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Prior Year Projects
César Chávez Day of Service Prior Year Service Sites and Videos
March 29, 2024
- César Chávez Day of Service Spring 2024 Recap
CSUSM hosted the 11th Annual César Chávez Day of Service (CCDoS) to honor the legacy of César Chávez and the contributions of farm workers to our society both then and now. This year, the CSUSM and MiraCosta College communities served 9 separate sites with purpose on Friday March 29th. We served to honor the legacy of César Chávez, and the contributions of farm workers to our society. César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong fought for workers’ rights among countless farmworkers and allies, and their impacts that extend beyond the Latinx community.
This year’s theme was Service – a Lifetime Commitment. We acknowledged that participating in service looks different for everyone – for some it is embedded in their careers as non-profit or activist leaders, for others it means signing petitions, donating food, or volunteering at their child’s school or family church, but that we all find ways to continue committing to a practice of service throughout our lives.
- 2024 CSUSM Main Campus Sites
Boys & Girls Club of Vista [Accessible Site] - The Spirit of Cesar Chavez Day of Service at the Boys & Girls Club of Vista
Project Summary The Boys & Girls Club of Vista needs your help 1. Prepping for our K/1st grade Summer Camp activities (tasks may include: making copies, making templates, tracing templates, cutting, gluing, etc.), 2. Prepping for our upcoming free community event on May 18th (tasks TBD, but may include putting together hygiene kits, making inspirational inserts and community resource cards, etc.), and 3. Making 2 Cesar Chavez inspired bulletin boards.Project Site
Botanical Community Development Initiatives [Accessible Site] - Food Justice Through Community Farming
Project Summary Volunteers will participate in the following: harvesting/organizing seeds for saving, prepping beds for spring/summer crops, clearing weeds & organizing farm equipment/materials, processing organic material & making compost (volunteers are encouraged to save & bring their food scraps from home!), helping with painting signs, seedling prep in the nursery, & building on-site farm projects. https://youtu.be/EB5q63fB9aw
ProduceGood - Pick Food Justice! -- A gleaning event with ProduceGood [Greek Life Only]
Project Summary With 40% of all food wasted and 1 in 5 people being food insecure in San Diego, ProduceGood's mission is to address these concurring issues at the same time. We invite the students of CSUSM to join us in a food recovery event called, ""Pick Food Justice!"" We will be picking oranges/lemons from a private orchard in Escondido/Valley Center, which will later be distributed to a local food bank/pantry. Because food insecurity is a very real issue for the students at CSUSM and throughout the country, we hope to educate and support the student volunteers at the same time. We will give a short talk about hunger, food insecurity, and the growing food justice community in San Diego. In past years, this event has proved to be very successful - last year we gleaned 762 pounds! We hope that we can raise awareness again with CSUSM for Cesar Chavez Day of Service 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq9hd_fQj2E&t=9s
Lifeline Community Services - Spring Cleaning at La Casita
Project Summary La Casita is set up as an early intervention program for at-risk youth and provides services for (on average) 20-30 children ages 6 to 12 on a daily basis. The site is a safe space for children to go to when released from school. On a bi-annual basis Lifeline staff schedule some much-needed spring and fall cleaning at La Casita! This time is set aside specifically to organize and clean out the homework room, supply rooms, closets, playground, and anything can accumulate clutter and dirt! This helps improve productivity and set the right tone and environment for a new year with the kids. https://youtu.be/YlnWPTjurEs
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation - Algerian Lavendar Sea
Project Summary In conjunction with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish & Wildlife. AHLF is attempting to eradicate Algerian Sea Lavender (an invasive species) in the lagoon watershed. This project is 100% funded by the US Fish & Wildlife Service and corresponds and collaborates with the Coastal Program Coordinator of Southern California. Volunteering for this effort requires physical labor and the ability to walk through the mud flats. Volunteers will be hand-pulling Algerian Sea Lavender and installing tarps for solarization processes as needed. Depending on the number of registrations, we can also provide trail maintenance activities such as implementing erosion control measures, invasive species removal, and trash removal.
