About us
Are you a working professional? Are you thinking of making friends and extending your social circle by going volunteering, learning things, or doing good together? Do you have something beautiful that you want to share with others? You are looking at the right place.
If you dig deeper, you will find us actually a social org :). For volunteers, community builders of working professionals.
The things we do are very simple, meaningful things in beautiful settings, so connections happen naturally, from shared purpose and experience.
Friendship through civic engagements and shared learnings. That is us - an aspiring volunteer & builder community that runs events.
Send us your new in towns, the young professionals, the transplants, the job seekers, the singles, all those that could use new connections.
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Under the hood, we are actually a volunteer-boned, community-builder-muscled social ecosystem.
You take actions to improve your own situation, that is a builder. You willingly impact others with your actions, that is a "social" volunteer. Simple like that.
Two things set us apart from simply another meetup group: We do more productive social, vs consuming type; we do stateful social, vs the often observed stateless ones. For builders at least.
Volunteering is where we come from, it is also a format we do team building. By all the social formats we have observed so far, group volunteering is the most effective and efficient way to build bonding, aka trust, among people.
By group volunteering, we mean those that facilitates social, like in festivals, in state or local parks etc.. Not the punishment type handed down by traffic court.
Attention is the currency of meetups. We organize community social as our service, to build up our own community, yet it isn't free. We try to match the attention economy to people's contributions or efforts, so making it more fair.
We believe in people's self determination, we also believe in community builders' group collective power, as well as volunteers' active engagement in changing the social context.
We root our activities in local community events, we cooperate with orgs, businesses and individuals that are doing good. We provide social ladder roles that people can try, stages they shine on, resolving their social needs, also bringing others along.
We participate local community events, as attendees, as volunteers, civic, outdoor, professional or more. We organize local regional social infra walks, so to receive people incoming, so they can launch their social life again.
We build up connections, and create belongings. We believe all good deeds should be rewarded, in relationship, if not in finance. We believe in stateful social, thus relationship compounds, thus community.
We started as festival volunteers wanting social, and expanded to organizing social in community events, our current mission is to be the receiving end of local community social. We believe people & social skills can be picked up, as we did. So no charisma required to participate, help yourself, then others. Warm heart, willingness to try, will do.
If you have read so far, you may seriously consider trying it out with us, and join this fellow community of builders. We are exploring, and learning, from our mistakes, which are often, and successes, which did happen at times :). A lot of people make complaints, some take actions. The result of social roulette can be changed, as we are doing. So why wouldn't you join us, to fail on the action side? Ha.
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And our goal? A gateway to local community social, a connection layer to community events, a student activity center for post-college life, a social engine for connections, a town square for working professionals, a social neighborhoods dotted by community builders. Yes, some kind of salt.
Build with us, then socials would follow.
At the end of day,
Visit us at: https://www.townflame.org
Upcoming events
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Volunteering Mixer II: Decorating World Tree of Hope, Grace Cathedral
Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA, San Francisco, CA, USWhatsApp:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEsFkZvaabF20D1l90k6NK
——-We have the best record at the World Tree of Hope event yesterday, about 1/2 registered showed up. And the Director of the Tree would welcome us back, so here it is again.
The decoration part inside the Cathedral would be hosted by the World Tree staff, the golden hour walk afterwards would be self-guided. New comers can follow the old timers.
-----------------------------------------------🕊️ Cranes, Conversations & Golden Hour Walk on Nob Hill: the World Tree of Hope, at Grace Cathedral
TownFlame November Saturday Series · Sun Nov 15, 12:00 AM–evening
(Also Nov 21 & 28)You need to register with World Tree of Hope @ Grace Cathedral to attend this event:
We have a long tradition of decorating the World Tree of Hope, with Grace Cathedral, during the pre-holiday season. One year old actually :), so we are coming back again, in the format of volunteering mixer.
By our experience, volunteering together is a great way to know others, working side by side, with a shared purpose. Grace Cathedral being an iconic place on Nob Hill adds to the context.
Every weekend of this month, mostly Saturdays, TownFlame is helping build San Francisco’s World Tree of Hope inside Grace Cathedral. It’s the largest origami holiday tree in the world, decorated with thousands of hand-folded cranes and stars, each carrying a wish for the world. We’re turning the shift into a mixer, then heading out for a sunset walk and dinner.
How it works
We sit at small tables of 5–6 to fold, wire and sort cranes and stars for the tree. Every hour or so, half of each table moves to a new one, so by the end of the afternoon you’ll have worked alongside different groups. Your hands stay busy, there’s always something to talk about, and you get new faces every half hour.
No origami experience needed. Someone at your table will show you, and soon you’ll be the one teaching.Schedule
- 12:00 PM: Meet on the Grace Cathedral front steps (1100 California St)
12:00–3:00 PM: Folding mixer inside the cathedral
1:20 - 1:40 PM: Take a break, go upstairs to tour the cathedral, shift tables if you want to. - 3:15–4:45 PM: Golden-hour walk around Nob Hill: Huntington Park, the Fairmont, ending at a viewpoint for sunset
- 5:00 PM: Group coffee or dinner nearby (location decided on site; pay your own way)
Come for the folding only, or stay for the whole afternoon.
