State Farm provides funds to support National & Global Youth Service Days

State Farm Companies Foundation awarded a check for $2,000  to support National & Global Youth Service Days, at the monthly meeting of the Santa Barbara County Board of Education, March 2 in the board room of the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO).

The check was accepted symbolically by Whitney Drake, a junior at Dos Pueblos High School, who has already amassed 1,500 hours of community service. It was presented by Hilary Whitcomb, a State Farm representative who traveled from Bakersfield for the occasion, and local agents Ed Attlesey and Scott Simmons.

Holly Hulst, AmeriCorp’s Volunteer In Service To America (VISTA), who will be based out of the SBCEO’s Career Education department this year, explained her wide variety of tasks and projects involved with youth leadership and service.

As part of the formal check presentation at the SBCEO, the county board of education proclaimed April 21 to 23 for N&GYSD celebrations. “The County Education Office and the County Board of Education  are grateful for the generous support from State Farm Companies Foundation in connecting community service with classroom learning through service-learning programs,” said Superintendent Cirone.

State Farm recognizes youth service to their communities in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and Kern Counties (Region 8), and is the presenting sponsor for National & Global Youth Service Day (N&GYSD, the largest service event in the world. The annual April event reaches more than 60 million people, recognizes youth service at conferences across the country, and encourages local organizations to sponsor volunteer projects on that day.

The Santa Barbara County Education Office was selected as a Lead Agency for the N&GYSD, representing Region 8.

“Through State Farm’s help, the Lead Agencies serve as local, regional, and statewide allies that provide expertise, leverage community resources, and support young people on a lifelong path of service and civic engagement,” explained County Superintendent Bill Cirone, whose office coordinates the event. “The Lead Agencies unleash the ingenuity, passion, and idealism of young people, ages 5-25, to transform their communities through year-round service-learning and civic engagement activities as part ofN&GYSD,” he said.

N&GYSD mobilizes young people to identify and address community needs through service. It helps support youth on a life-long path of service and civic engagement, and educates the public about the role of youth as leaders and community assets. Planning Tool Kits, Service-Learning Curriculum Guides, classroom posters, grants, and more are available for use by youth, parents, teachers, and organizations. 

Youth Service Americais a resource center that partners with thousands of organizations committed to increasing the quality and quantity of volunteer opportunities for young people, ages 5 to 25, to serve locally, nationally, and globally. More information is available at www.YSA.org.

As a Lead Agency, the Santa Barbara County Education Office will expand beyond the county to bring together organizations in all of California’s Region 8 to participate in a Regional Youth Service Event (RYSE) to culminate on N&GYSD. All community members (youth, adults, agency, school, club, or group) were encouraged to plan or register for this event. The goal of the Region 8 CollaborativeRegional Youth Service Event is to support youth projects; help youth gain recognition for their work; publicize city, county and regional service projects; enhance community ownership; and celebrate community services provided by youth. Several celebratory rallies will be scheduled throughout the Region on April 21 to 23. More information is available at www.sbceo.org/careers/youth, or by calling 964-4711, ext. 4405.

State Farm® insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 69,000 employees serve nearly 73 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada. State Farm also offers financial services products through State Farm Bank®. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 19 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. More information is available at www.statefarm.com®.