Kaiser Permanente Staff, Docs Roll Up their Sleeves on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to Volunteer in San Leandro, Fremont

By Johnny Ng

Kaiser Permanente

In southern Alameda County, 90 Kaiser Permanente volunteers spent their “day on” at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in San Leandro and at the Kidango Marie Kaiser Center in Fremont. The Kaiser Permanente Day of Service was achieved in partnership with HandsOn Bay Area, an organization that organizes opportunities for people to volunteer, learn and lead in their communities.

“Kaiser Permanente is committed to fulfilling our mission by making lives better for the communities we serve,” said Tom Hanenburg, Senior Vice President and Area Manager for Kaiser Permanente in southern Alameda County.

At Woodrow Wilson Elementary, volunteers armed with gardening tools removed weed and loose leaf from the front garden. Then, they put down mulch and planted new native plants. Inside, other volunteers gave the school library a bright new coat of blue paint and organized the large supply closet.

Woodrow Wilson is designated as one of Kaiser Permanente’s “Thriving” Schools. In 2013, the school received a $30,000 community grant for its Dream Garden project to help teachers build a school garden and to develop lessons to teach students healthy nutrition choices. Last year, Kaiser Permanente partnered with San Leandro Education Foundation (SLED) for its San Leandro Beautification Day. Volunteers helped the school upgrade its garden into a “Salsa Garden” by replacing old plants with salsa ingredient plants as well as adding walkways, irrigation, and benches.

“Kaiser Permanente works in partnership with communities to change the conditions in which we live and to make total health a reality for everyone,” said Robert Greenberg, MD, Physician-in-Chief for Kaiser Permanente in southern Alameda County.

At the Kidango Marie Kaiser Center, Kaiser Permanente volunteers revamped the garden area by weeding, spreading sand, and planting kid-friendly veggies and flowers. They also organized the toy shed and inside storage area, gave an outside wall a fresh coat of paint, and created a mural on the side of the toy shed.

In 2005, to honor and recognize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his advancement of civil and human rights, Kaiser Permanente established an annual day of service that takes place on Martin Luther King Day. This approach to celebrating Dr. King’s life has enabled thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees and physicians in Northern California to provide valuable services to our communities to honor the legacy of Dr. King.

In the past 10 years, over 700 Kaiser Permanente physicians, nurses and staff from southern Alameda County have volunteered in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. This year, more than 9,000 Kaiser Permanente volunteers in Northern California, donated their time and skills across 120 projects.