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450 volunteers ready to make a difference Saturday

Sometimes two hands just aren't enough to accomplish what needs to be done.

So Saturday morning, the Fox Valley United Way is bringing about 900 spares into the community.

Roughly 450 volunteers from Aurora's Main Baptist and Warehouse churches, the Next Level Foundation, Sow a Seed Outreach and the Aurora Housing Authority will take on clean up, painting and landscaping projects at 14 Kane County sites as part of the United Way's "Operation Helping Hands."

Fox Valley United Way Director Deborah Collins said the annual day of volunteering is a local effort tied to the United Way's National Day of Action usually held on June 21, the longest day of the year.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m., volunteers will be assisting disabled residents at Aurora's Association for Individual Development group homes with lawn work and inside chores, painting at Aurora's Hesed House and general clean up tasks at Batavia's Elderday Center for senior citizens.

And the selected locations are thankful for the help.

"We serve patients from 0 to 90 years old with mental and physical disabilities so we can always find projects that need doing, whether it's helping our group home residents clean their closets or do lawn work," said Kathy Hazelwood of AID. "We really appreciate the help."

"We understand that sometimes it's difficult to give up a Saturday for someone else but, once you start, it's incredibly rewarding," Collins said. "That feeling you get when someone thanks you feels so good. We call it the 'charity buzz.'"

Specifically, Collins said she thinks some of the most rewarding work will be done by teenagers stationed at Hesed House, Aurora's not-for-profit organization for the poor and homeless.

"Spending some time painting and cleaning will give our volunteers an opportunity to see very real things happening in our community," Collins said. "We all don't live in an ivory tower and sometimes our youth needs to know these circumstances exist in our community."

A majority of the volunteers already have been registered and assigned but walk-ins are welcome to attend the volunteer rally at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at Ginger Creek Community Church, 2850 Ginger Woods Parkway in Aurora.

"If you feel in your heart that you want to be a part of what we're doing in the community, show up and we will find a place for you to go," Collins said. "I will never turn away a volunteer."

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