The Stanford Giving Tree is a health care volunteer organization at
Stanford University. Working in conjunction with the UCSF ALS Center,
The Stanford Giving Tree offers health care assistance for patients
with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Under the tenet of a "Friendly Visitor Program," The Stanford Giving
Tree is designed to provide ALS patients with caring one-on-one
support from motivated Stanford students. Each week, trained volunteers
travel to patient homes and assist patients with daily physical
activities such as:

- walking, getting up from bed, moving in wheelchairs, etc.
- reading books and newspapers out loud for patients
- writing letters or documents that can be dictated by a patient
- assistance with extracurricular interests such as sports, cooking,
painting, etc.
- learning how to use a computer, maneuver around the internet, and
establish email communication services

Weekly visits last from 1-3 hours and volunteers are committed to
providing their services for a minimum of 8 weeks.

As a volunteer organization, all patient services are free of charge
and are available to patients diagnosed with ALS or other similar
degenerative motor neuron diseases. Since students provide their own
transportation both to and from patient homes, we request that
patients reside in Palo Alto or other nearby communities in the Bay
Area. In some cases volunteers are willing to travel to areas farther
away.

Please don't hesitate to contact us! We typically have a surplus of
excited volunteers waiting to get involved, and the program benefits
them as well as you.

If you are interested, please contact our head director Leo Lombardo
by phone at 650-497-2240 or by email at leo_lombardo@stanford.edu.

For more information, visit our website at
http://www.stanford.edu/group/givingtree.