StandUp for Kids – Orange County
StandUp for Kids is a non-profit who relies heavily on volunteers to support the mission to end the cycle of youth homelessness. We sincerely thank everyone who has volunteered and continues to work with us to help our youth. To that end we want to spotlight three individuals who were instrumental to our marketing efforts in 2019 and have recently ended their internships with StandUp for Kids.
Sarah Ochoa, Amanda Jacobsen, and Agnija Dean are the January 2020 Volunteers of the Month. These three women all attend(ed) California State University – Fullerton, with Agnija as the recent graduate. Their energy, drive and knowledge helped us from a social media, strategy and event planning perspective and helped increase the reach we have across our communities both online and in-person.
Sarah Ochoa (far left in the image below) ran the Orange County and National Instagram accounts. She was also big in supporting our first annual Cars for a Cause fundraiser. Sarah found silent auction items, did a ton of event planning, and promoted the event very successfully. She was very precise when working and maintained that while she developed operational management skills. Sarah’s time management skills were the most prominent in helping the team achieve its goals as she was always reliable.
“I am very grateful for my mentors Justine and Michael at StandUp for Kids – Orange County, who provided me with the opportunity to grow my professional skills in public relations, marketing, and fundraising. The staff and volunteers at StandUp for Kids are extremely passionate about helping the at-risk and homeless youth, and it was admirable to work alongside them for a common goal.” -Sarah
Graduating this May with a degree in Communications with a Public Relations concentration and a minor in Sociology, we know she will do great things. Thank you, Sarah!
Agnija Dean is a recent CSU-Fullerton graduate. She was in charge of the Orange County and National Facebook profiles. She would also frequently go to interview youth, volunteers, and mentors to write stories and take pictures for our blog, newsletter, and Facebook.
“It was important to me to approach this internship like a job and take it very seriously. My experience with jobs in general is – you get what you give. I’m glad I was able to get insights into how the non-profit world operates and I’m happy that I was able to support at-risk and homeless youth.” – Agnija
She was a significant help when it came to brand messaging and strategy across all social media platforms and a very level-headed person with a thoughtful perspective on many different subjects. She was and is just a good person to be around. Thank you, Agnija.
Amanda Jacobsen is a Sociology major from CSU-Fullerton as well, set to graduate this May. She was drawn to StandUp for Kids because of the current homelessness crisis in Orange County, and she wanted to make a difference in her community. Amanda was a jack of all trades for the marketing team. She was responsible for Instagram, nationally and locally, she volunteered for the Black Friday Clothing Drive, attended the Cars for a Cause fundraiser and helped create fundraising leads from corporate and private partners. Amanda was flexible, easy to work with, and would contribute whenever asked. Amanda was always there to attend, volunteer, or provide support to the rest of the team, making her a great asset, and she will be missed. Thank you, Amanda!
“You don’t have to be out in the streets directly helping others to be useful or important. The behind-the-scenes effort also has an impact.” -Amanda
Thank you sincerely for this stellar group’s contribution to StandUp for Kids. Their excellent work has helped build a stronger media foundation that we continue to strengthen and grow. You rose to the challenge and surpassed expectations! We are grateful to have worked with you.
If you are looking for an internship, wanting to provide youth with a positive role model or just looking to make a real impact in your surrounding community please contact us. We are always looking for volunteers as we continue our mission of ending youth homelessness — one life at a time.