Universidad Popular [CAMP Only] - Cesar Chavez Day of Service Community Cleanup
Project Summary Our goal is to remember and honor the life and legacy of civil rights activist César Chávez for a Day of Service. He was the co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union and pioneer in the struggles for fair wages and humane working conditions for farm workers and their families. Chávez is revered as one of the greatest human rights leaders. We are convening youth and families from the neighborhoods around Autumn, Pico, Richmar, Mission, and San Marcos Blvd, the area around San Marcos Elementary School to participate in a Community Cleanup. https://youtu.be/EB5q63fB9aw
TrueCare - Giving Back to Those Who Give
Project Summary This project will have 2 parts to it. 1. Volunteers will be welcomed into our San Marcos Health Center where they will write "Thank You" cards to our farmworker community. 2. We will partner with a local nursery in San Marcos where we will host a produce box distribution to address the food insecurity in our community and provide the farmworkers with the personalized "Thank You" cards. https://truecare.org/about/
Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos - STEM Mural
Project Summary This project will include painting a STEM-themed mural that will be displayed at one of our stand-alone Clubhouses, the Walter J. & Betty C. Zable Branch. This Clubhouse serves elementary-aged youth in San Marcos. This mural will add vibrancy and identity to our STEM spaces where we host STEM programming for our youth. We are looking for a team of no more than 16 volunteers to contribute their painting skills to this project! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hrn7OANhshbxpdWPD6QbV-ENwm0OMlUK/view?usp=sharing
- 2024 CSUSM Temecula Campus Site
Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley - Garden Box Making:
Participants will make garden boxes out of recycled materials. The garden boxes are then sold out of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore - Design Center. The ReStore is a social enterprise designed to raise funds to support the housing programs of Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley.
March 31, 2023
- César Chávez Day of Service Spring 2023 Recap
CSUSM hosted the Tenth Annual César Chávez Day of Service (CCDoS) to honor the legacy of César Chávez and the contributions of farm workers to our society both then and now. We are proud to continue our annual partnership with MiraCosta College's (MCC) Service Learning and Volunteering Center. Together, the CSUSM and MCC communities service with purpose with the communities in north county San Diego for César Chávez Day of Service. In total, we were able to serve nine different community partners.
- Day of Service Keynote Speaker - Leticia Stamos-Maldonado
Leticia Maldonado/Stamos was born and raised in Fresno, California, the 6th of 10 children. Her family worked as migrant farm workers in central and northern California. With the help of the Mini Corps, she was the first in her family to attend and graduate from college.
In 1972, Leticia was attending Cal State Bakersfield when she started volunteering with the United Farm Workers of America Union during the contentious times of the grape strikes and boycott. A year later she quit school to volunteer full-time for the UFW under the leadership of the late labor and civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez. She joined the Chavez family when she married Chavez's nephew. Fifty years later she continues her commitment to farm workers and underserved populations by serving on the board of the Cesar Chavez Foundation headquartered in Keene, CA.
Leticia re-enrolled at San Jose State University in 1974 and earned her BA in 1977. Her professional experience includes a long career with the Boy Scouts of America, and a stint with the University of California as State Coordinator of the Puente Project Pilot.
After she and her husband Nick moved to Fallbrook in 1997, Leticia enrolled at California State University San Marcos to earn her Teaching Credential and started her teaching career in Fallbrook. She retired in 2014.
Leticia is committed to community service and has been involved in numerous local volunteer efforts such as the local food bank, North County girls' leadership conferences, parent literacy workshops, voting rights efforts, and community organizing, just to name a few. She also founded and co-chairs a 19 year-old all-volunteer event called Fallbrook A Leer/Reading Family Literacy Project - Cesar E. Chavez Day of Service and Learning, which takes place each spring. The event encourages literacy in the home and community service as it honors the legacy of Cesar E. Chavez.
- 2023 CSUSM Main Campus Sites
Botanical Community Development Initiatives - Cultivating Peace through Community Farming:
Learn about how communities can come together through access to green space and growing food together. We will have projects for people of all abilities from prepping garden beds, sorting seeds, painting, and working in the plant nursery. This site is wheelchair accessible and there will be volunteer opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. We will be outdoors and in direct sunlight. There will be projects that require the use of tools, walking on uneven terrain and bending and picking things up over 20 lbs. There will be volunteer opportunities in the shade and tasks that do not require using tools and can be completed while on pavement.
