Karen Delaney, Executive Director of the Volunteer Center, recently wrote, “Hope and happiness are, sadly, in short supply right now — but not amongst volunteers.”

That’s not sentimental. That’s her thesis, refined over 44 years of building a volunteer movement in Santa Cruz County. Volunteering, Karen will tell you, is the antidote — to isolation, to despair, to the creeping sense that nothing we do matters. People who show up are the people who stay hopeful, because they’ve seen what happens when neighbors help neighbors. They’re healthier. Happier. More connected.

It’s civic duty, but it works on you like medicine.

Karen Delaney has spent 44 years carrying the torch for one simple truth: ordinary people doing ordinary good is how communities thrive. Come celebrate with her on May 20.

This June, Karen is retiring. She has spent her career lifting up the quiet heroes — the volunteer who drove seniors for decades, the literacy tutor who shaped 10,000 others, the neighbors who showed up for the floods and the fires and the daily work of an entire county taking care of itself. Now she’s the one whose legacy is being celebrated, and the only way to honor it — the only way that would actually make sense to her — is to do the thing she spent her life teaching us to do: Show up.

Here’s a list of ways you can start right now. If you don’t see something that lights you up, visit scvolunteercenter.org for 150 more ways to serve, or meet with our volunteer matchmaker (another Karen legacy) and get paired with your new favorite activity.

  1. Become a Literacy Tutor
    The Volunteer Center’s Literacy Program has been teaching adults in our community to read, write, and speak English for 50 years. Two to three hours a week, free training, no teaching background required. You’ll help a neighbor build skills that will change their family for generations. Sign up for a free info session.
  2. Helping Hands — home repairs for seniors
    Use your handy-person skills to install grab bars, change lightbulbs, and other small home repairs that help local seniors stay safely in their homes.
  3. Saturday, May 9 — Pitch In Santa Cruz County
    Countywide cleanup day. Beaches, creeks, parks, neighborhoods — dozens of groups are organizing across the county, and you can join one or start your own. Three hours of your morning, connect with your neighbors, keep our county beautiful.
  4. Pack groceries for families at Jacob’s Heart
    Tuesday and Thursday mornings in Watsonville, packing nutritious groceries for families with children in cancer treatment.
  5. Esperanza Community Farms Food Hub
    Urgent volunteer need to keep a CSA program running for 300 South County families and 30 small farmers. Wednesdays in Watsonville.
  6. Become a Long-Term Care Ombudsman
    Over 60% of nursing home residents never receive a visitor. Trained advocates visit residents in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, ensure their rights are protected, and stand up for those who often have no one else. Comprehensive training, one-year commitment.
  7. Join an upcoming beach clean up
    Fun, sun, and community? Yes please!  From Capitola to Main Beach – find a clean up at your favorite spot, or let the Volunteer Center help you schedule one with your group.
  8. And on May 20 — Be the Difference Awards
    Nearly 500 civic leaders, business partners, and community champions will gather to honor this year’s top volunteers, nonprofits, and businesses — and to celebrate Karen’s Legacy of Service. It’s her last official event, and a once-a-year chance to see what 44 years of grassroots community-building looks like, all in one room. Reserve your tickets before they’re gone.

Karen’s career has been a testimony to one simple truth: connection is the cure. For loneliness, for cynicism, for the worry that one person can’t possibly make a difference.

Her legacy is that we remember, we’re connecting, and we’re the difference.

By Leslie Lee, Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County

About the Volunteer Center

At the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, we connect people for good because meaningful service is the heart of a strong, vibrant community and a healthy, happy life.

For 60 years, Santa Cruz County has trusted the Volunteer Center to help people connect for good, turning compassion into belonging and lasting impact. Our vision is a community where giving is the way of life — where everyone’s gifts matter, kindness is celebrated, and together we build a stronger, healthier, more connected community where everyone thrives.Learn more at scvolunteercenter.org.

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