Agency Details:

LITA of Contra Costa (Love is the Answer)

LITA matches volunteers with elder and disabled long term care hospital residents, who have no visitors, for a 20-30 minute weekly friendly visit. LITA also supports pet visitors and many East Bay artists who volunteer to bring music, magic, dance and the arts to LITA served hospitals.

Description:
2009
The most sought-after LITA volunteers are those seeking to make a real friend of a lonely person living full time in a long term care hospital or skilled nursing facility and whom they can visit regularly, usually once a week.

LITA Volunteer force, which at this writing (4/09) is thus: Forty-one One on One Weekly Visitors, 12 youthful groups visiting regularly with a teacher, parent or scout leader coordinator. Entertainment Volunteers include 11 musicians, an artist and a dance group, 6 seasonal pet visitors, 5 board members, 4 special events volunteers 1 website management volunteer and 1 accountant volunteer. Included in the weekly visitors count are our Friendly Pet Visitors who bring dogs (one volunteer brings her guinea pig and another her pet chickens). Six other consistent seasonal Pet Visitors come at least 12 times a year, during school breaks, on holidays and summer vacation. All these visitors are youthful: middle school or high school students, most of whom have returned for 2 or 3 years running.

LITA's Inter-generation Appreciation always create a lift in seniors spirits when the young people come. Twelve co-coordinators from elementary and middle schools scout / brownie troops brought youth on at least one visit and others twice a year. A group from Valley View brings and another from Harding Elementary bring 10 to 15 elementary school students to sing and visit and hand out seasonal greeting cards on a quarterly basis

Individuals interested in becoming hospital volunteer visitors(18 or younger need an adult sponsor to sign) complete a simple 1 page application and talk with our Director for an informal interview. Support includes on going dialog and easy to read Guidelines. Training materials: video & LITA Volunteer Manual.New volunteer have a hospital orientation tour prior to starting. Most volunteers like to do a one on one weekly visit. Pet visitors and parents with young children often need to establish a more flexible sometimes less frequent visiting schedule.

Others contribute via multiple other volunteer jobs available at LITA. Twenty-four years of experience has proven regular volunteer visitors and caring contact from the outside (including the energy generated via art and music) creates a highly positive change in the morale and quality of life for those hospital residents we serve. For over 20 years a LITA of CC office has been located at 6830 Stockton Avenue, El Cerrito, California, 94530. Today LITA's Director does much of her work in Port Costa. Alternate and most secure mailing address particularly for donations is (PO Box 121, Port Costa CA 94569). Call LITA's Executive Director Victoria Ryan: LITA Office phone (510) 527-2055 or Director's Cell (925) 212 4573.
You may send any of your questions and comments by email to LITA Director: victoriaryan@sbcglobal.net
or info@litaofcontracosta.org

History:
LITA "Love Is The Answer" of Contra Costa

LITA Love Is the Answer of Contra Costa is a 501-3C, 94-2766013, founded in 1980.
The first LITA was started by the now retired Mae Wygant who found a need for LITA type services in Marin in 1970. Mae's good friend, Iris Suhl moved from Marin in 1980 when her spouse passed away, to live with and care for her mother. She immediately founded LITA of Contra Costa. Iris was dedicated, organized and energetic. Within a few years had built LITA up to 100 volunteers visiting in convalescent hospitals spread all over the county. Victoria Ryan is the current Director of LITA. She came on board in the spring of 2002, when LITA and many other non profits had fallen on very hard times indeed. After 911 suffering from lack of volunteers and more from an near fatal lack of funding.
LITA constantly needs funding enough to support expanding programs but has been steadily growing since 2002 and now averages and maintains 50 active volunteers, serving over 21 hospitals around Contra Costa (and occasionally in Alameda) county.

In addition to our main friendly visitor program, LITA has youth groups for Intergeneration appreciation and pet visitors who bring their gentle dogs and cats to cheer up and share love with the residents. Our Executive director Victoria Ryan often performs herself and books other talented east bay artist for volunteer musical, magic and dance shows at our many LITA served facilities.

LITA volunteers are active in hospitals located in Richmond, San Pablo, El Cerrito, Richmond,Pinole,
El Sobrante, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Concord, Walnut Creek, Orinda, Lafayette, Danville, Antioch and Pleasanton, and in Alameda county: Oakland and Berkeley and Fremont.

Contact person: Victoria Ryan, Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: Must call first in order to fa 5x 10-787-1777

Address:

6830 Stockton Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.litaofcontracosta.org

Directions:

The address above is one of over 20 hospital locations LITA can provide an opportunity to visit. please do not go to the address above prior to going thru the simple LITA application process. LITA Director will set up an appointment. . . (more)

Last updated on November 22, 2009