In the past, Jackson County United Way had little trouble finding volunteers to complete an abundance of projects for its Day of Caring event each year.
Over the years, thousands of projects, volunteers and hours have been accomplished throughout the county.
That changed this past year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, there were so many restrictions in place that the 2020 event — typically held on the second Tuesday of each May — was moved to September.
That was in an effort to avoid some of the restrictions put in place to deal with the virus that has killed 73 people in Jackson County, more than 13,000 people in Indiana and more than 528,000 in the United States.
The 2020 Day of Caring, the 24th, drew more than 100 people who completed 26 projects.
On Tuesday, the 25th annual Day of Caring was held, and 45 projects were scheduled to be completed by some 160 volunteers.
“We were able to be a lot more flexible this time,” said Maci Baurle, who recently became executive director of Jackson County United Way.
United Way worked with the Jackson County Health Department to make sure volunteers were protected while completing projects, and protocols were followed and everything was done correctly, Baurle said.
Because most of the work was outside, volunteers were not forced to wear masks, she said.
“It has been a lot easier than in 2020,” Baurle said.
There were still plenty of project requests, but the number coming from nonprofits declined, and more of the county’s older residents received help with landscaping, painting and other outside work.
Some of the work performed Tuesday was pretty extensive, Baurle said.
A lot of the larger companies that allowed their employees to volunteer in the past didn’t do that in 2020 and still are not doing that now, she said.
“We could have used more volunteers, but we made it work,” Baurle said. “Some of the groups doubled up and were able to complete more than one project.”
The hope is that by next year’s Day of Caring, restrictions created by COVID-19 will be gone and more volunteers will be available, she said.
In 2019, a record was set with 1,621 volunteers (284 youth and 1,337 adults) completing 173 projects throughout Jackson County. The projects were in Brownstown, Crothersville, Freetown, Medora, Norman and Seymour.
On Tuesday, projects were carried out in Brownstown, Crothersville, Freetown, Medora and Seymour.
Helping in every way
When she was younger, Theresa Childers, 80, said she painted her front porch by herself.
On Tuesday, she supplied cold drinks as a team of seven volunteers from the Working for our Dreams 4-H Club did the work for her — and did the back porch and a swing, too.
The middle- and high-schoolers and some adult helpers brandished paint brushes and spread smooth strokes over the outside structures attached to Childers’ home.
Chillders was grateful for the assistance and the spirit behind it.
“Thy are wonderful,” she said. “They do it to give back to the community. We need more of it. I couldn’t do it. I could do it a few years ago.”
Sisters Jocelyn Soto, a senior, and Marina Soto, a junior, have pledged services to the Day of Caring before.
“I really like doing it,” Marina said. “Of course, it’s important to the community.”
Jocelyn said the theme of helping others is important to believe in, but having a definite assignment is also valuable.
“I feel like we were raised to help others,” she said of her family. “But it’s great to have something special to work on.”
Some members of this group, which this year happened to be made up of all girls, have an affinity for painting. Ashley Clemente said she has an artistic bent but enjoys work painting, too.
“I love painting,” Clemente said.
Leader Iveth Vasquez said the mission of this 4-H group is encapsulated in the nickname of “Working for our Dreams.” The name is meaningful to the members, she said.
“It is how we want to raise these kids — to finish high school, to go to college and to serve the community,” she said.
This 4-H group has been a part of Day of Caring for several years, she said.
“They are accustomed to working,” Vasquez said. “The kids can learn how to serve the older people.”
Vasquez said the 4-H club always puts its name in to help on this special day and waits for an assignment from the United Way.
Community Impact Director Stephanie Strothmann said a committee matches the requests from the community with the appropriate volunteers. She and four others spent the day touring locations to see how each project was progressing.
Strothmann was pleased by the sunshine and the mild temperature, barely reaching 60 degrees.
“We have had days in the past where we’ve had 90 degrees and volunteers were just melting,” she said. “We come out to say thank you.”
The volunteers deserve that, she said. Mostly, they have volunteered their time in lieu of another obligation.
“A lot of them have taken a day off from work and they’ve taken a day off from school,” Strothmann said.
Helping hands
Across town, another group of volunteers, representing BSM Groups, brought manual labor to Jane Norman’s house, digging and hauling dirt and gravel, smoothing a strip of land in front of her house and laying mulch and dirt to other parts of her property as landscapers.
