Day Of Action Volunteers Complete Community Projects

By Kendra Bobowick

With just a splash of showers on what was expected to be a morning of heavy rain, volunteers worked outdoors during the United Way of Western Connecticut’s Day of Action in Newtown on Wednesday, June 6.

Her heavy wheelbarrow wobbling between budding vegetable plants, Nancy Boudreau pushed through with a heap of fresh woodchips. Dumping out the barrel, she and other Taunton Press team members raked the chips between rows at the Victory Garden. Founded by resident Harvey Pessin, the garden is used to grow produce for the Newtown food pantries.

Like the Taunton Press, Newtown Savings Bank (NSB) also assembled a group of volunteers to spend the day doing community work at the Children’s Adventure Center making new sandboxes, freshening garden beds crowded with weeds, making repairs to planters, and spending time reading to the children.

Both the Taunton and NSB teams have participated in the United Ways’ days of outreach in the past, and asked specifically for Newtown-based projects this year.

“We liked idea of the Victory Garden. It’s a great community effort and we have an opportunity to help out in a hands-on way,” said Taunton member Chris Lincoln.

United Way Day of Action Committee member and resident Joe Kelly had read about the Victory Garden recently. “It looked like a tremendous project for the community,” he said, also noting that he was glad his organization and the local publisher “had the opportunity to participate” in the garden improvements.

Representing NSB’s team, Katie Yeadon said her group of volunteers liked the Children’s Adventure Center option. “People here are volunteering their time” to both make improvements and to read to children, promoting literacy, she said. The bank also ran a food drive at its various branches including Main Street, through June 5. All together, the branches and departments gathered 2,253 pounds of food.

At work with a rake in the Victory Garden, EvaMarie Gomez said, “I think it is awesome to do something like this. It’s a beautiful day and the garden gives back to the community.”

Also at work with a rake was Paula Ferreri who said, “It’s so beautiful here.” The garden, now in its second year, sits in a field in Fairfield Hills, surrounded by historic brick buildings and lawns.

Mr Pessin had noted, “The backbone of the garden is the volunteers who own rows in the garden and all those additional volunteers who help out with special projects.” Through the United Way’s Day of Action, the Taunton Press team provided two primary tasks: applying woodchips to all the walking paths, and weeding and adding topsoil to the planting rows.

Also on the Taunton team were Victoria North, Deana May, Laura Burrone, and Caryne-Lynne Davis.

Just a few miles away at the Children’s Adventure Center, Emily Miller and Elizabeth Rivera pulled weeds from a back garden bed while the center’s Executive Director Judy Sims said, “I am thrilled to have the help.” The assistance “sets a wonderful tone of neighborliness.” She noted the center’s limited budget that cannot always accommodate immediate repairs or grounds keeping since “the money goes to the children.”

Also at work that day on the front garden were Anita Schaub, Disha Damania, and Carla Begglo. Working to make planter repairs was Art Cole, and also among volunteers relocating a sandbox were Erik Secola and Dave Loftus.

According to the United Way’s Director of Brand Management David Deschenes, more than 700 volunteers from 30 local businesses and corporations took part United Way’s annual Day of Action on Wednesday. More than 50 projects took place to benefit human services agencies within the 14-town area of Northern Fairfield and Southern Litchfield Counties.

“The Day of Action offers individuals and businesses across our communities an opportunity to demonstrate a commitment not only to volunteerism, but to those programs that serve people in need,” said Kimberly Morgan, interim CEO of the United Way of Western Connecticut. “The people who live and work in our community have always responded to United Way’s call to action, and for the 18th year we see this, as close to 40 social service organizations will benefit from the actions of more than 700 energized volunteers.”

Area companies had signed up for projects such as landscaping, painting, cleaning, collecting food, and event planning that includes planning a picnic for program clients and reading to children. In addition to the volunteer efforts, local businesses have donated thousands of dollars worth of materials and supplies toward Day of Action projects. Based on the number of volunteers this year, and the value of volunteering, according to The Independent Sector, this one day of volunteering may equal more than $136,000 in volunteer hours.