50 volunteers step up for United Way Day of Caring

Photos from Mollie Radzinski: Employees from the Orleans County Mental Health Department cleaned buildings at Camp Rainbow on Friday as part of the United Way Day of Caring.

KNOWLESVILLE – For many years United Ways across the country have set aside one day a year to do special projects for the agencies they serve.

In Orleans County, the annual Day of Caring was Friday and about 50 volunteers from several businesses volunteered to do special projects for eight locations in the county.

The volunteers were treated to breakfast at Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, where United Way director Nyla Gaylord welcomed them and thanked them for their volunteerism.

“We are pleased to have so many people here,” Gaylord said. “All our agencies are stretched thin and your help means a lot to them.”

These volunteers helped give Camp Rainbow a cleanup on Friday.

Gaylord thanked the businesses who sent volunteers, including Takeform and Baxter, who had 12 employees who participated in the Day of Caring. Other volunteers came from Orleans Correctional Facility, Orleans County Mental Health, Pathstone, Velocitti, UConnectCare (formerly GCASA) and M&T Bank.

Several volunteers, including Karen Krug from Orleans County Mental Health, were there for the first time. Krug heard about the day from Melinda Rhim, coordinator of Care Management Services at Mental Health, and a former board member of United Way.

“We’re part of the community and I’m proud of where we work,” Rhim said. “This is us giving back to our community. I’ve been volunteering for United Way for at least 10 years.”

Krug said she likes helping people and when the opportunity comes up, she takes advantage of it.

“I’m going to Camp Rainbow and I love kids, so I’m looking forward to it,” Krug said.

PathStone employees and volunteers did some weeding and mulching at Hospice.

Volunteers at Camp Rainbow were assigned to paint and do cleanup.

Angela Johnson is also an employee of Orleans County Mental Health, and said she volunteered last year.

“I thought it was a great way to help out in my community, and it was very fulfilling,” she said.

Other projects were mulching and weeding at Orleans Enterprises; mulching, weeding, painting, organizing and cleaning at GLOW YMCA; mulching, trimming and helping create container gardens at Cooperative Extension; landscaping, cleanup and removing garbage  at Ministry of Concern; window washing, mulching and gardening at Hospice of Orleans; cleaning, landscaping and painting at Oak Orchard Health Center in Medina; and planting bushes and plants at Oak Orchard Health Center in Albion.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Grace Ryan, standing, helps Orleans County United Way director Nyla Gaylord at the registration desk for Day of Caring on Friday. This is the third year Ryan, an employee of Baxter Healthcare, has volunteered for the event.

Grace Ryan, an employee of Baxter Healthcare, was volunteering for the third year. She was assigned to the YMCA in Medina. An immigrant from the Philippines, Ryan said she loves helping people.

“And I love my life in this country, and when I get my citizenship in about a year, I promise to be a good citizen,” she said.

Another volunteer was United Way’s new intern, Claire Squicciarini of Albion.

Gaylord added that United Way is very important to our community.

“They support many agencies which help people in need in our county,” she said. “One of our biggest accomplishments was to create collaborations with other agencies in the county. That resulted in a warming center being opened in Albion. Housing is also a big problem in Orleans County and the role of United Way is to bring people together to solve those problems.”

Another very important accomplishment of United Way was hiring a grant writer, free to any non-profit in the county. This was the result of Dean Bellack’s contact with foundations in Buffalo and Rochester when he was director during the pandemic.

Gaylord also stressed that every dollar contributed in Orleans County stays in Orleans County.

Takeform employees helped the Cornell Cooperative Extension move containers that will be used for gardens to grow food.

Velocitii workers helped at the Oak Orchard Health Center in Medina by trimming bushes, raking and weeding flower beds.

Volunteers from Baxter helped the YMCA with organizing and cleaning inside.

Baxter employees also did mulching in the outside garden area at Orleans Enterprises in Albion.

Baxter also had volunteers painting indoors at the Oak Orchard Health Center in Albion.