National Volunteer Week: In Newtown There Are Plenty Of Opportunities To Pitch In And Help Out
Volunteers help out with so many organizations to help things run better than they otherwise would. Some groups thrive because of them, and others are in existence thanks to them.Library Gets Lots Of HelpCoaches Also Donate TimeHaving FAITHCare For Animalsdirector@canineadvocates.org for information on ways to become involved.info@theanimalcenter.org.American Red Crossredcross.org/ct/volunteer. For more information, call 860-678-2788.Find out more about opportunities to volunteer here in town by looking under the Clubs & Organizations section of The Bee's Official Guide To Newtown.
National Volunteer Week is April 10-16, so mark your calendar if you need a little motivation to sign up to lend a helping hand.
For many, including numerous women and men here in Newtown, every week is volunteer week.
Colleen Honan donates for FISH (Friends In Service Here) and Meals On Wheels. Ms Honan is the president of FISH, which provides transportation to and from medical appointments to those who cannot drive and do not have a relative, friend, or neighbor to help out. She is in charge of drivers for Meals On Wheels.
FISH receives as many as eight to ten calls - an average of about five or six - per day. There are 18 permanent drivers, two of which are assigned per day, and another 24 substitutes who are called upon when things get busy, Ms Honan said.
Ms Honan, who has been involved with FISH for nearly 20 years, notes that with no door-to-door bus or taxi service in town, the organization is invaluable to residents who need to get to appointments. She recalls a woman, about five years ago, who - before becoming aware of FISH - had a taxi come from Danbury to pick her up and bring her back from a doctor's office in Danbury.
"It was costing her close to $60," Ms Honan, a driver herself, recalls.
Ms Honan said she and the other drivers help out some of the same customers for as many as a couple years as they visit doctors, or go to physical therapy.
"You see the progress of the clients. You get to know them," she said.
Drivers are not reimbursed for gas or other vehicle expenses, but clients are asked for a $3 fee to help pay for the organization's answering service.
Meals On Wheels delivers the main meal of the day for homebound residents, during lunchtime, Monday through Friday. There are more than 100 volunteer drivers for this group, Ms Honan said. Drivers pick up lunch at Masonicare at Newtown and deliver on one of four Meals On Wheels routes, generally once per month.
"I will never turn down a volunteer," said Ms Honan, who may be reached at 203-426-0714.
Kim Weber, young adult librarian, who also oversees some of the volunteers, at Cyrenius H. Booth Library, notes that there are about 40 year-round helpers and about 100 summer volunteers. The number swells outside of the school year because 50 to 60 teenagers help out during their time off.
"We have a lot of teens help us with summer reading," said Weber, adding that the younger generation of volunteers helps ensure the library is teen-friendly.
"They really have a lot of impact," she said.
In addition to the library benefiting from teens, the young helpers, no doubt, get a valuable experience. A special needs group of volunteers, Ability Beyond, also helps out with important tasks at the library.
Volunteers include a computer expert who provides one-on-one training, the curator, and specialist who mends books, Ms Weber notes.
All of the volunteers are essential to the library, she said.
"They're great. They do so many things here, and they're a way we connect to the community too," said Ms Weber, adding that the library's Books On Wheels program enables homebound residents to borrow items with the help of volunteers. "I don't know where we'd be without our volunteers."
Since 1989, Denise Kaiser has been involved with the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library, which puts on the annual book sale. She is both a volunteer and a dues-paying member of the volunteer group.
"I started out as a casual book sorter when my children were young and was recruited to coordinate our extensive area devoted to children's books. In 1999 I was invited to join the board of directors and soon assumed expanded duties connected with the book sale. One thing led to another, and before I knew it I found myself overseeing the entire annual book sale.
"The Friends rely entirely on volunteers for our fundraising events. During the year approximately 25 volunteers go through perhaps 200,000 donated items - mainly books, but also CDs, DVDs, and LPs - and determine what would sell best at the annual book sale or in the Little Book Store on the second floor of the library or through our online outlet on Amazon."
For the sale, which this year will take place July 9-13 at Reed Intermediate School, the volunteer pool grows to approximately 100 volunteers of all ages, Ms Kaiser said.
"We are very fortunate to have the support of various athletic teams at the Newtown High School, young people looking to provide community service hours, and many individuals who aren't able to volunteer during the year, but can set aside time for the book sale on a summer weekend or during time off from work."
The last year for which the Friends have fundraising numbers is fiscal year 2014-15. For that period, the organization provided approximately $120,000 in support of library programs, patron services, and special enhancements.
"We work with the library director and library staff to identify those areas not covered by the town's support, but crucial to sustaining this most important community resource," Ms Kaiser said.
The Newtown Youth Lacrosse Association, which operates similarly to other youth leagues, relies on parent volunteers to coach, and serve on the board - scheduling games and practices, and fulfilling other tasks. The lacrosse program has 30-plus volunteer coaches who run the teams for players ranging from first- through sixth-graders (the seventh/eighth-grade teams have paid coaches).
Jim Wallace, president of the lacrosse program, and a volunteer himself, says the volunteers are crucial to keeping costs down.
Registration costs approximately $250 each year (or $150 for players in grades 1-3). That is about half of what some towns in the area charge because they do not lean as heavily on volunteers, Mr Wallace said.
"Lacrosse is an expensive sport to begin with. To keep the cost down we need volunteers. Otherwise, for a lot of families, it would be cost prohibitive," said Mr Wallace, adding that equipment runs between roughly $300 and $500 per player.
"We want the kids to play and we don't want cost to be a determining factor," he noted.
"It's getting harder and harder to find people who want to give their time," said Mr Wallace, adding that the organization does have enough helpers but just that it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit them. "We've historically had more coaches than we know what to do with.
"They give a lot. It's not an easy job," Mr Wallace adds.
FAITH (Food Assistance Immediate Temporary Help) Food Pantry is among the numerous organizations within town that rely on the help and kindness of volunteers.
Established in 1983, FAITH Food Pantry distributes food from a pantry set up at St John's Church in Sandy Hook to town residents. Food and money are collected from Newtown churches, individuals, civic organizations, and local businesses. Donors may visit the pantry on Tuesdays between 10 am and noon and Thursdays between 6:30 and 7:30 pm.
Animals, like humans, benefit from volunteer work. Canine Advocates of Newtown is a group of volunteers who provide daily walks and socialization for dogs at the Brian J. Silverlieb Animal Care and Control Center. The group also helps with adoptions and provides counseling for dog-related issues. New volunteers, over the age of 18, are welcomed.
Call 203-426-5327 or send an e-mail to
The Animal Center has been rescuing, adopting and spay/neutering as many homeless companion animals as its foster network can support in order to reduce the number of animals entering shelters. In the past 11 years, The Animal Center has saved the lives of more than 2,200 companion animals.
For more information or to join the volunteer team, contact Monica Roberto via e-mail at
Organizations outside of town are looking for help, and the American Red Cross is among them.
The Red Cross will host a new volunteer orientation at the American Red Cross Farmington office, 209 Farmington Avenue, on Tuesday, April 12, from 10 to 11 am. The hourlong orientation session is designed to introduce new volunteers to the history of the Red Cross and to learn about all of the local volunteer opportunities available.
Those interested in attending the session must register in advance online at