Frontiersman
MAT-SU -- On Wednesday, local organizations had a chance to return the favor to the community that has given so much.
 TODD L. DISHER/Frontiersman United Way of Mat-Su executive director Stephanie Allen, right, and two other volunteers help break boxes as part of the Day of Caring. |
The Day of Caring is part of the United Way’s new three-fold approach to community service. The new motto is Give. Advocate. Volunteer.
“In the past, the United Way was known for asking people to give contributions,” said Linzi Rothermel, resource development director for the United Way of Mat-Su. “Now, we’re taking a 360-degree approach to the community. Members of the community should give their time and talent as well as money.”
To give their talent, businesses around the Valley allowed their employees to volunteer while still on the clock. Sharon Reaves and Tina Clark left their desks at Mat-Su Title to help out at the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer. They cleaned out the hay feeders, scattered feed throughout the fields and fed a 2-day-old baby.
This is the first year the United Way has helped out at the Musk Ox Farm, but volunteers are always needed, farm manager Amanda Kristinat said.
“We rely on volunteers,” Kristinat said. “We need people with all skills. There are opportunities for calf sitting and weaning, skilled carpenters, plumbers, photographers and landscaping help. We don’t have to have flowers, but it makes it nicer for the tourists.”
With the help of the volunteers, the non-profit farm domesticates musk ox to harvest their soft underfir called qiviut. They then donate that to Alaska Native groups who spin it into wool and knit hats, gloves and scarves.
Over at the Valley Community for Recycling Solutions, members of the United Way of Mat-Su’s staff helped their own cause on the Day of Caring. The center received pallets of bottled water tainted with chloroform. The volunteers had to empty the water into a tub, saving it for watering lawns. The bottles went into one pile, the caps into another and hundreds of boxes had to be flattened.
On-site at the VCRS, executive director of the United Way of Mat-Su Stephanie Allen said non-profits just don’t have the resources they need.
“We want people to realize that one person can make a difference,” Allen said. “But doing something all together can really make a big difference.”
Matanuska Telephone Association, the group that usually volunteers the most employees, helped remove outdated play equipment and chain-link fences at CCS Early Learning Services in Meadow Lakes. First National Bank did yard work and painting at The Children’s Place. Alaska CDC got some help from a contingent from Alaska Job Corps.
The other businesses and groups volunteering employees included Interiors by Mae, Wells Fargo, Alaska USA, Sertoma, Conoco Phillips and Northrim Bank. Benefiting non-profits included Alaska Family Services, Family Promise, Mat Valley Community Charities, Alaska Center for Family Resources and Mid Valley Senior Center.
“Everything went really great,” said Rothermel. “I came in hoping nobody had sawed their leg off. Everyone had a great time, and hopefully some will get hooked on volunteerism.
Rothermel said the United Way normally sees a spike in volunteers after the Day of Caring. She said they keep a website ( HYPERLINK “http://www.unitedwaymatsu.org” www.unitedwaymatsu.org) that has opportunities for people to help through out the year. Currently, there are about 18 agencies with 21 different and varied opportunities, she said.
“Helping a non-profit makes you feel great,” said Rothermel. “It allows organizations to show they are supporting the community, employees feel great and non-profits gets project done for next to nothing.”
Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com” todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.
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