Whistling While They Work––

Day Of Caring Brings Business Volunteers Into Town

By Dottie Evans

For the past eight years, the United Way of Northern Fairfield County has sponsored a Day of Caring in early September during which volunteers from participating Danbury area companies turn out to help various community agencies in the area towns.

Their charge is to apply a little elbow grease in helping these organizations finish certain projects that require more time, money, or labor than might otherwise be available.

The tasks this year may have been as mundane as washing windows or as tedious as endlessly rolling a coat of fresh blue paint across the office walls at Newtown’s Family Counseling Center. These were some of the chores tackled by several volunteers from the Dade Behring Company on Tuesday, September 10, this year’s allotted Day of Caring.

The volunteers were given a hearty welcome by Family Counseling Center Director Terry Blackmer. She said it was the fourth year that the counseling center had benefited from the annual United Way outreach project.

“Can you believe, they are not only stuffing envelopes [for an upcoming fundraiser], but this good person here actually scrubbed down our basement floor,” Ms Blackmer said, putting her arm around the shoulders of Dade Behring volunteer Sandra Amundsen.

At the Merryhill Child Care Center on Queen Street, several volunteers from Taunton Press got down on their hands and knees to sand down the rough places on a long-boarded walkway for the preschoolers. Another part of their day’s work was to repair a raised observation deck and add side rails, which involved the use of power tools that were provided at the last minute by a Taunton Press maintenance supervisor.

An impressive total of 11 volunteers from the Savings Bank of Danbury spent the day with 65 Newtown senior citizens at the Senior Center on Riverside Road. They led sing-alongs, played games, and spent time chatting and getting to know Newtown’s older residents.

Taunton Press, which had visited the seniors last year, provided desserts for the occasion.

“We can’t tell you how grateful we are for what these folks have done for us,” said Senior Center Director Marilyn Place as the Day of Caring drew to a close.

“Would you believe that bank vice president George Herring offered to buy us new umbrellas for our outside tables, when he saw that we didn’t have any. That is so generous.”

 

Kickoff Breakfast

At The Amber Room

The 2003 Day of Caring, held Wednesday, September 10, began with a breakfast for volunteers at the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury. It was led by this year’s campaign chairman, Tony Pajk, president of Branson Ultrasonics, and by campaign vice chairman, Kevin Kelleher, CEO of Cendant Mobility.

The 800 participants were asked to bring a nonperishable food item for the Day of Caring food drive that benefits nine area food pantries.

At the conclusion of the breakfast, the volunteers from 38 local companies took part in 50 projects throughout the seven towns of Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, Newtown, Redding, and Ridgefield. The projects ranged from landscaping to painting and small building projects, as well as organizing picnics for seniors.

This was the ninth consecutive year for the Day of Caring and the 65th year of United Way’s community fundraising campaign.

A year ago, United Way of Northern Fairfield County raised $3.5 million. The organization is hoping to top that figure this year.