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Alice Griffith Opportunity Center

bhurst
Adventurer B

When I posted the video of the San Francisco Inaugural Ceremony, I told you I would try to show you some of the other things we did while we were in San Fran.

I was up early on that Sunday morning, and I walked down the shoreline to a point that looked across the bay to the SFO airport and took some shots of our planes taking off. Later, I had a little brunch and listened to the jazz quartet that was playing in our hotel lobby. Then, it was time to load up our buses and head to the Alice Griffith Opportunity Center and do a little Community Service.

The Center is a part of Mayor Gavin Newsom's Communities of Opportunity (COO) initiative in San Francisco. COO is currently focused on city government, residents of the southeast corner of the city, and philanthropic organizations to fundamentally change the way these three groups work together to transform neighborhoods and revitalize areas of the city that have been long neglected.

Sweeping the StreetsWorking in the YardGiving Away Back Packs

Our two bus-loads of volunteers divided up into groups. Some helped clean up the garden and other public areas; others played with some of the 400 children that are supported by the center; still others prepared the afternoon meal; and a final group loaded school supplies for the back packs we were giving away.

And then, there was ice cream and a DJ for some street dancing. There was even a little Hokey Pokey!

We had a great time, and it felt good to give back to a part of the community that has been so supportive of our return.
5 Comments
Alan1
Explorer C
This is a nice post, but what happened to "Sad-Eyed-Men"? That was AWESOME. My blog reader must have picked it up before it was taken off.
Josh24
Explorer C
That's really neat, It's amazing what you do for other people, lucky kids!
pberg
Frequent Flyer B
Josh - Glad you liked "Sad-Eyed-Men." You're fast ...it wasn't up long! I liked it too, but realized after I posted it that it might be better to post a little closer to Thanksgiving. So...stay tuned.
Nicole10
Adventurer C
I luv that SWA does such great things in the community! Anyone can just write a check, but getting people involved makes this philanthropy work so much more special. Nikki
Leah4
Frequent Flyer B
This is one of many reasons why I want to (& will, because I'm determined & not giving up!) work for SWA! 🙂 It's nice to see an airline that does good work for others. I don't know why, but this post reminds me of volunteer work one semester when I was in college. The first semester (I was a transfer student), I did volunteer work once a week at the Oklahoma School for the Deaf, which is in a small town half an hour away from where I was attending school. The only times I didn't go were when I had a test coming up & during breaks/holidays. I went on Wednesday afternoons, after morning classes, for three hours; it was rewarding & fun 🙂 & I miss it. 😞 After that semester, though, my schedules weren't were I could continue; plus, I was even busier with school work. Question to ponder: Why is it called a sandwich when it's not made out of sand? :) SWA LUV! 🙂