Day of Caring Volunteers Leave a
Lasting Impression on the Kansas City Area Community
Last month, more than 3,200 Day of Caring volunteers spread-out across the Kansas City metro area armed with rakes and shovels…paint brushes and ladders…. spatulas and tongs…and a determination to improve the community in which they live. They brought along a can-do attitude that helped them accomplish some amazing things during the 14th annual Day of Caring, sponsored by the Combined Federal Campaign and United Way.
One of the volunteers was Sandy Turner. She joined more than a dozen co-workers, painting rooms and hallways inside the Rehabilitation Institute. Although Sandy has no disability, the experience was clearly therapeutic for her. Years ago, Sandy had come to the Rehabilitation Institute to visit her brother who was a patient who was paralyzed after a motocross accident. As she painted, Sandy couldn’t help but think about the role therapists had played in her brother’s recovery. “Now he’s able to work full-time and get around. He’s really a functional person. I know it was due in part to the therapy and training he received here at the Rehab Institute. That’s why I really wanted to be here today.”
Half-a-dozen sites each had more than 70 volunteers. They made quick work of dozens of projects at Gillis, Operation Breakthrough, Renaissance West, Rainbow Center, Sherwood Center, Rehabilitation Institute and the Heart of America Stand Down. Volunteers painted and cleaned…distributed food and clothing to homeless veterans….and built an outdoor classroom and nature center.
Glenn Difalco was among nearly 100 volunteers at Operation Breakthrough. He brought along his son and daughter to help build a nature center and outdoor classroom. Although they live just three blocks away, it was the first time they had ever been to Operation Breakthrough. Difalco said, “The experience is rewarding for me and it teaches my children how to give back and that’s an important lesson to start at an early age.”
On the South side of the metro area Day of Caring volunteers cleaned-up an historic cemetery that was along the old Santa Fe Trail. While nearby, volunteers painted the homes of a low-income, elderly woman and a mentally challenged couple in Ruskin Heights who couldn’t physically or financially do it themselves.
This year 85 Kansas City area companies and community groups put together volunteer teams, along with 37 federal agencies. The volunteer groups tackled 166 different projects throughout the community. The impact of some projects was immediate, like the cookout and games for children at Rainbow Center and Ronald MacDonald House. The impact of other projects will be felt later; when flowers planted Gillis, ReDiscover, Mattie Rhodes and the Children’s Center Campus begin to bloom or when a family escapes from a house fire thanks to one of the smoke detector installed by Day of Caring volunteers in partnership with the American Red Cross.
As always, there were more projects seeking volunteers than people who signed up to help. Nearly 60 projects remain to be done. If your agency, church or organization is interested in helping, contact the Volunteer Center at (816) 559-4667.
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