Residents at Merrill Gardens at Gilroy (CA) volunteer monthly at Rebekah Children’s Services (RCS) in their town of Gilroy, CA. Rebekah Children’s Services is a non-profit organization that is shaping future practices to better serve the mental health, foster care and adoption needs of children and families.
Their mission inspires Merrill Gardens resident volunteers:
We are committed to seeing our community flourish by building pathways to hope, happiness, and well-being.
RCS serves over 8,000 families per year, including foster children, youth, special needs and education opportunities. Merrill Gardens residents are proud to support and volunteer their time with them.
Residents visited during the middle of the organization’s vocational catering program sessions which is famous in the area for Chef Carlos’ cookies and gourmet foods. Chef Carlos leads youth and adults ages 15-25 through this vocational program to prepare them for a career in the hospitality industry. The program is a 10-week course with 3-hour sessions meeting twice per week.
On Gilroy’s latest visit, residents learned about the positives of this program within their community. The RCS youth who grow into the program as adults sometimes become staff members at the organization with Chef Carlos to continue to educate their community. After RCS adults graduate through the vocational training and are employed, their lives are transformed through this unique experience.
Gilroy residents connect with RCS monthly to spend time and read with children, visit with adults and other volunteers at the organization. RCS youth have visited Merrill Gardens at Gilroy on several occasions to perform dances for residents and friends.
They have visited the Gilroy community to perform Folklorico or Mexican folk dances, two years in a row! We love to see Gilroy residents giving back to the local community and creating inspiring relationships within their community.