Comic-Con@Home 2021 SuperVolunteer Challenge: Volume 4

Lisa C., San Diego, CA says: This year I have been serving as the Vice President of San Diego Audubon Society, as well as the Advisor for the Audubon Club at San Diego City College. We received the Campus Chapter of the Year award in 2019 - the last time we had a National Audubon Convention. Karina O. (another Comic-Con volunteer) and I both worked on a lot of planting projects over the last year and a half at the Otay Valley Regional Park. We planted a Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden at San Diego City College and at Otay Valley Regional Park. We also worked at the San Diego Audubon Bird Festival, building a Hummingbird out of recyclable materials from the event like cans and cardboard and wire. It came out so beautiful! We also did Migratory Bird Day for the USFWS at South Bay San Diego and showed people how to make a bird feeder out of string, a toilet paper cardboard roll, peanut butter and birdseed. 

The students also worked this year as "Tern Watchers" and removed vegetation so that the Least Terns could nest at Fiesta Island and Mariners Point. I'm in the photo holding our award, and the one with all the students who were with me accepting the award, and Karina O. is in the burgundy sweatshirt. 

Sue (Director of Volunteer Services) says: What a wonderful gift to Mother Nature! Thank you for helping to protect and enhance our ecosystem and our plants and animals. And, um, you neglected to mention that Karina is holding a SNAKE!

Janet B., San Marcos, CA, says: I found a great way to make a difference doing what I love when I am doing my beach walks. I have become a volunteer for the Surfrider Foundation by picking up trash at my local beaches. Check out their website. Anyone anywhere can do this challenge. Our oceans and neighborhoods do not need our plastics. So, I walk, take my beach bucket, remove trash and also look for heart-shaped rocks to add to my collection.

Sue says: Thank you for helping to take care of our beaches and protect our precious marine life! I hope you find a LOT of heart-shaped rocks, because Mother Nature is lovin' you!!

Nick T., Westminster, CA says: I have been volunteering for the non-profit organization called the Union of the Vietnamese Student Assoc Southern California or UVSA for short. Recently, UVSA coordinated a TNT Fireworks fundraising stand in Garden Grove to raise money for their VAHSA (Vietnamese American High School Alliance) Camp, an annual high school summer leadership camp for students in Garden Grove and surrounding communities. At the fireworks stand, I was tasked to oversee the stands operations, trained the event coordinators on how to manage the point of sales system, manage the cash box, and trained other volunteers on how to conduct sales and pull inventory. 

As for UVSA in general, I have been volunteering for the organization since 2005. My first volunteer opportunity with the organization was actually during their summer leadership camps where I was part of the photo and media team. Since then, I learned more about their projects, engaged with thousands of other inspiring volunteers, and am now an active director on their board of directors. Volunteering has been a pivotal part of both my personal and professional development, and so it made me incredibly happy to learn back in 2019 that Comic-Con was also a non-profit. I hope to be able to continue volunteering for Comic-Con when it returns post-pandemic.

Me (right) completing a transaction by selling a "TNT Grab Bag" to a customer in the picture above. I happened to be wearing the 2019 Comic-Con volunteer shirt that day.

Marie T., Orange, CA says: I spent over 100 hours from Feb. to May 2021 working on tax returns for the United Way - Orange County.  It was interesting work because we were doing virtual processing for some people, as well as accepting drop-off paperwork for others.  I worked at two different drop-off sites - the taxpayers had to drop off copies of their ID's, tax forms - W-2's, etc, we would prepare the returns and then they'd come back to sign for them and get a paper copy of their returns.  Most tax returns were e-filed.

The virtual processing meant that people had to upload copies of their ID's and tax forms along with a Selfie of themselves holding their ID next to their face.  We would then either e-mail, text or call them with any questions, process their returns and have them electronically sign for them.  We would provide an electronic copy of their returns for their files.

I've also signed up to help from July to October with preparing tax returns for people who didn't manage to get theirs filed by May 15th.

Sue says: Marie didn't have any photos, but she wanted people to know that the service is available for low-income people.  In Southern California, it's people with income of $66,000 or less. The organization is Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). This is a really great way to help others in the community. Well done, Marie!