Submitted by Samantha Butler on
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" It's one of the many inspiring quotes attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - and a question we can all help answer, together.
The scene: A dilapidated home with no running water and no electricity. A tree that had fallen on the house last year still rested on the facade.
The homeowner: An elderly gentleman with a number of health issues. He’s recovering from a stroke he suffered not too long ago. He is, for the most part, completely on his own, with no family in the area. He has been living here for some time.
AARP Experience Corps - Greater New Haven is recruiting volunteers age 55+ to tutor literacy with children in Hamden elementary schools 10+ hours a week during the school year. No teaching or tutoring experience is necessary and training is provided.
Yale-New Haven Hospital has been out in force volunteering in the Greater New Haven area for United Way's Days of Caring 2011. Last week the Religious Ministries department from the hospital decided to lend a helping hand as well. Seven volunteers gave up their afternoon and chose to rake leaves at Martha's Place -a homeless shelter of New Haven Home Recovery. This location happened to be right next to one of the volunteer's parishes -showing just how inter-connected is the New Haven community.
What is better than a sunny day at the beach? A sun-drenched morning at the beach for community service is better, of course! Students at Metropolitan Business Academy took time out of their weekend to volunteer with the Interact club and to take in some of the last warm moments of the year.
As part of a nationwide 2011 Community Day, USIS (United States Investigational Services), conducted a volunteer project at r'kids, organizing and cleaning the library. r'kids
This past week, faculty and staff -and even the women's lacrosse team- took part in the University of New Haven's Days of Caring 2011. The 71 volunteers helped out throughout the day at four different organizations. At the West Haven Child Development Center, volunteers took part in a variety of tasks. Some participants took care of children, others painted classrooms, and a few cleaned up the playground. Then at the West Haven Community House, four dedicated volunteers cleaned up a huge playground area that hadn't seen much love since Hurricane Irene.
As part of their own annual Days of Caring, United Way of Greater New Haven’s staff and their families spent time volunteering at the Guilford Food Bank, during an annual food drive in the Town of Guilford. Along with about 30 volunteers from various organizations and civic groups; we collected, screened, sorted and stocked the shelves of the food bank. As many people know the economic downturn has severely affected families and individuals all over the state. Food banks and soup kitchens across the region have faced a significant increase in requests for food.
