Helping build a better San Francisco on #FridayforGood

Many people working at Twitter volunteer in San Francisco throughout the year in various ways: tutoring students, teaching adults how to use technology, sorting clothes at clothing drives and planting trees across the city. But on #FridayforGood, the company comes together on a single day to lend a helping hand to local nonprofits and community organizations.

This fall’s #FridayforGood took place on Nov. 7, and more than 700 of our employees volunteered at over 50 different projects across San Francisco and the greater Bay Area. Whether they donated blood at Twitter HQ or encouraged kids to read and write by acting out plays at 826 Valencia (@826_Valencia), our employees are passionate about making a difference in the lives of others.

De Marillac Academy
Because we were excited to get started, one group kicked off the big event a day early on Thursday. Several students from De Marillac Academy (@DeMarillacSF) learned how to build a Raspberry Pi (a small, handheld computer) and make games using the affordable device.

Tenderloin Housing Clinic
At one of our largest projects, 75 volunteers spent the day repainting the Boyd Hotel, a low-income residency in the Tenderloin. Thanks to the amazing generosity of Jerry Thompson & Sons, Inc. (JTS) and paint donated by Kelly-Moore Paints, PPG Industries and Sherwin-Williams Paints, we partnered with the Tenderloin Housing Clinic (@THClinicSF) to paint six floors throughout the day. This project would not have been possible without JTS’s time and expertise with onsite planning and orchestrating the paint donations.

Oakland Digital
Across the bay, several folks spent the afternoon at Oakland Digital (@ODALC), a community building organization that hosts programs and classes for under-resourced small businesses and design students. Volunteers joined the Oakland Digital team and talked about using Twitter as a social marketing platform and helped design students with their resumes.

Meals on Wheels SF
Many individuals also volunteered with Meals on Wheels SF (@MOWSF) and delivered kits to homebound seniors throughout the day.

Tenderloin Neighborhood Development
Some folks raked in the morning at the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development’s (@TNDC) garden where they prepped soil, weeded and planted seeds for lettuce, bok choy, carrots and collared greens.

Larkin Street Youth Services
Located at the drop-in center for the Larkin Street Youth Services (@LarkinStreet), several employees sorted donated clothes for homeless and runaway youth, while also assembling kits for their Outreach team to hand out on the street.

HOMEY
Our corporate marketing team worked with the staff at HOMEY (@homeysf) to build bookshelves and repaint their large meeting space where high-risk youth come to improve their educational experiences via screenprinting, music-mixing and academic programs.

Legal Services for Children
Several members of our legal and safety teams hosted a workshop for Legal Services for Children (@lsforchildren) that included DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) training and meeting with clients about their applications.

United Playaz
One group hosted a workshop for United Playaz (@UP4LIFE) here at Twitter HQ. As a violence prevention and youth leadership organization, the team taught some members of United Playaz about internet safety and how to use Twitter.

At the end of the day, we held a Community Happy Hour celebration at our office where the majority of organizations we volunteered with stopped by to enjoy food from local cafes and restaurants, along with performances by the Mural Music & Arts project (@muralmusicarts).

This is only a small look at the many community groups who let us join them last week. Check out the full list of organizations we partnered with below. We’re excited we could work together with all of them to help build a better San Francisco.

• 826 Valencia
• American Red Cross
• Arc of San Francisco
• Asian Art Museum
• Bay Area Women’s & Children’s Center & Tenderloin Community School
• Bon Appetit
• Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco
• Catholic Charities
• CounterPulse
• Curry Senior Center
• Cutting Ball Theater
• De Marillac Academy
• Episcopal Community Services
• Friends Of The Urban Forest
• GLIDE
• Golden Gate Audubon Society
• The Gubbio Project
• Hamilton Family Center
• HOMEY
• Jewish Vocational Services
• Kiva
• Larkin Street Youth Services
• Legal Services for Children
• Meals On Wheels
• Mural Music & Arts Project
• Oakland Digital ODALC
• Project Open Hand
• San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
• San Francisco Department of Public Works
• San Francisco Public Library
• SF City Impact
• SF-Marin Food Bank
• St. Anthony Foundation
• St. Francis Living Room
• Stern Grove
• Tech Museum Of Innovation
• Tenderloin Housing Clinic
• Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation
• United Playaz
• Year Up

To learn more about our volunteer efforts around the globe, check out this blog post.