$27,482 raised by 69 donors
69% complete
$40,000 Goal
The mission of Sierra Service Project is to strengthen low-income communities by giving teenagers and young adults the opportunity to undertake meaningful, high-impact volunteer work. We focus on hands-on construction projects which not only improve the communities we partner with, but which also transform the lives of our teenage volunteers. Youth gain valuable skills and are transformed into self-confident leaders. They are also exposed to the history and culture of a communities which challenges stereotypes and gives them firsthand exposure to social issues that they have often only heard about in the news.
In the past 20 years, SSP has grown significantly in terms of the regions and communities we serve, and the types of programs that we offer. Much of our year-round work is focused in urban communities, including Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, and San Diego. Our summer programs are largely located in rural areas across the West.
In 2020 and 2021, we made the very difficult decision to pause our in-person volunteer programs in order to do our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19, instead focusing on building community online, and limited local work with subcontractors, and eventually, small pods of vaccinated volunteers.
In 2022, our 47th summer of service, we are excited to return to in-person service learning. As of late January, we have 755 participants registered to join us at one of our three summer sites: Southern San Diego County (CA), Del Norte County (CA), and Navajo Nation (AZ). Our work in the San Diego area has deep ties to the border communities and provide a rewarding service-learning experience for volunteers with a passion for advocacy and justice for immigrant and refugee communities.
Building faith and strengthening communities through service to others.
We need funds for general operating expenses. In a typical year, unrestricted donations account for about half of all our income. In 2020, and 2021, that proportion was closer to three-quarters. As we work toward a return to our pre-pandemic volunteer registration numbers, SSP will continue to have a greater-than-usual dependence on donor dollars to complete our work.
We also maintain a small fleet of work vehicles, most of which were donated to us. We need trucks and vans.
Finally, we need tools. We equip our volunteers with a range of power tools, and we accept donations of new and gently used, contractor-grade tools.
We seek capable board members who represent the various communities we serve. Our organization needs diversity in its board – diversity of life experience, background, skills, religious affiliation, age, gender, and ethnicity.
We seek funding for our leadership development program. Each year, SSP leads young adult staff members through an intensive week-long leadership development course. These young adults work in teams to create the best possible community service experience for youth, enabling them to grow in their faith and learn to give of themselves.
Organization name
Sierra Service Project
other names
SSP
Tax id (EIN)
68-0222320
Mission Category
Youth Development
Operating Budget
$500,001-$1 million
Organization Need
Funding: Unrestricted, Volunteers, In-Kind Donations, Board Members
Demographics Served
Youth & Children
Address
1516 Del Paso BlvdSacramento County, CA, US
Del Norte County, CA, US
San Diego County, CA, US
Apache County, AZ, US
Phone
916-586-8112
fax
916-484-0917