900+ Volunteers for Annual Day of Caring

BRIDGEPORT, CT - (September 8, 2005) United Way’s Day of Caring, an annual celebration of volunteerism, is happening across our region all day today. Since 1992, United Way of Eastern Fairfield County’s Day of Caring has encompassed 7,000 volunteers who have devoted nearly 35,000 hours of service to the community.

This year approximately 937 volunteers, employees of 23 regional companies, have been matched with 16 community organizations in need of volunteer work. Volunteers will complete 45 projects -- cleaning, fixing, building, landscaping, serving meals to the needy, and completing a multitude of other tasks. By its very definition, Day of Caring demonstrates what people are capable of doing, the differences they can make in just one day, when they work together.

Honorary Day of Caring Chair Adrienne Farrar-Houel commented, “This event is made possible by the generosity of our volunteers who graciously give of their time to make a difference in our community. On behalf of the United Way and the greater Bridgeport area, I would like to acknowledge the hard work of the 900 volunteers, many of whose efforts extend beyond this single Day of Caring. Thank you for your dedication and commitment. I am proud to be a part of this community effort.”

With the recent release of the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, a collaboration between the United Way of Eastern Fairfield County and the City of Bridgeport, this year’s Day of Caring provides a timely opportunity to highlight United Way’s Destination Home, one of United Way’s four targeted impact areas. In the spirit of Destination Home’s focus on housing, several companies are volunteering at Habitat for Humanity. Cadbury Schweppes, Millward Brown and Town of Stratford employees will assist in the construction of a new Habitat home. On Saturday, September 10, Sikorsky staff members will continue their efforts on a Habitat for Humanity construction project. In October, GE will once again take on a weeklong project with Habitat for Humanity.

United Way’s 2005 Campaign Chair Bryan Huebner noted, “It is often difficult for donors to understand Today’s United Way Community Impact. Day of Caring offers a hands-on experience with Community Impact and what matters. Our 45 projects demonstrate that children and families matter, housing matters, and supporting a caring community matters.” This year’s volunteers, whose work will benefit charitable organizations operating on sparse budgets, come from a diverse range of companies and organizations, including the following:

· Aquarion will paint walls at the entrance to the Community Closet, which is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Eastern Fairfield County and is located in the FSW basement.

· Beardsley, Brown & Bassett will host a cookout for Goodwill residents and customers.

· Bridgeport Housing Authority will repaint offices for the Girl Scouts of Housatonic Council.

· Casey Family Services will stain decks and ramps and paint porches for Bridge House, Inc.

· City of Bridgeport employees will landscape and install fencing at a supportive housing unit for the Center for Women and Families.

· Connecticut Legal Services will paint the office and organize rooms for The Charles D. Smith, Jr. Foundation.

· Cox Radio will assist Queen’s Daughters in beautifying their facility.

· State of CT Department of Social Services will refinish the playground surface at Sterling House.

· Gardner Denver Nash will help paint the Cardinal Shehan Center gym.

· Imagistics will participate in a landscaping project at Trumbull Preschool.

· Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder will brighten up Caroline House, Inc. both inside & outside with fresh paint and other needed fall cleanup chores on Saturday, September 17.

· Leadership Greater Bridgeport will complete a landscape project at Beardsley Zoo.

· People’s Bank employees will paint and do yard work for the Girl Scouts, complete a baking/craft project with Grasmere Eldercare, and assist Goodwill in making Christmas ornaments. In addition, they will help paint the Cardinal Shehan gym, prepare a picnic for Kennedy Center consumers, and partner with Greater Bridgeport Mental Health to complete needed work at the Lakewood Trumbull YMCA.

· St. Vincent’s will up camp trails camp trails at Lakewood Trumbull YMCA.

· St. Thomas Aquinas School will do planting at Pine Tree Lane Senior Housing.

· Somerset Capital Group will assist in preparing and serving both breakfast and lunch at Merton House.

· Taco Loco will host the 3 rd annual Kosher Mexican Fiesta forthe Adult Day Care Center of the Jewish Home for the Elderly, and volunteers from The Hispanic Commercial Guide providing live music,

· Town of Monroe staff from the First Selectman’s office will pitch in at the Monroe Food Pantry on September 10.

All projects are scheduled for Thursday, September 8 th, unless otherwise noted.

Complementing the volunteers’ enthusiasm, 11 companies and organizations have come forward to sponsor this year’s Day of Caring initiative: General Electric; Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, P.C.; Millward Brown; Sikorsky Aircraft; Beardsley, Brown & Bassett; BowtiesEsq.; Bridgeport Housing Authority; Cadbury Schweppes; Fairfield University; Hampford Research, Inc. and Somerset Capital. These companies have made generous gifts that will help supply agencies paint and brushes, hammers and nails, cement and bricks, and brooms and rakes and other necessary equipment. It is easy to understand why an event of this magnitude occurs only once a year.

“Day of Caring is a one-day representation of United Way’s year-long theme of volunteerism --illustrating how we mobilize the community to work together to solve critical problems. United Way is the collective power of people looking toward long-term solutions, not short-term fixes. We are already busily preparing for next year’s Day of Caring, which will mark its 15 th anniversary and which we will commemorate with a very special program,” stated Merle Berke-Schlessel, Esq., President and CEO of United Way.

If you are interested in volunteering for as little as an hour a week or more, check out Volunteer Solution -- a free, web-based volunteer matching service offered by the United Way of Eastern Fairfield County. You can access this easy-to-use service by going to www.thewaytocare.org and clicking the link: “Be a Volunteer.” Follow the simple instructions and you will be on your way to helping improve your community!

United Way of Eastern Fairfield County is in the business of building a stronger, more caring community across Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. Our focus is on what matters. Research and experience tells us that the best way to help the most people is to focus on the root causes of the most serious problems. It takes the whole community - working together- to make that happen. So we bring people together from all across the community - people from government, business, faith groups, nonprofits, and ordinary citizens- to tackle the issues that matter most. United Way is committed to the bottom line results: the lives we change and the communities we shape.