By Michele E. Buttelman
Signal Staff Writer
Santa Clarita is a city of volunteers. Much of Santa Clarita’s social fabric is built around the culture of volunteerism which can encompass nonprofit fundraisers, church activities, entertainment events and Santa Clarita festivals.
From helping the homeless to assisting at the hospital, as well as a diverse array of other activities, volunteers are the lifeblood of a thriving and well-functioning community.
SantaClaritaVolunteers.com is seeking to be the “one stop shop” for volunteers, nonprofits and the city of Santa Clarita to connect, said Tess Simgen, volunteer engagement supervisor for the city of Santa Clarita.
“We want to promote volunteerism in the community and have tried to make it easy both for nonprofits and residents wanting to volunteer,” Simgen said. “We want to connect people easily with available volunteer opportunities with the city and Santa Clarita Valley-based nonprofits.”
Among recent city events that have relied heavily on volunteer assistance are the Cowboy Festival and Eggstravaganza, the annual community Easter egg hunt held in the spring at Central Park.
Volunteers Always Needed
Simgen said there are many other volunteer opportunities, some not as glamorous, but equally as important that benefit and improve the quality of life for everyone living in Santa Clarita.
Youth sports coaches and trail maintenance volunteers are always in demand. Currently opportunities also exist to help with the Cocktails on the Roof fundraiser for the WiSH Education Foundation and the summer reading program at the Santa Clarita public libraries.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted nearly aspect of life in Santa Clarita. Now people are eager to get out and return to celebrating the nonprofit fundraisers and community festivities held in the SCV. All of these activities benefit from active and engaged volunteers.
Helping Nonprofits
“We developed the volunteer hub during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Simgen. “We launched the website in late 2020.”
In 2020 it was easy to see the effect the pandemic was having on the working of SCV nonprofits.
“Nonprofits had to rethink how they delivered services and there were also many community members with time to help out,” she said. It seemed natural to find an easy way to connect the two.
The first nonprofit to benefit from the city’s effort to pair volunteers with nonprofits was the WiSH Education Foundation.
“While children were home during the pandemic the WiSH Education Foundation was trying to help kids who had to study at home and didn’t have desks, or chairs,” Simgen said. “WiSH had chairs and desks. We helped find the volunteers needed to deliver the items to students.”
Simgen said 22 nonprofits used the website in 2022 to post 46 volunteer opportunities that attracted 274 volunteers.
As of May, 2023 14 nonprofits have posted 19 opportunities that attracted 129 volunteers.
“We want SCV-based nonprofits to know we are here and ready to help,” she said.
Volunteer Impact Report
The 2022 Volunteer Impact Report issued by Santa Clarita shows the impact volunteers have had on the city of Santa Clarita.
In 2022 the city made use of 4,869 volunteers for a total of 29,689 volunteer hours donated. That translates to $1.06 million in the value of volunteer hours (based on 2021 rate).
In 2022 there were 122 unique volunteer positions available at 22 events held by the city of Santa Clarita including Party on the Pointe, Light Up Main Street, Eggstravaganza, Zombie Run, Dia de Los Libros, Halloween Fiesta and Haunted House, Thanksgiving Community Dinners and the Family Literacy Festival, among others.
Volunteer coaches mentored more than 2,200 youth participants in 220 Youth Sports teams which allowed leagues to grow and accommodate more participation.
Volunteers built over five miles of new trails, added new mileage to Gates Trail and Romo Trail, helped create the new Rattlesnake Run and Heritage Bypass Trail, and maintained more than 25 miles of trails at Santa Clarita Open Space locations.
In addition, more than 1,200 volunteers collected 11,320 pounds of trash during the annual River Rally clean-up event.
Volunteer as a Family
Simgen said volunteer opportunities are available for nearly all ages.
“SantaClaritaVolunteers.com is a good option for students who need community service hours,” she said. “It’s one place to find volunteer opportunities instead of making many calls to numerous nonprofits.”
The age limit for young volunteers depends on the project.
Youth as young as 14, accompanied by a parent, can participate on some of the trail projects.
Other events can make use of volunteers as young as 10 or 12.
“For egg stuffing at Eggstravaganza we want to give younger children the chance to volunteer so they learn about the benefits of volunteering,” Simgen said.
Summer is also a good opportunity for families to volunteer together.
“For parents who want to keep their kids busy doing something positive I suggest they come and volunteer as a family. I want to make volunteering a family affair,” said Simgen.
Benefits of Volunteering
“Volunteering is very important to the culture of Santa Clarita and we are very blessed because we have a lot of residents who are willing to volunteer and give back,” said Simgen. “It enriches our community. There are studies that show that volunteering is good for your mind and body. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Simgen also pointed out the advantages of volunteering for high school students.
“Some high school students don’t have much work experience,” she said. “But they can put volunteer experience on their resumes. Students are learning skills when they volunteer.”
Make a Difference Day
Simgen said plans are being made to bring back Make a Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 28. “We have started to reach out to nonprofits for projects that volunteers can help out with,” she said.
Nonprofits can contact Simgen by email at