Before you come- Register with Rainbow World Fund as well as RSVPing here. The cathedral needs every volunteer on their list: https://bit.ly/WorldTreeofHopeVolunteerSignUp
- Wear layers, because the cathedral is chilly inside and it gets cold on the hill after sunset.
- Coming from the South Bay? Caltrain to SF, then Muni or a cable car up to Nob Hill.
How to enter the building from Nov. 1 to Nov. 28 at noon: At this stage of the project, we will be working in a large room on the Cathedral’s ground level.
Enter through the street/ground-level entrance on Taylor Street. At street level, next to the main steps leading up to the Cathedral, there are glass double doors (next to the underground parking garage entrance; see the picture above). Enter through these glass doors (they should be unlocked). Once inside, take the first left, walk through the doorway, and our room will be on the right.
If the doors are locked, please text or call Director Jeff, and we’ll come let you in.Running late or forgot to register?
The group would be there for about 3 hours, so you can always come catch up. Text the director if you forgot to register, usually it would be fine. Just mention you come from the volunteer meetup group.Why we do this
Each crane carries a written wish for the world. You’ll leave having helped build something thousands of people will see this December, and knowing a few more people than you did at noon.
Can’t make the 15th? We would be back on the 21st and 28th. Each Saturday is a new group of people.***
🌇 Nob Hill → Russian Hill Golden-Hour Walk (self-guided)
About 1 mile, 1.5 hours. Steep in places. Start: Grace Cathedral steps, 3:15pm.How it works: A different person reads each stop aloud. At every stop, switch walking partners so you walk the next stretch with someone you haven’t talked to yet.
Stop 1: Huntington Park (directly across Taylor St from the cathedral)
A small, formal park at the top of Nob Hill, with the tortoise fountain in the middle.
💬 Group self intro, form a circle.Stop 2: California & Mason (walk east along California, 1 block)
The Fairmont Hotel is on the south side. On the north side is the brownstone Pacific-Union Club, the old Flood Mansion and one of the few buildings on the hill that survived the 1906 fire. In the 1870s and 1880s, Nob Hill was where the railroad and silver-mine millionaires built their mansions.
💬 What brought you to the Bay Area?☕ Café stop (after the walk)
We’ll finish with coffee and conversation nearby. We’ll decide which café on the day based on the group’s size and mood:- Another Cafe, 1191 Pine St (at Leavenworth). A two-story café a couple of blocks from the cathedral with plenty of room for the group, coffee and sandwiches.
- Gallery Cafe, 1200 Mason St. A cozy corner café across from the Cable Car Museum, where you can watch the cable cars go by. Good for a smaller group or anyone heading toward North Beach afterward.
Stay as long as you like, or head out whenever you need to.
Bonus Stop: Ina Coolbrith Park (keep walking north on Mason to Vallejo, then climb the Vallejo St steps west)
This is the steep part, so take it slowly. At the top, face east toward Coit Tower, the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island. Sunset is around 5pm, so stay to watch the light change on the bay and the city lights come on.
💬 What’s one thing you want to do before the year ends?Finish: North Beach (walk back down the Vallejo steps east to Columbus Ave). Anyone heading home can leave here.
Join TownFlame, Make Life Happen.
Liability Waiver: Participation in TownFlame events is voluntary and involves social interaction in public spaces. Activities are designed to be inclusive and respectful. Participants assume all risks and release TownFlame, its organizers, volunteers, and affiliates from liability for injury, illness, or damages, except in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
By attending, participants acknowledge that photographs, audio, and video recordings may be taken during events, and grant TownFlame the right to use such media for promotional and marketing purposes, in any format or platform, without further consent or compensation.
10 attendees- 12:00 PM: Meet on the Grace Cathedral front steps (1100 California St)
Fall's Journey, Stop 1 -- Hakone Garden Foliage, Montalvo Arts Center Sunset
Hakone Estate and Gardens, 21000 Big Basin Wy, Saratoga, CA 95070, USA, Saratoga, CA, USWhatsApp:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FJXx011BFhhL9hcFNOHV7v🍁 Fall’s Journey, Stop 1: Maples at Hakone, Sunset at Montalvo
The fall colors is here.
This is the first stop of Fall’s Journey, our series of foliage socials, most Sundays at sunset from mid-November into December. For new people in town, follow us to find footsteps of Fall around bay area.
