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THE BEACH CITIES HEALTH DISTRICT
(Text by Pete Porter; Photos by Margaret Porter)

Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) is a dynamic public health agency that has provided health and wellness services to residents of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach for over 50 years. .

BCHD Volunteer Services Coordinator,
Megan Burke.
We spoke at length with BCHD volunteer services coordinator, Megan Burke, in her office on the third floor. Megan has worked at BCHD for the past two years. She previously worked with AmeriCorp in Orange County where she recruited senior volunteers for local after-school activities. Burke told us BCHD employs 60 permanent staff members, but relies heavily on over 400 volunteers. As needs arise, Megan contacts RSVP program manager, Ges Davis, who suggests likely candidates from our vast pool of volunteers. .

Most volunteers work outside the district, providing house bound or isolated seniors who don't have family living nearby with a social connection in the area. In addition to this Friend To Friend volunteer program, there are other BCHD volunteer opportunities that focus on the needs of seniors. These include assistance with errands, peer counseling and a recently opened support line. Peer counselors receive training on how to help seniors who are struggling with the loss of a loved one. Support line volunteers telephone clients once a month to lend an ear and see how they are coping.
There are also a variety of other volunteer opportunities at BCHD. Volunteers are needed to monitor the safety of older members who work out at the state-of-the-art Center for Health and Fitness; care for the toddlers of gym members while they take fitness classes; join the fun and activities at AdventurePlex, a youth fitness center in Manhattan Beach; or offer assistance at the Seahorse gift shop, lobby front desk, Pilates Center, or the Center for Health Information, BCHD’s well-stocked health reference library. .

The Seahorse Gift Shop The Fitness Center The Toddler Activity Room

There is a well stocked health reference library containing hundreds of books, VHS tapes and DVDs that can be checked out, along with more than 1,000 pamphlets on a full range of health-related topics. The library also contains online access to the Thomson-Gale database, one of the health industry's most respected sources of information.

As you can see, the Beach Cities Health District offers plenty of opportunities for volunteer involvement. To volunteer your time, contact Ges Davis at our office. Please inform BCHD you are an RSVP member to ensure you receive credit for the hours you donate. .
More details about the Beach Cities Health District can also be found at www.bchd.org.

BCHD Volunteer Services Coordinator, Megan Burke.	We spoke at length with BCHD volunteer services coordinator, Megan Burke, in her office on the third floor. Megan has worked at BCHD for the past two years. She previously worked with AmeriCorp in Orange County where she recruited senior volunteers for local after-school activities. Burke told us BCHD employs 60 permanent staff members, but relies heavily on over 400 volunteers. As needs arise, Megan contacts RSVP program manager, Ges Davis, who suggests likely candidates from our vast pool of volunteers. .
Most volunteers work outside the district, providing house bound or isolated seniors who don't have family living nearby with a social connection in the area. In addition to this Friend To Friend volunteer program, there are other BCHD volunteer opportunities that focus on the needs of seniors. These include assistance with errands, peer counseling and a recently opened support line. Peer counselors receive training on how to help seniors who are struggling with the loss of a loved one. Support line volunteers telephone clients once a month to lend an ear and see how they are coping. There are also a variety of other volunteer opportunities at BCHD. Volunteers are needed to monitor the safety of older members who work out at the state-of-the-art Center for Health and Fitness; care for the toddlers of gym members while they take fitness classes; join the fun and activities at AdventurePlex, a youth fitness center in Manhattan Beach; or offer assistance at the Seahorse gift shop, lobby front desk, Pilates Center, or the Center for Health Information, BCHD’s well-stocked health reference library. .

The Seahorse Gift Shop		The Fitness Center	The Toddler Activity Room
	There is a well stocked health reference library containing hundreds of books, VHS tapes and DVDs that can be checked out, along with more than 1,000 pamphlets on a full range of health-related topics. The library also contains online access to the Thomson-Gale database, one of the health industry's most respected sources of information.
As you can see, the Beach Cities Health District offers plenty of opportunities for volunteer involvement. To volunteer your time, contact Ges Davis at our office. Please inform BCHD you are an RSVP member to ensure you receive credit for the hours you donate. . More details about the Beach Cities Health District can also be found at www.bchd.org.