4510 N. River Rd., Oceanside, CA; www.plantspeoplecommunity.org
Boys & Girls Club of Vista - Day of Service Honoring Cesar Chavez - Making Books Kits for Club families:
The project will have two parts.Part one will require volunteers to create book kits for 7 different book titles as a part of a Words Alive program. Book kits will include a book and items for a craft that relates to the book. This process will be replicated for all 7 titles in sets of 15 totaling 105 book kits. Part two volunteers will be split into groups of two-four depending on the number of volunteers to read a variety of books honoring Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong.
410 West California Avenue, Vista, CA; www.bgcvista.org
ProduceGood – "Pick Food Justice!":
With 40% of all food wasted, and 1 in 4 people who struggle with food insecurity in San Diego, ProduceGood's mission is to address these twin problems with one solution. We invite the students of CSUSM to join us in a food recovery event called, "Pick Food Justice!" We will be picking citrus from a private orchard in Escondido, some of which will later be distributed to the CSUSM student pantry. Because college student food insecurity is a very real issue for the students at CSUSM and throughout the country, we hope to educate and support the student volunteers at the same time. We will give a short talk about hunger, food insecurity and the growing food justice community in San Diego, leaving time for your group to do their own reflections. We hope that we can again raise awareness with students on their Cesar Chavez Day of Service 2023. We will be picking fruit for three hours in an orchard. This activity requires mobility (there is uneven ground) and strength (to lift at least 15 pounds. The event takes place outdoors. Depending on the weather, volunteers should bring an extra jacket (if it is cold) and sunscreen (if it is hot). If they are allergic to bees, they need to bring their own epi-pen or medication. We ask that everyone wear sturdy, close-toed shoes.
4057 Via de la Paz, Oceanside, CA; Max 35 volunteers www.producegood.org, What is Gleaning?
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation – Landscaping & Gardening in the Discovery Center's Native Plant Garden:
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation's Discovery Center in Carlsbad has a large native plant garden. Volunteers would be helping with a wide variety of landscaping/gardening projects, including: removing a large agave plant, trimming back native plants, removing invasive species, planting native plants, laying down mulch and composted soil in certain areas, building trail restoration projects, picking up trash along Cannon Road and more. AHLF will provide all tools for this project. It is recommended volunteers bring a hat/sunscreen and water, along with wearing closed-toed shoes.
1580 Cannon Road, Carlsbad, CA; https://www.aguahedionda.org/
Sustainability Program at CSUSM – Sustainable Food Project Garden:
Students and campus partners will work in the garden, weeding, planting, composting, or tilling the land.
CSUSM 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos, CA; https://www.csusm.edu/geography/foodproject.html
Dragon Organics - Soil Health Restoration:
Students will be learning how soil health is important in farming. They will be asked to turn the soil using shovels and add amendments while making beds to be planted in the summer. There will also be weeding that needs to be done. Students will be using hand tools and there is a risk of body strain from using the tools. Students must have closed toed shoes and should bring water. Be aware that being outside poses risks of heat stroke, sunburn, and exhaustion. Wear appropriate clothing. No loose fitting or low cut clothing.
17701 San Pasqual Valley Rd, Escondido, CA; http://sanpasqualacademy.weebly.com/
Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos - Paint by Number Mural & Grow with Us Garden:
Volunteers will help us decorate our Club hallway with a mural. The mural will be in different canvas pieces, and volunteers will paint with colors that coordinate to a certain number. Volunteer will also be building and setting up mobile gardens with BGC members to create a Club Garden. The purpose would be to teach our kids about the importance of growing plants and learning about the benefits of gardening to the environment and mental well-being. We will also include an educational piece to teach our members about Cesar Chavez and his work advocating for migrant workers.
