Bruin Angel: Helping women find their place in the world

Julie Sina, chief of staff for the College of Letters and Science, has worked at several universities helping to create a sense of citizenship for staff and students. Unlike some who might be content simply encouraging others, she practices what she preaches — ever since her high school’s service days, Sina has been passionate about volunteering. “Wherever I live, I try to find a way to connect to the community,” she declared.

 

In addition to volunteering with L.A. Works — a nonprofit center that creates and implements hands-on community service projects throughout the greater Los Angeles area — Sina is also a regular volunteer at the Downtown Women’s Center. The DWC is a permanent housing residence, established in the Skid Row community in 1978, that offers homeless women a place to live, meals to eat, and career skills to help them become self-sufficient.

 

Sina’s previous volunteer work in other cities focused on women’s shelters or domestic violence issues, so when a friend recommended that she look into the Downtown Women’s Center, she jumped at the opportunity. “It’s an amazing place with an incredible sense of community,” Sina said.

 

She began her involvement with the DWC as part of the “birthday guild,” honoring residents with birthday dinners. The guild prepares the dinner, but most of the evening is spent talking with the residents.

 

“My first conversation was with a resident who was preparing to move out,” Sina said. “She shared with me that she had been a faculty member at another college in L.A., and life spiraled when she was diagnosed as bipolar. Homeless, she found the DWC — and the DWC helped her find herself and claim her life back. I knew at that moment I wanted to commit to involvement with the DWC. They truly make a difference.”

 

Eventually, Sina decided to devote more of her time to the center by becoming a member of the DWC board. In addition to her work with the board, she has volunteered for the last three Thanksgivings, serves on the Campaign Committee, and plans to join a cooking club to prepare meals for the women at the center.

 

As if this weren’t already an incredible amount of service, Sina also helps to cook meals for Project Angel Food, which delivers free and healthy meals to more than 1,600 men, women and children afflicted with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Sina is in her second year of volunteering for Project Angel Food’s yearly fundraiser, “Divine Design.”

 

Her volunteer work has influenced her daily life, giving her “a sense of the issues” and leading her to encourage her co-workers to serve as well, she said. She feels that everybody should seize the chance to volunteer, whether it is five minutes or a lifetime commitment: “There’s a way to figure it out and make it work for you. … No matter how small or how large, it just makes a huge difference.”

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