troops and care for our veterans in need.
www.prayerangelsforthemilitary.com

Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers, Inc.
661-257-2339
Our wish is to upgrade the interior of our health centers.  We wish for new flooring and remolded workstations at our Canyon Country and Val Verde locations.
www.sdfhc.org

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Foundation
661-255-1121
Imagine a young child, fearful of a situation that has prompted a Sheriff Deputy’s arrival.  Perhaps terrified, crying and confused, they try to understand the events unfolding.  A Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s deputy then pulls a teddy bear out from behind their back and hands it to the young child.  Imagine the relief, perhaps distraction, and feeling of security that the child immediately feels.  It’s a moment where the darkness turns to comfort, a moment that may never be forgotten, a moment that now has a better reason to be remembered.  Our Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff deputies welcome ways in which a Deputy’s arrival, where a child is present, can be softened.  To support this mission, we wish for new, smaller-sized stuffed animal donations to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.  www.scvsheriff.com

SCV Food Pantry  – 661-255-9078
Our wish is to alleviate hunger throughout the Santa Clarita Valley.  To support this mission, we wish for 15-ounce containers of peanut butter, canned meats, canned fruit, macaroni and cheese, deodorant, toothbrushes and diapers.
www.scvfoodpantry.org

SCV Senior Center  –  661-259-9444
Our wish is to provide services that promote quality of life for seniors through the various programs and services that we offer.  To support this mission, we wish for: nested stainless mixing bowls (1qt. through 20qt.); heavy duty powered kitchen blender (minimum 64oz.); shelving units (32” length x 12” depth x 60” height); 12x18x10 storage containers; manager and task office chairs; basic tool kit; and non-perishable foods.
www.scv-seniorcenter.org

Single Mothers Outreach
661-288-0117
Our wish is that all Santa Clarita single parents have a safe and affordable place to live and raise a family.  So many are forced to leave because they can’t afford to remain here after a divorce.  We wish for gift cards to grocery stores, gas stations, Target or Wal-Mart, to assist single parents enrolled in our financial training classes who are working on getting out of debt and building a savings account.  www.singlemothersoutreach.org
Soroptimist International of Greater SCV
661-645-1835
Our wish is for all women and girls to have the opportunity to live their lives to its fullest potential.  By supporting our events – The Wine Affair; Sip, Stroll and Savor the Sounds; and our spring Fashion Show – you help us to improve the lives of women and girls here in the Santa Clarita Valley, as well as around the world.
sigscv.org

Soroptimist International of SCV
661-733-5563
We wish for gentlemen with great services to donate for our upcoming Gentlemen for a Cause fundraiser.  We also are seeking wine and bourbon donations for the event’s raffle.   siscv.org

Special Olympics Santa Clarita
661-253-2121
Our wish is for sports equipment for our athletes, including softball gloves, basketballs, volleyballs, tennis balls, etc.  We also request lunches for tournaments: chips/granola bars to feed 250 to 600 people, as well as 10×10 canopies.   www.sosc.org

The Youth Project  –  661-257-9688
Our wish is that the students we serve could always be protected from harm.  But since we know that is not always possible, The Youth Project will be here to help guide them through life’s most difficult stages.  In order to accomplish our mission of providing free services, we wish for and need: paper, printer ink, binders, journals, candy, juice boxes, pizza donations, pens/pencils, gift cards, etc.  www.HelpNotHassle.org

ZOE International  –  661-255-7963
Our hope is for freedom for every child who is being held captive in slavery around the world, for each child to be rescued and live out their God-given purpose.  We wish for sponsorships for children’s camp and vocational training programs, which help restore and educate the children ZOE has already rescued.
www.gozoe.org

It’s not too late to be included!  If your non-profit organization would like to be a part of this Wish List, send Kirsten Quinn an email at  kirsten@santaclaritamagazine.com to be included on our website and our Facebook page.