communitynon-profit
Donating Time and Talents Volunteers Make the Difference at CHL by Lee Walker
n May, Shawn Studer, owner of Instant Organic Garden, introduced Natural Living Source founder Anna Allen to the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito’s Center for a Healthy Lifestyle (CHL), in Solana Beach. After talking with Studer, who donates his time to teach gardening classes at CHL, Allen made an instant decision to offer her own time, talents and teaching skills to the nonprofit foundation. “It was easy to see that they needed help to gain visibility in the community, because few people know that the center exists, even though it’s been open since Earth Day 2009,” says Allen, who notes that without funds to create programs or pay instructors,
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CHL relies upon volunteers and dona- tions from the community. The beautiful quarter-acre chil-
Anna Allen
dren’s organic garden managed by Studer sparked Allen’s idea to offer her Natural Living classes at CHL through the month of August, donating the July classes for free. “The free July classes are on all different aspects of Organic Gardening, EZ Nutritious Cooking, Edible Beauty Care, Natural Home Remedies and Emergency Preparedness,” advises Al- len, who has been teaching the same series of classes at other nonprofits, such as the Center for Living in Harmony, in Valley Center. By switching her schedule of summer classes to CHL, Allen is providing a chance
for local residents interested in a healthy lifestyle to visit the center and get acquainted with how it intends to help children, adults and families learn about nutrition, cooking and how to grow their own produce and flowers. Allen is donating the money she makes from teaching, minus her costs, to CHL. Allen and Studer are hopeful that they are demonstrating, as well as teaching, good values. “We both think it’s as important to see a good role model as it is to hear about one,” Allen explains. “It is obvious now that the nonprofit organizations, which make such a difference in our communities, need people like us to donate time and skills in order to keep programs going.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito (BGCSDTO) serves more than 25,000 youth in north coastal San Diego. Its six branches and special programs are dedi- cated to providing positive activities to develop the education, health, self-es-
42 San Diego Edition
www.na-sd.com
teem and character of youth. BGCSDTO is affiliated with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which gives the organiza- tion access to many proven programs for youth. Visit
PositivePlaceSD.org.
The Center for a Healthy Lifestyle is located at 533 Lomas Santa Fe Dr., So- lana Beach 92075. Call 858-436-7502 or email
CHL@PositivePlaceSD.org.
For a schedule of classes at CHL, con- tact Anna Allen, Natural Living Source, 1104 Gardenview Rd., Encinitas. Call 760-716-2662 or email NaturalLiving-
Coach@gmail.com. Visit NaturalLiving-
Source.com.
The Center For Living in Harmony is dedicated to the promotion of self-reli- ant, harmonious living: harmony with self, with others, and with the needs of our planet. It provides educational and charitable programs on a 10-acre sustainable agriculture demonstration site and small family farm model, Little Creek Acres Farm, just north of San Diego. Visit
LivingInHarmony.org.
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