The Teen Volunteers in Action SD3 Chapter recently held its annual Senior Send-Off at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, recognizing the graduating seniors in the class of 2026.
Founded in 2000 by Rancho Santa Fe resident and philanthropist Franci Free, Teen Volunteers in Action engages young men in high school to participate in structured programs of volunteerism, philanthropy, and leadership development with their families.
The Linehan family. (Noah Sacks)
The Silbert family. (Noah Sacks)
The Kim family. (Noah Sacks)
David and Kali Kim. (Noah Sacks)
The Bellows family. (Noah Sacks)
The Stankoski family. (Noah Sacks)
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The Linehan family. (Noah Sacks)
This year the class of 28 young men completed over 2,500 hours of volunteer service throughout San Diego County at organizations such as San Diego Food Bank, Miracle League, Surfing Madonna, 92130 Cares, Burrito Boyz, Father Joe’s, Fortuna Ranch Farm Sanctuary, Ronald McDonald House, Sam’s Posse, Bridge of Hope, Solutions for Change, Meals on Wheels and Feeding America San Diego to name just a few.
The TVIA class of 2026 selected Burrito Boyz as its “Highlight Philanthropy” of the year and presented them with a $1,000 donation. Burrito Boyz co-founder Michael Johnson was the event keynote speaker and shared stories about TVIA volunteering downtown to feed the homeless one burrito at a time. He stressed the importance of human connection, kindness and empathy.
During the event, TVIA seniors were had a chance to reflect on their six years of volunteerism and servant leadership. The Franci Free Award of Excellence was given to five outstanding seniors who completed double the volunteer requirements: Reed Bellows, Beckett Ribeiro-Greenbaum, Jack Linehan, Gavin Pennock and Jax Silbert.