1 Positive Place, San Marcos, CA; boysgirlsclubsm.org
Universidad Popular - Limpieza Comunitaria [CAMP STUDENTS ONLY]:
We are convening neighbors to participate in a community clean up in the Autumn neighborhood in San Marcos. Volunteers will be engaging with community residents including youth and families to learn about the neighborhood and together participate in an event that will improve and beautify our community. The majority of the neighbors are Spanish speakers so this opportunity will provide students with an opportunity to practice Spanish and to enjoy conversations with neighbors.
261 Autumn Dr. Suite 115, San Marcos, CA; www.unipopular.org Universidad Popular - Teaching and Learning Together
- 2023 CSUSM Temecula Campus Sites
Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley - Garden Box Making:
Participants will make garden boxes out of recycled materials. The garden boxes are then sold out of the Habitat for Humanity ReStore - Design Center. The ReStore is a social enterprise designed to raise funds to support the housing programs of Habitat for Humanity Inland Valley. Please wear closed toed shoes. A safety training will be given prior to volunteer activities.
28410 Vincent Moraga Drive, Temecula, CA; habitativ.org
March 31, 2022
- César Chávez Day of Service Spring 2022 Recap
Over 200 CSUSM and MCC student volunteered for the 2022 César Chávez Day of Service held on Thursday, March 31, César Chávez's birthday. Students, staff, and faculty members volunteered at a variety of hands-on projects at community partner sites across north county and in Temecula valley. After two years of virtual days of service, this year's return to the community was a great turnout of CSUSM and MCC's campus committments to serving the community!
"North County Colleges Mark César Chávez Day with Service" - KPBS
KPBS's Tania Thorne shadowed Day of Service volunteers as they returned to collectively serve north county communities through hands-on projects. She produced the video and this article overview of the event.
- La Lucha Sigue: César Chávez and the Spirit of Solidarity
Virtual Panel Discussion
Wednesday, May 30, 2022 at 6:00 PM
Panelists for the discussion were Victoria Wong (UFW Salinas and UC Berkely Third World Liberation Front) and Julio Somos One Magaña (Poet, Lyricist, Educator from Delano, CA). CSUSM Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies, Dr. Marcelo Garzo Montalvo, will moderate the discussion.
- Meet Victoria "Vicci" Wong
Vicci Wong grew up working in the fields of Salinas, CA--"the Salad Bowl of the World." When she was 12, she applied to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Atlanta, GA as she wanted to join the Freedom Fighters down South in their more militant civil rights struggle. They wrote back (no internet or social media then) and told her she was too young, but sent her fliers and stickers to start what they called a "baby" or "junior" SNCC chapter in Salinas, which she did. Along with her co-onion-bunching-worker friend, Lillian Fabros Bando, she then founded the Salinas chapter of the United Farm Workers union. Throughout her junior high and high school years, she was also active in the antiwar and draft resisters movement, forming Salinas Vietnam Summer, and campaigned for peace and freedom candidates even though she was too young to vote.
Excited by the 1964 Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley, Vicci only applied there for college and was lucky to get accepted on a partial scholarship and grants. One night in May 1968, her life in-between a Black and White world was liberated when she became part of the Founding 6 of the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA) in a small apartment at 2005 Hearst Ave, Berkeley, CA. Vicci then went on to co-found the first Asian American publication, the AAPA Newsletter. Through AAPA she co-founded the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) that led the Third World Strike at UC Berkeley for the entire Winter Quarter 1969, which established the Ethnic Studies Dept, including Asian American Studies.
After college Vicci lived in SF Chinatown, and organized garment, restaurant, clerical, electrical, and other workers and immigrants. She worked with the Asian Community Center and the International Hotel in Manilatown. She was elected Manager of the Chinatown Co-op--the first garment workers-owned cooperative in the world; and was an editor and reporter for various publications, including the bilingual Wei Min Bao, Pacific Imperialism Notebook, and Pacific Basin Reports, which published my booklet, The Global Struggle for Oil. Vicci also co-authored What Have Women Done?; Chinese Working People in America: A Pictorial History; and Stand Up: An Archive Collection of the Bay Area Asian American Movement 1968-1974.
