Hands on Bay Area Calls Local Communities to Action on October 15 for Hands on Bay Area Day; Annual Day of Volunteerism to Engage 2,500 in Community Service Projects across San Francisco Bay Area and Raise Funds for Year-Long Programs.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Hands On Bay Area today made the official call for volunteers for one of the San Francisco Bay Area's largest days of volunteerism -- Hands On Bay Area Day. Hands On Bay Area Day, presented by Accenture, will be held on October 15 and is expected to gather 2,500 volunteers from Bay Area communities, corporations and local organizations to complete more than 10,000 hours of community service at 75 project sites across the Bay Area. With the value of a volunteer hour estimated at $17.55 by Independent Sector, Hands On Bay Area Day volunteers will deliver more than $175,000 worth of service to Bay Area nonprofits on Hands On Bay Area Day.

"Community involvement is more important than ever, and events like 'Hands On Bay Area Day' provide great opportunities for each of us to make an impact on our communities," said California State Senator Jackie Speier. "I commend Hands On Bay Area for the work its volunteers will complete on October 15 and year-round, and I'm looking forward to being a part of it."

Senator Speier will be the featured speaker at the San Francisco kick-off, and she is one of several elected officials from Bay Area cities and counties who are supporting and participating in Hands On Bay Area Day.

Hands On Bay Area Day volunteers will paint schools, repair houses for low-income residents, refurbish parks and playgrounds, plant trees and gardens, box groceries, make blankets for Hurricane Katrina victims, and prepare meals for the homeless. Local organizations that will benefit from Hands On Bay Area volunteers include the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, Habitat for Humanity, Save The Bay, San Jose Family Shelter, Guadalupe River Park & Gardens, San Bruno Mountain Watch, Ronald McDonald House and Rebuilding Together Oakland.

"The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department staff loves to work with Hands On volunteers," said Kristin Bowman, director of volunteer services, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. "Every month, Hands On volunteers help improve San Francisco parks, and this year during Hands On Bay Area Day, more than 300 volunteers will help clean and green parks across the city, from Golden Gate Park to Visitacion Valley."

Hands On Bay Area Day is one of the organization's largest fundraisers, with proceeds from the event going to support more than 10,000 Hands On Bay Area volunteers throughout the year as they complete more than 120 community projects each month. Hands On Bay Area Day volunteers are encouraged to raise at least $25 in pledges, with all proceeds benefiting Hands On Bay Area's year-round programs. Prizes will be awarded to top individual and team fundraisers. In addition to volunteer donations, Hands On Bay Area has the generous support of corporate partners and sponsorships, which help to drive its annual programming and philanthropic efforts. In addition to Accenture, sponsors for this year's event include Bank of America, Walmart.com, Gap Inc., eBay, 96.5 KOIT, CBS 5, UPN 44, 7x7 Magazine, Yerba Buena Gardens, and The San Francisco Business Times.

"We all recognize the vital role individual volunteers play in our communities each and every day," said Chris DiGiorgio, Accenture managing director. "But tragedies like Hurricane Katrina further highlight the importance of fostering a network of concerned citizens able to respond when needs arise. Hands On Bay Area Day goes a long way towards fostering that network and building a sense of sustained community action."

About Hands On Bay Area Day

Hands On Bay Area Day is one example of how Hands On Bay Area creates, manages and leads community service projects that benefit hundreds of nonprofit agencies in the Bay Area by mobilizing volunteers to address unmet community needs. Hands On Bay Area Day promotes a volunteer ethic and provides an opportunity for busy individuals, corporations and nonprofits to join together for one day of service and complete much-needed projects.

"We created Hands On Bay Area Day to raise awareness for the need for volunteers in the community and highlight the impact that companies and volunteers can make in one day," said Davin Miyoshi, board chair, Hands On Bay Area. "This day-long celebration of volunteerism provides individual volunteers an opportunity to help the community, and provides community agencies with teams of enthusiastic volunteers to complete much-needed support and improvement projects. It is also a great opportunity to introduce first-time volunteers to the benefits of volunteerism."

Individual volunteers will participate in the event along with volunteer teams, coordinated by community groups and local corporations. Community teams will include universities, alumni organizations, and religious groups, including San Jose State and the University of San Francisco. Corporate teams will include employees from Accenture, Bank of America, Symantec, KPMG, Franklin Templeton, Wilson Sonsini, and Intuit. Volunteers must be at least 7 years old, and a parent or guardian must accompany those under 18. When registering, volunteers will have the option to select the region where they want to volunteer: Alameda County, Contra Costa County, San Francisco, San Mateo County or Santa Clara County.

Volunteer activities will be from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Following is a schedule of activities for Hands On Bay Area Day:

--8:00 a.m. Volunteers gather at event kick-off locations for registration and breakfast:

--San Francisco: Yerba Buena Gardens (Fifth and Mission Streets)

--San Jose: Tower Lawn, San Jose State University

--Oakland: Martin Luther Shoreline (Site of Save The Bay volunteer project)

--9:00 a.m. Opening Ceremonies

--10 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Volunteers will complete community projects

--2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Volunteer celebration at San Francisco and San Jose kick-off locations that will include lunch, live music, free massages and a raffle. A smaller lunch event will take place at the Oakland project site.

To register for Hands On Bay Area Day 2005, or for more information, go to www.HandsOnBayArea.org, or call 415-541-9616.

About Hands On Bay Area

Hands On Bay Area (Hands On) creates social change by mobilizing our communities, through volunteer management, leadership development and issues education. Hands On develops, manages and leads volunteer projects that benefit more than 300 San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit agencies. Each month, Hands On coordinates and manages more than 120 community service projects that engage 10,000 volunteers each year. Hands On also designs and manages projects for corporations that want to support their employees in giving back to the communities where they work and live. Hands On is an affiliate of the Hands On Network, an international alliance of more than 40 volunteer organizations working to build community through service and civic engagement. For more information about Hands On Bay Area, visit www.handsonbayarea.org.