On Saturday, April 10, the Children’s Foundation of America (CFA) celebrated our sixth annual Volunteer Recognition Party. The event was held at the Alexander Hughes Community Center in Claremont with over 20 of our top volunteers from 2021 in attendance. This event was held to recognize the hard work and accomplishments CFA’s volunteers achieved last year.

Our volunteers served 3,384 children, fundraised $50,000 in scholarships, supported 24 organizations, and completed 1,958 hours at 40 volunteer events. Through the continued pandemic, the volunteers of CFA have been committed to Being the Difference in the lives of foster youth and children in need.

Trophies and plaques were awarded to volunteers who served the most hours and went above and beyond. Special certificates from Senator Anthony J. Portantino were also presented to all volunteers in attendance. District Representative, Kristi Lopez, from the office of Sen. Portantino, joined us at our event and discussed initiatives they are currently working on to support children in foster care. Thank you to Sen. Portantino’s team for advocating for foster youth and for your ongoing support of our volunteers.

The Volunteer Superhero Award went to our longtime volunteer, Karen Valente. Karen volunteered a total of 60 hours in 2021. She has participated in Birthday in a Bag, Holiday Heroes, packing Halloween treat bags, and helped out at the annual golf tournament fundraiser.

CFA’s Action Heroes were Jorge Merlos and Char Costantino. Both individuals have tremendously helped the toy collection drive for our Holiday Heroes campaign and have done incredible work in raising awareness for children in need through social media.

There were also two Dynamic Duo’s this year for contributing several hours as a team. This award went to Vicki and John Rensch, and Lillian and Shelley Sibrian. We also awarded April Tarin, Alayna Trejo, and Chis Garner as our first-ever Triumphant Triad.

Lastly, the Superhero Squad Award went to the volunteer group Lion’s Heart. This group of incredible volunteers single-handedly conducted our gift wrapping fundraiser during the holidays!

The Triniteer of the Year Award is given to the Trinity Youth Services employee with the most hours contributed. This year, the award undoubtedly goes to Fr. John Alexandres, who contributed several hours and support throughout 2021. Fr. John helped transport golf supplies for our annual golf tournament fundraiser and picked up many toy drive donations during the holidays. Our team could not have gotten through either campaign without his kind help.

A big thank you to Paycom for sponsoring our event. “We are so thankful for what Children’s Foundation of America does for the community and we are truly grateful to be able to sponsor the event,” said Paycom Executive Sales Representative, Patrick Myers.

Because of Paycom’s generosity, we were able to provide lunch from Wolfe’s Market as well as purchase decorations and giveaways. Everyone who attended got to participate in a raffle where electronics, gift cards, and goodie baskets were raffled off. We are filled with gratitude for Paycom’s support of our Volunteer Program.

Each and every one of our volunteers deserve recognition for the work they do. Volunteers are the heart and soul of a nonprofit and we wanted to show our volunteers how much we appreciate them. We are proud of the accomplishments achieved by this group of helping hands in a single year. If you are interested in volunteering please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Briana Calderon at bcalderon@trinityys.org or 909.825.5588 ext. 236.

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Briana Calderon, Volunteer Coordinator
Briana leads our volunteer program through various campaigns and volunteer activities year round. Briana describes her responsibility as helping to create a space for everyone to come volunteer and find community in serving a greater purpose than our own. Briana graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication with a focus on public relations at California State University San Bernardino. During her time at CSUSB, she was a student recruiter and tour guide. Having enjoyed her experience working with students and public speaking, working with volunteers seemed like a natural step. Briana has helped advance our volunteer systems with technology and provided virtual volunteer opportunities when possible. In addition to her position at CFA, Briana also serves on the Diversity, Inclusion, Value, Equity (DIVE) team.