The volunteers, 17 of them at first, kept doing more and far, far more work than Norman ever expected. A Christian-oriented group, Norman said she prayed with them and called her one-day visitors “the sweetest group. You can’t imagine how fast they worked. They are just good people.”
Owner Kevin Maxwell said his telecommunications and fiber optics company was pretty much closed for business Tuesday because the employees were out in the field. This is the third year his company has participated, and Maxwell said it is a special day.
Maxwell, 53, said he and the firm believe in having a responsibility to the community.
“It is absolutely a part of what we are doing,” Maxwell said. “I think people need to know God loves them, regardless of race or creed. I love to give.”
Evelyn Krebs of Seymour got things spruced up around her house by the Jackson County Purdue Club on Tuesday.
When Krebs returned home from church Sunday, she found the lattice on her porch had blown down, so that was one of the things being repaired by the club members Dale Siefker, Bill Siefker and Bill Baute. They also washed the house and cleaned the gutters.
“I’ve got the supplies for them to paint my front and back porch, and they are also pulling the weeds in my yard,” Krebs said. “Some of the club members are from my church, and I think it’s wonderful they are doing this. I’m proud of my town, and I’m proud of my church.”
Krebs said she and her husband bought the house in 1970, so she has lived there almost 51 years. Her husband has since passed away, as well as three of her children. She is thankful for Lorene Norris, who stays with her and drives her places.
Mary Lou Siefker and Betty Baute were the club members pulling weeds in Krebs’ yard.
“The Purdue Club volunteers throughout the community doing service projects and have helped at the United Way Day of Caring for about 10 years,” Mary Lou said. “We’ve had 10 applications this year for scholarships, and over the past 11 years, we’ve given around $70,000 in scholarships.”
Dale Siefker said this was the second time the club has helped Krebs for Day of Caring, and it makes him feel good to be helping others.
Across town at Girls Inc. of Jackson County, members of Jackson Masonic Lodge 146 also lent a helping hand.
Bill Lasater, Mike Read, Denver Gray and Rick Smith were inside cleaning windows, while Marvin Anderson, Tom Stafford and Mickey Beck were outside power washing the sidewalks.
“We help out here every year,” Lasater said. “It’s good to get out and do things for the community, and it makes you feel a little bit better.”
Other members of the organization were helping outside to put 70 cubic yards of mulch around the playground equipment and till the garden.
Gale Baird was operating a Bobcat, picking up loads of mulch and dumping it into wheelbarrows. Then Jeff Niccum and Dave Cooper were rolling wheelbarrows over to the playground.
Later in the summer when the ground is drier, the group will come back and mow around the retention pond.
“This is so helpful to us as we are a small full-time staff here and a board of directors and we have volunteers that help with things,” said Ginger Schneck, executive director of Girls Inc. “But for us to move 70 yards of mulch would be a lot for us to do on top of everything else.”
Schneck said the lodge has chosen to volunteer at Girls Inc. for many years, so it must be a good partnership. Girls Inc. served lunch to the lodge members to show their appreciation.
Repaying the community
In Medora, three volunteers from Schneck Medical Center, Kelly Franklin, Makenzie Smith and Morgan Pyle, cleaned up Medora Wesleyan Church by pulling weeds and painting parts of the exterior of the building.
“It feels good. It’s nice to help in the community and come to Medora,” Smith said.
She has volunteered for Day of Caring in the past and said she’s glad to give back to the community.
Smith and Pyle work in finance at Schneck, while Franklin is a practicing physician.
Members of the Seymour Noon Lions Club also could be found Tuesday morning painting the old restrooms at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Brownstown.
David Schill, who is a 30-year Lion and will be a president of the organization within the next year, said the Lions were “giving it a facelift.”
“I’m a former Jackson County FFA and 4-H member and got a lot from this place as a kid, and I’m giving back,” he said.
Lions member Rosie Jennings said volunteering for Day of Caring goes along with the mission of the organization.
“It’s a part of what the Lions do,” she said. “Our mission is to help the community, and not only financially, but with our hands and our backs. When the call comes out and we’re able to do it, we’re always there.”
Christy Nolan said she has been a member of the Seymour Noon Lions Club for nine years and has volunteered for Day of Caring every year with the exception of this past year.
“We all love doing it. We all enjoy it,” she said.
Tribune reporters Mitchell Banks, Lew Freedman and Lori McDonald and editor Aubrey Woods contributed to this story.