Lend A Hand Program
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Lend A Hand Day 2008 is Here!
The first opportunity to Lend A Hand on April 26, 2008 working in conjunction with I Love A Clean San Diego and Creek to Bay Clean-up was a success! A BIG thank you to all of our sponsors, volunteers, residents, house captains and Landscape Foreman, Mike Aziz, who helped make this community dream a reality for Downtown El Cajon.
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While you are waiting for the next Lend A Hand Day to occur in June, sign up for our Saturday Morning Clean-up this month on May 24th. See below for details.
Community Partners Support Lend A Hand Day
With an intensive 8-hour Lend A Hand Day quickly approaching, sponsors are lining up to be part of the bigger picture by helping a community restore its sense of pride. We couldn't be happier that our region wide community has chosen to partner with our Lend A Hand Program!
Click here to become a Lend A Hand Day Sponsor
 Can you volunteer your time, materials, or expertise?
Do you have landscaping, construction, or contracting experience? Get ready to roll up your sleeves and make a difference in Downtown El Cajon! Mark your calendar now and be sure to join in with fellow residents and volunteers as we turn out in force to clean, paint, landscape, and spruce up a neighborhood in Downtown El Cajon.
Lend A Hand Day will take place on three different days this year. You’re invited to volunteer at as many as you’d like!
Saturday, April 26, 2008 - what a success!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
8:00 am – 4:00 pm each day
Please click here (PDF) to download the volunteer application. You may type directly into this form and submit electronically to register for this event. Please print and sign the waiver and bring to Lend A Hand Day. The application consists of 6 steps:
- Step 1: Volunteer Information
- Step 2: Relevant Expertise
- Step 3: What can I bring?
- Step 4: Volunteering Date Preference
- Step 5: Donating & Fundraising
- Step 6: Code of Conduct & Waiver
If you have any questions about Lend A Hand Day, please contact Christina Burke, Community Development Coordinator, at (619) 401-8858.
June 28th Lend A Hand Day Event Details
Registration will be at the corner of Palm Avenue and Millar Avenue Please check in here.
Parking: Please park in the neighborhood, along Palm Avenue, Richfield Avenue, Richardson Avenue, El Cajon Boulevard, Marshall Avenue, and the north side of Millar Avenue between Palm Avenue and Main Street. If no neighborhood parking is available, you can seek parking at the Trolley Station located on Marshall Avenue.
At the past large-scale Lend A Hand events:
- Over 9,000 volunteer hours donated
- Over 60 residential properties improved
- Over 130 trees planted/trimmed
- Over 600 gallons of paint used
- Over $30,000 in media coverage generated
Give Your Feedback To The Listening Campaign
El Cajon CDC is engaging in a Listening Campaign and we are 75% to our goal for surveys received (see below)! Our mission is to gain the experiences and visions of district residents so that we may assist the community in bringing together the assets of the neighborhood to address what matters to the residents. To be a part of the Listenting Campaign contact Christina Burke, Community Development Coordinator, at (619) 401-8858. Please see our District Map (PDF) to find out if you are an El Cajon CDC district resident.
The Lend A Hand program hosts a series events where community volunteers come together to make Downtown El Cajon a better place to live, one street at a time. The scope of these volunteer projects includes general clean-up, painting, and landscaping.
These events are not just a day of work, but community celebrations that rebuild a sense of community pride and ownership. Lend A Hand improves the quality of life in Downtown El Cajon. It beautifies neighborhoods and encourages investment through resident and owner participation.
 Join the El Cajon CDC for the next Saturday Morning Clean-up!
Spend two hours on Saturday sweeping the streets of Downtown El Cajon clean. From 9:00 - 11:00 am residents, business owners, and community-minded individuals come together to remove trash and graffiti in the neighborhoods of Downtown El Cajon. Since 2006, Saturday Morning Clean-ups have engaged over 800 individuals, removed 399 graffiti incidences, collected 20,379 galons of trash, and 9,500 pounds of electronic waste.
Join El Cajon CDC for Lend A Hand’s Saturday Morning Clean-up! Spend your morning making a difference by working together.
Saturday, May 24
9:00 - 11:00 am
Wisconsin and Chambers
San Diego E-waste will also be present to collect your electronic waste including cell phones, batteries, computers, televisions, and laptops. Keep checking the El Cajon CDC website for more information as the event approaches.
Our Lend A Hand program is now partnered with the San Diego Rescue Mission. They will be joining us and will be collecting any usable items that the residents of Downtown El Cajon no longer need. So please, donate your working electronics, furniture, household articles, baby items, or clothes (and remember, your donations are tax deductible!).
RSVP with the El Cajon CDC by calling our office at (619) 401-8858 or email Christina Burke, Community Development Coordinator.
Any cancellations due to weather will be announced on this page.
Read about Lend A Hand's success in the San Diego Union-Tribune and East County Gazette!
Nominate Your Street for Lend A Hand
Lend A Hand in your neighborhood
  The Lend A Hand program has had many youth attend past Saturday morning clean-ups. It's very inspiring to see young people make an impact in their own community. The El Cajon Valley High School football team and the Miss El Cajon Court have really enjoyed being active participants in their community. Other organizations that have attended included the El Cajon Optimist Club, El Cajon Valley Kiwanis, Washington Mutual, U.S. Navy Fleet Readiness Center Southwest, McCallistar Institute, Residential Management Support System, and Volunteer San Diego.
During these events, volunteers spent their morning sweeping the streets, picking up trash, identifying graffiti and abandoned pieces of furniture in Downtown El Cajon.
Thank you to all who take the time to make Downtown El Cajon a better place to live, one street at a time!
Read about all of our wonderful youth volunteers as featured in The San Diego Union-Tribune (PDF).
2005 Lend A Hand: WHAT A SUCCESS!
 2005 Lend A Hand Press Release (PDF)
What Chamber's Residents are Saying:
“Through Lend A Hand Day and with the help of St. Madeleine Sophie's Center, we brought a garden to apartment dwellers, many of whom have never seen a real garden before. One boy even told me he wants to plant sunflower seeds because he’d never seen a sunflower. We hope to grow fruits and vegetables for all the neighbors to make an oasis in Downtown El Cajon.”
— Ida Logan, Owner of 6 units on Chamber's Street
What Chamber's Street Property Managers are Saying:
"On the day of Lend A Hand we will get an opportunity to fix up the areas that were a mess before, but what's most important is that now the neighbors know each other and are working together to take pride in this area and organize a neighborhood watch program. The long term changes will be about getting to know each other, watching out for each other and caring about our neighborhood."
— Ulla Crossman, Manager of Sunshine Gardens
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