- Meet Julio "Somos One" Magaña-SaludadoJulio Magaña-Saludado MEd. — aka SOMOS ONE— is a Poet Rapper (co-founder of Chicanx Rap Collective BRWN BFLO) , Lifelong MS/HS educator and culture worker/community builder. He is grandson and third son to Original UFW Strikers and Organizers. Somos One (Wan Kenobi) comes from a long line of well read Mariachi Singers and Union trades people who used music to share unsung community stories and embolden their audience to believe in themselves and the power of community.
- Meet Victoria "Vicci" Wong
- Day of Service Keynote Speaker - Oscar Caralimpio' 15
Thursday, March 31 at 8:00 AM
USU Ballroom Call to Action Discussion
Oscar Caralampio is a 30 year husband, father, teacher and school board member. He was born in an indigenous village in Guatemala and came to the United States in 1995. Oscar was a farm worker by the age of 8 and worked in the fields until 2006. As a CSUSM student, Oscar volunteered at a local Boys and Girls Club. Currently, he is an Innovation Lab Teacher (STEM/TOSA teacher) at a bilingual school in Fallbrook Elementary. Oscar is also in his second year as a school board member for the Fallbrook Union High School District.
He has two beautiful kids and a wife who is a school counselor. Oscar's passion is serving his community through the educational pathway. CCDoS volunteers heared from Oscar at the start of the 2022 César Chávez Day of Service.
- CSUSM Main Campus Sites
Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation - "Hubbs Trail Erosion Prevention" Assist in building a fence along the border of our Hubbs trail. Install sandbags to prevent landslides down the bluffs and remove invasive plants and trash. Assist in habitat restoration by planting native, drought-resistant plants.
Produce Good - "Pick Food Justice!" Help fight food insecurity by picking oranges from the orchard to donate to local food banks.
San Pasqual Academy Dragon Organics - "Serenity Garden Clean Up" Weeding the garden at the Academy that serves as a quiet area for students, staff, faculty, and grandparents. Assist with getting the area ready for the planting of wildflowers and herbs.
Boys and Girls Club of Vista - "Together All Things Are Possible" Assemble "literacy kits" for children that included flashcards and books. Paint club mural, clean up and organize youth community spaces.
Botanical Community Development Initiatives -“Food Justice Through Farming” Learn about how community can come together through access to green space and growing food together. We will have projects for people of all abilities from prepping garden beds, sorting seeds, painting, and working in the plant nursery.
CSU San Marcos Sustainable Food Project Garden and Pollinator Garden - Farm projects related to weeding and create planting beds and other garden related activities. [ACCESSIBLE SITE]
- CSUSM Temecula Campus Site
Habitat for Humanity – Inland Valley (Temecula) “Making Garden Boxes out of Recycled Materials” Disassemble recycled material to make sellable, low-cost garden boxes for personalized gardens. The garden boxes will be made in two sizes for home or apartment use. Proceeds from the sale of the boxes will support housing programs at Habitat for Humanity.
March 31, 2021 | Virtual Day of Service Event
- Video of Virtual Keynote Presentations
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
- A Virtual Conversation: Honoring the Legacy of César Chávez
- Join the CSUSM community for a reflective event featuring two keynote speakers on the legacy of César Chávez and the issues farmworkers continue to face in the global pandemic.
- Keynote Speakers
- A Virtual Conversation: Honoring the Legacy of César Chávez
- CSUSM National Partner of the National Farmworker Awareness Week
Thursday, March 25 - Wednesday, March 31, 2021
The CCDoS Planning Committee has partnered with Students Action with Farmworker (SAF) to promote the National Farmworker Awareness Week(NFWA). NFWA is week of action for students and community members to honor farmworkers' important contributions and to raise awareness about the issues they face. As a national partner organization, CSUSM have selected Justice for Migrant Women as the farmworker advocacy organization to highlight and encourage the CSUSM community to contribute to their efforts.
- Supporting Farmworkers with Virtual Engagement Actions
- Fair World Project - Advocate for the global economy that includes fair wages for farmers and justice for workers by sending messages and signing petitions in support of farmworkers.
- Green America - Support a local or national organization that helps farm workers.
- Justice of Migrant Women - In the spirit of Women’s History Month, maybe make a donation drive for this organization.
