The United Way’s 11th Annual Day Of Caring

By Kaaren Valenta

It was the woman’s 90th birthday but all she wanted was for someone to take the curtains down in her apartment at Nunnawauk Village, wash them, and hang them back up.

So volunteers from IBM did just that during the 11th annual Day of Caring held by the United Way of Northern Fairfield County on Thursday, September 15.

Hundreds of volunteers from local businesses and corporations demonstrated their compassion by working on projects for local nonprofit agencies including several in Newtown.

Cendant Mobility painted the Ability Beyond Disability group home on West Street so the residents could be proud of where they live. Newtown Savings Bank employees lent a hand with painting, office work, and window washing at the Family Counseling Center. IBM employees volunteered their efforts at Nunnawauk Meadows.

 “We sang Happy Birthday to the 90-year-old woman and took care of her curtains,” volunteer Jennifer Simpson said. “It was a great day.”

Marion Pollock, resident services coordinator for Nunnawauk Meadows, said some residents wanted their windows washed. “One wanted her new shower curtain hung, another wanted her air conditioner to be taken out,” she said. “These may seem like small jobs but they are difficult for many of the residents.”

 “We look forward to this day every year,” said June Renzulli, president of the United Way of Northern Fairfield County. “We want to reach out to the community not just with dollars but also with all the nonfinancial resources available to us. What better example of this than having 900 volunteers get involved with the human service agencies that serve our community every year.”

Thirty-six companies participated in 75 projects ranging from landscaping to painting to collecting food. In addition to the volunteer efforts, local businesses donated approximately $5,000 in materials and supplies for the Day of Caring projects.

The projects the volunteers have worked on over the past 11 years have saved the local nonprofit agencies thousands of dollars, enabling valuable limited resources to be used for direct services to clients rather than on necessary but costly maintenance projects, Ms Renzulli said.