Building A Stronger Community Through Volunteerism
Our Mission is to empower the community to practice empathy, spread kindness, and volunteer where care is needed most.
For 60 years, the Volunteer Center has been a trusted presence in the South Bay, Harbor, and Long Beach communities and beyond. We are known for leading and administering programs that include Food for Kids, Operation Teddy Bear, the Court-Referred Community Service program, and youth support initiatives such as Impact Makers. The core of our work is not the programs alone, but the creation of an umbrella of care with all of our efforts. Everything we do is designed to build empathy and resilience in our community through community service and volunteerism.
Working alongside nonprofit organizations, schools, businesses, faith communities, government agencies, and local residents, we respond to community needs while creating meaningful opportunities for people of every age and background to serve.
Today, we are expanding access to Court-Referred Community Service across the region, strengthening food support through our Torrance and Long Beach pantries, investing in young people, and helping volunteers and community partners turn compassion into action.
Our Leadership Team
Dr. Josh Gezahegn
President
Sandy Montalvo
Vice President
Silas Cole
Director of Programs
Maria Sedano
CRCS District Manager
Jon Phelps
Program Coordinator - South Bay
Pam Rima
Program Coordinator - Long Beach
Board Members
Lea Ann King
Board Chair
Community Organizer
Lorena Sandoval-Holt
Vice Chair
Chevron / Holt Foundation
Allison Anderson
Secretary
Mission Immersion
Kevin Morrow
Immediate Past Chair
State Farm
Connie Robinson
Treasurer
Information Technology
Jean Fay Lee
Programs Chair
LA Unified School District
Laura Kauls
Fund Development Chair
CPA, Retired
Hon. Betty C. Lieu, Esq.
Torrance City Council
Jenny Pan
Triangle DeCon Services
Paula Cox-Marshall
TV&Radio Executive, Retired
Jennifer Mak
LA Unified School District, Retired
Dianne Bozler
University of Southern
California, Retired
Neha Prasad
ANP Safety Consulting
Karen Pryor
Affiliation Mutal of Omaha
Dr. Alene Terzian-Zeitounian
College of the Canyons
Sean Devereaux
CIty of Long Beach
Our Guiding Principles
Rooted in Community
We begin with the people closest to the challenge. The communities we serve are not recipients of our work – they are partners in shaping it. We listen before we act, design alongside those with lived experience, and remain accountable to the people most affected by the issues we seek to address.
We ask who is being left out, whose voice is missing, and what barriers stand in the way of opportunity.
Equity is not a separate initiative. It is the standard by which we measure whether our work is reaching those who need it most.
Powered by Volunteers
Volunteers are not a means to an end. They are the end itself. We believe volunteerism changes everything — not just for the communities being served, but for the people doing the serving. Every act of service creates an opportunity for empathy, connection, leadership, and civic engagement.
Whether someone serves for a day, on a mandated project, or a lifetime, we open doors for everyone: every age, every background, every reason for showing up.
Our responsibility is not simply to manage volunteers. It is to cultivate a culture where everyone can discover the transformative power of service.
Stronger Together
The challenges facing our communities are too complex for any one organization to solve alone. We build lasting partnerships across nonprofit, education, business, faith, and government sectors because meaningful change requires shared responsibility.
We value relationships built on trust, mutual respect, transparency, and accountability.
The Volunteer Center’s role is to serve as the connective tissue, bringing the right people and organizations together to address problems no one can solve independently.
Transformative Impact
Creating transformative change requires more than good intentions. It requires measurable results, continuous learning, and the organizational strength to sustain impact over time. We use evidence to guide our work, share our results transparently, and remain accountable to the communities, volunteers, and partners who entrust us every day.
Because lasting community impact requires a strong institution, we steward our resources responsibly, diversify our funding sources, and invest in our people.
We build the organizational capacity needed to serve future generations.
Our History
Since 1963, when the Junior League of Long Beach first established the Volunteer Bureau (as we were then known), the Volunteer Center has been at the forefront of matching volunteers where care is needed most, creating and implementing essential community programs and engaging with the local and national service communities. Our initial purpose was to connect and match volunteers with volunteer opportunities. We placed 34 volunteers at 25 agencies in our first year. Today we engage over 10,000 Volunteers each year, giving back over 190,000 hours to local nonprofits and strengthening the community. From the beginning, we have cultivated deeply-rooted relationships and a spirit of cooperation with community partners and stakeholders.
As the need for meaningful volunteer opportunities grew, the Volunteer Center began establishing its own service programs, including Court-Referred Community Service, Operation Teddy Bear, Food for Kids, VIVA, and the VCYC teen programs. Several of these programs have become beloved traditions for children and families, while collectively making a significant impact throughout our region over the decades.
2006 — National Recognition
After receiving considerable recognition over the years, the Volunteer Center was designated the #1 volunteer center in the country by the national Points of Light Foundation.
Leadership and Legacy
Throughout our history, the Volunteer Center has benefited from dedicated executive and board leadership. We honor longtime former President and CEO De De Hicks, for whom our Torrance building is named, and recognize the many leaders, staff members, and board members whose stewardship has strengthened the organization and sustained our commitment to service for people of all ages.
2024 — Returning to Long Beach
The Volunteer Center expanded its presence in Long Beach by opening a food pantry, allowing us to support more families facing food insecurity while creating new opportunities for volunteers and community partners to serve.
2026 — Expanding Regional Access
We expanded Court-Referred Community Service by adding five new locations, making services more accessible to individuals seeking a second chance throughout Los Angeles County.
As we enter our next chapter, the Volunteer Center remains focused on strengthening volunteer engagement for people of all ages and developing programs that respond to current and emerging community needs.
Stay connected.
Together we can touch hearts and open minds.
Our Locations
Torrance
Headquarters
1230 Cravens Ave
Torrance, Ca 90501
- Office Hours
Mon - Fri: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM - Pantry Hours
Thursday: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Long Beach
Branch Office
1407 East 4th st.
Long Beach, Ca 90802
- Office Hours
Mon - Fri: 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM - Pantry Hours
Wed & Fri: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Bellflower
16537 Bellflower Blvd., Unit C Bellflower, CA 90706
- Mon, Wed, Fri
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
LAX / Inglewood
11701 S. La Cienega Blvd Room 570F Los Angeles, CA 90045
- Monday - Friday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Lancaster
42011 4th Street West, Room #3590 Lancaster, CA 93534
- Monday - Friday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
San Fernando
900 Third Street Room #1028 San Fernando, CA 91340
- Pending Re-opening
Please use VanNuys Office
Van Nuys
14400 Erwin St. Mall, Room #103 Van Nuys, CA 91401
- Monday - Friday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Metro / Hill Street
1945 S. Hill Street 2nd Floor, Window #9 Los Angeles, CA 90007
- Monday - Friday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Temple St.
210 W. Temple Street 7th Floor, Room 7-301 Los Angeles, CA 90012
- Pending Re-opening
Please use Metro Office