- Solidary Center - Take action with one one of their cross-movement campaigns to challenge discriminatory systems and demand fair wages and safer workplaces.
- Additional Virtual Volunteer Opportunities
- Habitat for Humanity Advocate Opportunities - Speak up on a particular issue such as inadequate housing.
- HandsOn San Diego - Offer one-on-one tutoring, create Art from the Heart to be mailed or knit scarves from home. HandsOn San Diego has a variety of virtual projects you can complete from home.
- Love it Forward - Send a note, drawing, origami, or collage to send a message of love and hope to someone in need.
- Operation Gratitude - Contribute to a care package by writing a thank you letter to military and first responders. Operation Gratitude will send you a letter writing kit to start!
- Words Alive! Page Turners - Read and review books from the Words Alive! recommendation list to determine which books should be added to their program curriculum.
- Prior Days of Service Virtual Opportunities
March 31, 2020 (Cancelled due to Covid-19)
- CSUSM Main Campus Sites
- Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation | Hand weeding Algerian Sea Lavender Removal Project
- Catholic Charities Diocese San Diego | Spring Cleaning at La Posada de Guadalupe
- CSUSM Sustainable Food Project Garden | Crop Harvest for Donation to the ASI Cougar Pantry
- Ocean Knoll Elementary | Garden and Farm Maintenance
- Operation Hope | Beautification of Shelter and Client Boutique
- Ivey Ranch Park | Grounds Beautification Project Such As Landscaping, Painting, General Repairs
- Produce Good | "Pick Food Justice!" Help Fight Food Insecurity On-Campus and in the Community
- San Marcos Historical Society and Heritage Park | Hands on History Preparation for Field Trips to Site
- San Pasqual Academy Dragon Organics | Construct a Deer Fence, Planting Vegetables and Weeding
- CSUSM Temecula Campus Site
- Habitat for Humanity - Inland Valley | A Brush with Kindness/Senior Citizen Home Repair
April 1, 2019
March 30, 2018
- CSUSM Main Campus Sites
- “Dragon Organics Farm" San Pasqual Academy
- “Nourishing Community Through Urban Farming” Community Roots Farm
- “Grounds Beautification” Ivey Ranch Park Association
- “Pick Food Justice!” ProduceGood
- “Luiseño Learning Garden at Heritage Park” San Marcos Historical Society
- “5th Grade Student Environmental Mural” Richland Elementary
- “Cesar Chavez Mural” Muramid Mural Museum & Art Center (Project Located On Campus)
- “Village Spring Clean” Boys & Girls Club of Carlsbad
- “Helping those in Need One Sale at a Time” Brother Benno’s Thrift Shop
- Sustainable Food Project Garden (Project Located On Campus)
- CSUSM Temecula Campus Site
- “Gardening Center” Boys & Girls Club of Pechanga Great Oak
- "Paint a Home" Habitat for Humanity
- 2018 Picture Archives
March 31, 2017
- CSUSM Main Campus Sites
- Dragon Organics Gardening
- Seed to Preschool Farm Gardening
- ProduceGood Gleaning Fruit
- Ivey Ranch Park Association Beautification and Landscape Restoration
- The Escondido Creek Conservancy Habitat Restoration
- Patio Playhouse Organizing Warehouse
- Mottino YMCA Activity Pool Resurfacing
- Ethnobotany Garden (CSUSM Main Campus) Gardening
- Sustainable Food Project Garden (CSUSM Main Campus) Gardening
- CSUSM Temecula Campus Site
- CCDoS 2017 Recap Video
March 31, 2016
- CSUSM Main Campus Sites
- Brother Benno’s: Organizing the thrift store
- City of Oceanside, Joe Balderrama Recreation Center: Neighborhood Beautification - Painting
- Community Resource Center: Building Beautification & Food Pantry Organizing
- Dragon Organics: Gardening
- North County Community Services: Gardening
- Ethnobotany Garden: Gardening
- Sustainable Food Project Garden : Gardening
- CSUSM Temecula Campus Site
- Habitat for Humanity Temecula : Building Beautification
- View 2016 Picture Archives
