Churches combine forces for a successful Service Day
On Saturday, May 12, despite threatening skies, more than 100 volunteers from First Presbyterian and Southminster Presbyterian churches combined forces to serve at 10 separate sites from six community organizations, as well as residents of local senior living communities.
Service Day began with a sea of red T-shirt clad volunteers in Fellowship Hall at 8 a.m., buoyed by a prayer from the Rev. Alex. The teams headed out at 8:30 a.m. to their assigned sites.
The teams, ranging from 8 to 16 volunteers, worked to clean, organize, repair, paint, weed, rake, plant, trim, mulch and spruce up buildings, properties and homes affiliated with/served by Journeys | The Road Home, WINGS, Little City, Clearbrook, Shelter, Inc., and the Arlington Heights Senior Center.
Back at First Presbyterian Church, a team led by Kate McVay worked on a spring craft.
"It may have been raining outside, but flowers were blooming at church," said McVay.
Ten crafty women and two children assembled 240 flower pens and several place mats to be distributed to senior living facilities in the area.
Team captain Tom Carroll led a large group to Journeys, where they cleaned and organized food donations, seasonal clothing and other donations.
Chuck Cooper led a team that took care of the spring planting of flower boxes on the patio and across the front of both the Senior Center and Clearbrook Center in Arlington Heights. They also prepped some of them for painting.
Ed Gudonis from Southminster led a large group that split into three teams to tackle various yardwork, clean up, plantings and mulching at three Little City sites.
Another team, led by Keith North of Southminister, worked on gardening for a Shelter, Inc., home. The team turned over borders, weeded, mulched, repaired downspouts and cleaned a long deck railing.
Gary McClung captained a group of 14 at the WINGS Logistical Center in Elk Grove Village. McClug said, "This is the third consecutive Service Day we have worked at that location. Upon arrival at 9 a.m., we were given a brief, but excellent presentation about how WINGS provides services to women in need.
"We were provided with instructions regarding the sorting of donated materials. The bags were stacked perhaps 10 feet high in the corner of the center. We enjoyed working together and getting to know one another better as we worked through the morning."
• Submit 'Your News' at www.dailyherald.com/share.