The Juice Box

Special Volunteer Opportunities

Posted on June 3rd, 2008 by Jim.
Categories: General, Event Reviews.

This past weekend provided 2 opportunities to enjoy some time to volunteer for local events with some important impact.

My first opportunity was as a bartender for the AIDS Emergency Fund’s First County Fair. This event was held in Golden Gate Park at the County Fair Building (I never knew there was a County Fair Building in the park until this weekend). The weather made for a beautiful day to head over to the park and the venue was the perfect size for the event, easily accessible by car or by train and bus. First and foremost, the event had large contingency of volunteers. This fact alone showed how much work was involved in make this event a reality. The fair had a venue in 3 parts. The smaller of the three areas was the outdoor area with a seating and a bar and food service. Next to that, the second space had an old fashioned mid-way with carnival games, cotton candy, seating, a bar, silent auction, and a stage for showing off some entertainment. Finally, the third space was an indoor area with a stage and dance floor with a bar and seating. It was great to see a well run event, with a lot of volunteers and good cooperation between the AEF and Sundance Association of San Francisco as well common faces of volunteers I have seen at many other events. Sadly, the one thing missing was a more formal representation from the Bay Area Chapter of the GSGRA, which in many ways seemed a logical fit to the country dancing and the bull for riding. The event was well attended and it was a lot of fun for me to be a bartender in the country dance venue. I want to express my appreciation to the team of volunteers and to Ed, for wrangling me in as a volunteer to this event, and a special round of applause to Tyrone for working countless hours in his role with AEF to make this event come to life. I look forward to seeing how this one grows.

The second opportunity was a fourth year of participating in the Otter Pop Stop on day two of the AIDS Lifecycle. Once again, my friend Kyle took the time to arrange a group of volunteers to drive down to Mission Soledad and set up a booth at the water stop at the 75 mile mark (of 105 miles traveled) in the Mission parking lot. In this space we erect a colorful structure, have great music and fun people dancing about in tutu’s being silly, and most important are able to share a few moments with some of the over 3000 riders doing this amazing fundraiser. This event has now completed the fourth year of giving out over 2000 Otter Pops (the little fruit flavored ice in a plastic sheathe) and it appears to be going strong. In fact, I would say we have become an institution on the ride. Many riders look forward to seeing us now on that day two of the ride, when it is usually hot and they are dealing with lots of wind. This year was certainly cooler than the last 3 and the winds were the highest I have seen, which may be why we did not have as many revelers to dance and celebrate this year. However, the event was still fun and memorable and to quote Kyle “enough to keep you going all year”. There is just something about these folks, from the serious riders to the more casual, that brings an energy that infuses your spirit as they pull into the water stop. Some of the riders come in tired, some of them sweaty, some just getting a quick break, some staying to linger in the company and music. Whatever the case is, this is one event that really does live up to being a lot of fun. Feel free to check out the few pictures I posted as well.

So two days, two great events, two wonderful opportunities to volunteer. I am a bit tired after all of this volunteer work, but it was very worth it.

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