Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 18, 2005 Southern Oregon University President Elisabeth Zinser, center at the back, joins a group Saturday clearing the way for a new sprinkler system at a home belonging to Ashland Supportive Housing. The effort was a project for the annual Day of Caring. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Dirty work, done for a cause Volunteers pitch in on various projects for United Way’s annual Day of Caring event By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune Kicking off the United Way’s fall fund drive, some 300 volunteers descended on eight social help centers to landscape, plant shrubs and build picnic tables, basketball courts — even a meditation garden — all in the name of giving back to the community. It was United Way’s 10th annual Day of Caring, a time when the concept of "making a difference" becomes a reality. "It’s about providing opportunity for others and using what we have to make life better for them," said Susan Young, a junior at St. Mary’s High School in Medford, who rounded up 20 fellow students to help at Addictions Recovery Center on West Main Street and the Asante Child Development Center in White City. "We’re required to put in 100 hours of community service and we’ve gone beyond that," said her fellow student, Katherine Viale. "Sometimes, we who are gifted with so much can help others get back on their feet." The pair had just helped create a meditation garden, with park benches, bird bath, trellis and many plants in ARC’s back yard and were working on a new horseshoe pit for women getting off drugs and alcohol. Advertisement "It’s good to make a difference in the community," said South Medford High senior Brigette Eckert. In ARC’s front yard, Wells Fargo Bank workers put in flower beds, sprinklers and an assortment of plants — accomplishing in six hours what it would doubtless take the average "honey-do" gardener weeks to do. "That’s the amazing power you have when you leverage community and pull together," said Wells Fargo district manager Steve Erb, digging out the spot for a water system, as fellow employees and ARC residents helped situate a host of potted plants. "It’s good to be in recovery," said ARC client Tina Brown, "and great to be working with people to give something back to the community." Another ARC client, Kimberly Tucker, working on a new basketball court, said she wanted to "make everything better for the clients who come after me. When I got here I couldn’t even make it up the steps and now, being clean is the most perfect thing — and this is definitely a day of blessing." Erb estimated the labor invested by crews at ARC would otherwise cost more than $1,000. Plants, wood and materials were paid for from United Way funds. The agency seeks $977,000 this year and has already passed the 21 percent mark, said Executive Director Dee Ann Everson. "It’s an amazing day when so many people come together to do hard physical labor that most don’t do all year," said Everson. "They’re so fired up, it’s amazing and incredible and they always finish the goal in one day." Volunteer crews also painted, gardened and built at Ashland Supportive Housing, Court Appointed Special Advocates center, OnTrack Mom’s Home, Phoenix Counseling Center, Suncrest Retreat Center in Talent and, in Grants Pass, Southern Oregon Adolescent Study and Treatment Center. Volunteering and philanthropic giving are bouncing back after 9/11, when people "hunkered down and paid attention to self and loved ones — and now they are taking care of each other in the broader sense," said Everson. ARC Deputy Director Kim Oveson said the volunteer projects and the "overwhelming support from the community" means a lot to clients, who often feel isolated. Agencies submit proposals and plans to United Way — and all materials and volunteers are ready to go on a Saturday morning each September. "My dad was a contractor and I’ve done a lot of this kind of manual labor," said Seth Parks of Ashland’s Wells Fargo, "so it’s really nice to give back to Medford, where I grew up, and to help out other people who might need it." John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s