Can you believe that it’s already December?

2018 has flown by with the blink of an eye and we are grateful for every one of you for continuing to support EDGE!

Thank you to all of you who contributed to our Giving Tuesday Facebook fundraisers– the yearly seminars would not be possible without your support.

Quarterly Event Updates

Fall Quarterly

Due to the recent fires in Northern California affecting the air quality, our Fall Quarterly was cancelled. In lieu of the event, we plan to spend the day at Christmas in the Park in downtown San Jose on Sunday, December 16th– we will meet at the big Christmas tree at 2pm!

Attendance is completely free, however the city suggests a $1 donation to keep the Park running during the holidays!

Want a sneak peak of our events for next year? Mark your calendars for our 2019 Quarterly Events! Our Winter event – To EDGE-finity and Beyond – is coming right up on January 12th! Can you guess what movie we’re watching? RSVP to the Facebook group to let us know you’re coming!

Winter Quarterly

To EDGE-finity and Beyond

What: Making friendship bracelets to donate + movie night
When: Saturday, January 12th, 11am-3pm
Where: 2708 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94709
*a $5 donation is suggested to cover costs;
profits will go toward funding EDGE 2019*

Spring Quarterly

Spring into Service

What: Beach cleanup + relaxing at a ~clean beach~
When: Saturday, April 13th, 10am-4pm
Where: Baker Beach, San Francisco, CA

Summer Quarterly

Alumni BBQ

What: School supplies donation + BBQ
When: Sunday, July 28th, 10am-3pm
Where: Lake Elizabeth Park
(40000 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont, CA 94538)
*a $10 donation is suggested to cover costs;
profits will go toward funding EDGE 2020*

Fall Quarterly

EDGE-giving

What: Cops and Gobblers + Picnic in the Park
When: Sunday, November 24th, 2019, 9am-2pm
Where: Mountain View Police Station
(1000 Villa St., Mountain View, CA 94041)

 

Legacy Spotlight

Antoinette Swanson

Antoinette Swanson is a 2012 EDGE alum from Fresno, CA! She graduated from Fordham University and majored in Neuroscience, with a concentration in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, and a minor in Psychology. In the past, Antoinette has served as a JCrew, SCrew, and Day Four’s Director, Senior Director, and Advisor. She cites EDGE’s dedication to recognizing everybody’s talents as the reason why she comes back to volunteer year after year. Currently, Antoinette is serving as an Alumni Committee Director on our Planning Committee! Her experience as a sophomore attendee helped affirm her desire to make a difference in this world. With such large ambition, changing the world seemed a little daunting to her, until she met the other attendees. Of all the workshops and panels during the 3 days, the most important lesson Antoinette learned was the importance of family:

“[EDGE] was a family of people who each with their own talents and quirks and troubles and love had stepped up to recognize their potential and implement change for the sake of simply improving the world…[they] taught me a newer level of compassion, and it’s something that I will forever be grateful for and continuing to share.”

Antoinette’s passion for the medical field began when she first heard the term “brain surgery” at five years old. She hopes to combine her passion for science and service to be a neurosurgeon. In the past, she has found treatments for breast tumors and interned with Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute to find a treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Antoinette is also very involved at her church and works as an instructor and counselor at, STEP, Fordham’s program for minority students in middle and high school. On her free time, she enjoys knitting, reading, writing, and spending time with her family!

Social Media Contest

This December, we want you to reflect on the past year!

For more info, CLICK HERE

Service Opportunities

Looking for service ideas? We’ve got you covered! Here are a few service events we found around California. Click on the name of each organization to be taken to their website.

Northern California

Chico | Wags and Whiskers Pet Rescue

Help walk and feed rescue dogs!

Bay Area

Morgan Hill | One Step Closer

Help with horseback riding for people with special needs!

Southern California

San Gabriel Valley | Food Forward

Help with photography, among other volunteer positions!

Have a great service event you’d like people to know about? Let us know! Don’t see anything near you? Email us at EDGEAlumni@edgeyl.org and we’ll make sure you’re included in the next newsletter.

In the meantime, https://www.serve.gov/search-volunteer-opportunities is a great resource for finding service events near you!