Community Organization Comparison

ETH/316
November 20, 2012

Community Organization Comparison
This writing will serve to briefly review four community organizations, describe their basic functions and goals, and provide comparisons between the organizations’ contributions to their respective communities. Team member Abe Castro chose to review the Tri-Valley YMCA and its focus on youth development. Team member Stephanie Phelps chose Alameda County Food Bank with its focus on hunger mitigation, nutrition and educational service. Kuldip Singh looked at The American Red Cross whose mission is to alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies and natural disasters. Finally, team member Chuck Harris examined The Livermore Rotary Club which strives to provide comprehensive community enrichment through service and volunteer work. The following is a compilation of the team’s research and discovery.
Within in the organization that targets different groups, they have similarities. One major similarity in the organization is the motivation to help the communication. Each organization do not discriminate whether young or old, rich or poor, white or black or tan each organization wants to help the community. Another similarity is each organization has programs to help any age group for example the rotary have a senior day were the members help senior citizens with their project at home. This is similar to YMCA where each member helps kids to young adults to understand life decisions. Also, the American Red Cross and the Alameda Food Bank also have some similarity, each organization help the community when disaster hits. These community groups Rotary Club, American Red Cross, Alameda Food Bank and Tri-Valley YMCA helps the community in different ways but their main focus is to help the community and improve the living of each individual.
The organizations chosen by Team B vary in their focuses and involvement. Although the Tri-Valley YMCA, Livermore Rotary, and Alameda County Food Bank, all concentrate on their geographic area, they differ in their demographics. The Tri-Valley YMCA’s focus is school aged children, developmental programs and activities for after-school and life lesson awareness. The Red Cross differs from the other three organizations both demographically and geographically, the Red Cross focuses on a national level and has services for everyone despite where they live or their age.
The involvement of all four (4) organizations is also what separates them from each other. The Red Cross comes to the aid of communities and people in need during a crisis situation. They are there when people need help after a disaster-type event, a hurricane, flood, or major earthquake just to name a few. The Livermore Rotary Club periodically will change their community involvement, based on what their members have given input to or voted on as to where fundraising or volunteering is needed. The Alameda County Food Bank is always available and their purpose is the same; to provide food and meals to those in need, and provide healthy living education. Finally, the Tri-Valley YMCA has programs and education available to children and depending on trends and awareness needs, may change the programs available and they may also target specific age groups.
In closing, the four (4) organizations which team B selected Tri-Valley YMCA, The Alameda County Food Bank, The Livermore Rotary Club, and finally the Red Cross, each organization is unique in its own way. Their main focus is to assist individual who are in great need. Whether it is helping young teens find their way to become batter individuals or help change the community or provide assistances when crisis situation occurs. The similarities and the difference helped us understand how each organization operators.