Thank you for considering to
joining the Ride a Wave team! The program only works
due to help from great people like yourself. Please
read the information below to ensure that becoming
a volunteer is right for you.
It's EXTREMELY important that we know exactly who
is volunteering for each camp. If we have too
few volunteers, the safety of our participants is at
risk. If we have too many volunteers, some may not
be needed and might end up disappointed by having
part of their weekend days disrupted. PLEASE respond
ASAP when you get a phone call or an email asking
for confirmation on whether you can make a camp or
not so we can plan accordingly.
Please also understand two key points.
- One: Communicating your availability does not
necessarily guarantee your assignment. We have 300+
volunteers, and we want to make sure everyone has
a chance to participate, hopefully, at least twice.
Ideally, we would like to have fewer volunteers
that can commit to more days of service. We understand
that most people have busy lives and find it hard
to fully commit to a valuable weekend day many weeks
away.
- Two: The Crews that perform the Tandem and the
Escorts are a hard-core group of folks that show up each
and every time, so we rarely need help in that area.
Please feel free to volunteer for those for those roles,
but realize that as Santa Cruz is a town full of very
good water folks, there is always more requests to
volunteer in those two groups then we generally
need. Remember, we could use your consistent volunteer
commitment in other places. Volunteers will generally
be contacted 2 weeks in advance of each camp, and
confirmations should be emailed (Note once again,
make sure we have your correct email address!)
the week of the camp. We really need to know at least
a week a head of time so that we can shuffle folks
around if there is need for coverage in another
area. Believe us, trying to coordinate 75 to
100 volunteers is not an easy task. So, the more
time we have to set things up, the smoother things
will run the day of the camps.
We know that plans change and unexpected situations do pop
up, but please let us know if you are not able to make it
to one of the days you have volunteered for. This really
puts us in a bind and trying to move people around the day
of the event is extremely difficult and frustrating plus it
usually leaves us short handed which in turn effects the
safety factor for the participants. Also, the groups that
we serve sometimes have people dropout or have an extra
person come along unexpectedly for the day, so our actually
number of folks on either side can change up or down either way.
There may be times that we will need your help in another
area that you may not have been originally assigned to on
a particular day. For some, this may be a disappointment,
but the only reason that this may happen is that we are
short in another area for the day. Remember, you are here
to assist with some really special people that are glad to
receive any of the help that you can give. This is all
about our participants having a fun and safe day at the beach.
If you commit to being there, please show up on time. We
need all volunteers to meet at the Beach access ramp in the
parking lot in between the West Coast Inn (or whatever it
is called at the moment) and the wharf, at 8:30AM the day
of the events. We have a very short time to get all the
gear down to the beach and set up, so the more hands we
have there at 8:30 AM will make things run much smoother
before the participants arrive. Your day will end around
2:00 PM, unless you stay and help with the clean-up. We a
lways need a clean-up crew to help out for a few hours
in the afternoon, from 1:30 until approx 3:30. If you want
to help, but can't make the morning, this is a perfect
way to lend a hand.
Once the administration table is set up, please let the
Beach Director of the day, know that are there and what
task you think that you are signed up for. Realize that
the assignment may change, depending on the day's needs.
Please be willing to do whatever is needed with a positive
attitude; Remember, this is all about the participants,
not us. Each Activity Coordinator will meet with his or
her group of volunteers to go over important details of
the job. It is extremely important to take the directions
to heart. Communication is the key to safety and keeping
the day running smooth. Remember, if you don't know, ask!
We know that for many of you this is your first year
volunteering for the RAW program so we wanted to share
this information with you so that everything will run
more smoothly for all of us. When that happens, it makes
it that much safer and more fun for our participants
and for all of us as well.
Once again, we thank all of you for wanting to help with the
success of this program. There is nothing better than seeing
those smiling faces looking up at you. If you have any questions,
contact us.
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