Council members; I am writing you on behalf of Campus California TG, a non-profit organization operating a clothing donation program in Oakland

d and the San Francisco Bay Area. As a result of an article in Oakland Tribune, our organization recently came into the focus of Oakland city officials. The conduct of the city (city administrator's office & code enforcement) vas very professional and forthcoming and we were able to come to an agreement in all points connected with CCTG's activities in Oakland. Due to the nature of our work, however we will be continuously paid attention to by the general public and since questions about what is happening in the city are usually directed to you, I feel it is important for you to be fully informed. Campus California TG (Teachers Group) was incorporated in 2000 and its main activities currently are: a.) To train and place volunteers in development projects abroad (The Development Instructor program) b.) To operate a clothing donation program in the Bay Area to raise funds for the Development Instructor program and to promote the need to care for the environment through reuse and recycling. The development Instructor program is run in cooperation with Humana People To People Federation. CCTG offers complete packages for adults who wish to volunteer in various areas of development work in Southern Africa or Central America. The program includes: Different durations of program ( 9, 14 or 18 months), food, lodging & program related travel expenses included, Choice of project type (Education - children or adults, HIV/AIDS prevention, Child Aid, Environment - Tree planting, soil

conservation, secure water sources or others), Choice of the destination country (Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, Malawi or various countries in Central America), Theoretical and practical preparation - In the USA (Etna Campus, The San Francisco Bay Area and other location) Travel arrangements including visas, vaccinations and other necessities when traveling to a third world country Regular contact and support during time in Africa or Central America Final time for evaluation and readjustment after return Since 2000, we had over to 2000 people traveling to the projects. The value of the work they done is reflected in many international awards and partnerships Humana Federation or its members received. An example of a development project with international recognition is Children's town near Lusaka, Zambia. This project has been featured in a TV series "The New Heroes", hosted by Robert Redford. (http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/meet/zulu.html ). One of CCTG's participants choose this project for her volunteer period in Africa and spent 6 months there working with AIDS orphans in 2007. All the volunteer program expenses are covered partially by tuition paid by the participants, fundraising during the program, grants from Humana People to People and the profits from the clothing donation program. The Clothing donation program has been started in the Bay Area in 2003. Oakland was one of the first cities where we place the green donation boxes and for long time it was also the center of the operation, with warehouse first on Filbert St and later in the former Army base. Only after the base was closed for business in 2006 we moved to our current location in Richmond. Currently we service 26 locations throughout Oakland, and last year we collected almost 180 000 pounds of used clothing and shoes in the city. (the whole operation currently has little over 370 boxes

and collected 3.2mil pounds in 2007). The donated items are sold wholesale on the used clothing market, mostly domestically. The surplus generated by the clothing recycling program is used to further expand this program and to cover the running expenses of the volunteer training (overhead, promotion, scholarships, travel expenses etc...). Attached to this letter is a more complete description of the Africa volunteer program and also a document which will give you a thorough understanding of how the clothing donation program is operated, what criteria we use when looking for box locations and much more. If there is anything you would like to know more about, please do not hesitate to contact me, including questions from the public. Thank you for your time. Jan Sako Expansion and Information Campus California TG 510 302 7117 jan@cctg.org