Hakone Garden is a recommended place to see foliage in bay area. Every fall the Japanese maples at Hakone Gardens turn red and gold. Many of them were brought over from Japan for this 100-year-old garden in the Saratoga hills. We’ll walk among them along the koi pond and up Moon Viewing Hill.
https://www.hakone.com/Then we drive to Montalvo Arts Center for sunset. Montalvo is a popular wedding place, famous for art & architecture, sitting next door to Hakone Garden. Its Mediterranean-style villa dates to 1912 and was the country estate of James Duval Phelan, a former San Francisco mayor and U.S. Senator, who left it to the public as a center for the arts. Artists have lived and worked on the estate since 1939. Today its grounds mix formal gardens with outdoor sculpture and redwood trails, and the Great Lawn in front of the villa is where we’ll end the day with the sunset.
https://montalvoarts.org/📅 Sunday, Nov 15 · 1:30–5:15pm
Schedule- 1:15 Arrive at Hakone Estate & Gardens, 21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga
- 1:30 Welcome and quick self-intros at the main gate
- 1:45–3:15 Fall color walk: maples around the koi pond and waterfall, Moon Viewing Hill, the bamboo garden, plus the “Finding Beauty in Nature” art exhibit in the Lower House
- 3:15 Regroup and carpool to Montalvo Arts Center (15400 Montalvo Rd, a short drive)
- 3:45 Autumn stroll through the villa gardens and a bit of trail
- 4:30 Golden hour on the Great Lawn, our closing circle, and a group photo at sunset (4:59)
- 5:30 Optional: dinner in Saratoga Village, pay your own
💵 Cost
- Hakone admission: $15 adults, $12 seniors 65+. Please buy your own ticket online in advance at hakone.com.
- Montalvo is free.
🌇 Sunset only? Join us at Montalvo at 3:45. Meet us at the villa.
🚗 Parking: Hakone’s lot is small and fills up on weekends, so carpool if you can, or plan on street parking along Big Basin Way. We’ll arrange carpools to Montalvo on site.
👟 Bring: Comfortable shoes (Hakone’s paths are gravel and stone steps), a camera for the maples, and a layer for when the sun goes down. No food in Hakone’s garden, and no pets except service dogs.🍂 Where Fall’s Journey goes next
- Hakone + Montalvo (Nov 15) ← you are here
- Niles Community Park, Nov 22
- SF Botanical Garden, Thanksgiving Day Nov 26
- Stanford finale Nov 28th
Coda: a self-organized evening at Filoli Holiday Lights Nov 29th, 4:00 or 4:30pm entry.
🔥 Want to help run a stop? Fall’s Journey is run by volunteers. If you’d like to help greet people, guide the route or take photos at a future stop, tell us at the closing circle or message the hosts.
Join TownFlame, Make Life Happen.
Liability Waiver: Participation in TownFlame events is voluntary and involves social interaction in public spaces. Activities are designed to be inclusive and respectful. Participants assume all risks and release TownFlame, its organizers, volunteers, and affiliates from liability for injury, illness, or damages, except in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
By attending, participants acknowledge that photographs, audio, and video recordings may be taken during events, and grant TownFlame the right to use such media for promotional and marketing purposes, in any format or platform, without further consent or compensation.
74 attendees
Redwood City Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Party
Community Activities Building, 1400 Roosevelt Ave, Redwood City, CA 94061, USA, Redwood City, CA, USSo Redwood City does have a volunteer appreciation party, which we are not aware of before. It features a paella dinner and a flamenco guitar and dance performance.
For all those that volunteered for Redwood City festivals, hosted by the Parks & Arts Foundation this year, mainly the Oktoberfest etc., you are invited to this party.
Must reply by 12pm on Friday, Nov 13th
RSVP: https://signup.com/go/cAGCTuzAddr: Community Activities Building
1400 Roosevelt Ave.,
Redwood City, CASchedule: Friday Nov 20th, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Join TownFlame, Make Life Happen.
Liability Waiver: Participation in TownFlame events is voluntary and involves social interaction in public spaces. Activities are designed to be inclusive and respectful. Participants assume all risks and release TownFlame, its organizers, volunteers, and affiliates from liability for injury, illness, or damages, except in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
By attending, participants acknowledge that photographs, audio, and video recordings may be taken during events, and grant TownFlame the right to use such media for promotional and marketing purposes, in any format or platform, without further consent or compensation.
6 attendees
Volunteering Social -- Christmas In the Park Set Up, San Jose
Plaza de Cesar Chavez, 1 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, CA 95113, USA, San Jose, CA, USChristmas In the Park Setup Day
https://christmasinthepark.com/events/Registration:
https://christmasinthepark.com/get-involved/volunteer-with-us/We have reached out to the organizer, the voicemail still indicates the season is closed. So not sure how they will decide registration successful, and the detailed logistics of the day. Let's see.
Join TownFlame, Make Life Happen.
Liability Waiver: Participation in TownFlame events is voluntary and involves social interaction in public spaces. Activities are designed to be inclusive and respectful. Participants assume all risks and release TownFlame, its organizers, volunteers, and affiliates from liability for injury, illness, or damages, except in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
By attending, participants acknowledge that photographs, audio, and video recordings may be taken during events, and grant TownFlame the right to use such media for promotional and marketing purposes, in any format or platform, without further consent or compensation.
21 attendees
Past events
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