Hundreds of volunteers show they care in Elgin

Usually it's the folks at Elgin's Well Child Center who are helping those in need.

But the tables were turned Friday as dozens of volunteers showed up at the Wing Street facility to clean, paint and spruce up the property.

"It's so good for staff morale," said Trish Roth, the center's executive director. "We're a not-for-profit, so it's hard to get the resources to maintain the building."

The Well Child Center was one of 30 locations in Elgin picked for the United Way's 13th annual Day of Caring.

The event brings together local businesses, groups and individuals to work on various projects throughout the community.

"The sun came out, so it was a great day," said Diane O'Connor, the United Way of Elgin's director of community impact. "We have over 375 volunteers working throughout the community. It's amazing.

"There are so many needs in Elgin," she said. "This is one way we can help meet those needs. It's a way to give back to the community."

Volunteers headed to Elgin's Community Crisis Center, for instance, to collect food and other items and to provide lunch and activities for women and children in the shelter program.

Other volunteers fanned out across the city, pitching in at the Boys and Girls Club of Elgin, the PADS homeless shelter, The Larkin Center and more.

"Elgin's people … have always cared about others," city spokeswoman Sue Olafson said. "I think it's underscored by the number of people we get at these events."

On city-owned property alone, more than 100 volunteers pitched in Friday -- in one case planting 1,500 new bulbs around a parking deck, Olafson said.

"That would have taken a four-man crew considerable time to complete," she said.

The United Way Day of Caring in Elgin precedes the organization's annual fund-raising campaign.

"It's a way for the employers to show their employees they are civic-minded," O'Connor said. "They see the needs in the community. Hopefully they will remember that when the campaign kicks off."

Back at the Well Child Center, volunteers were busy washing windows, handing out lunch and painting the walls -- and soon, a mural -- in the center's classroom.

Cindy Anderson, assistant coordinator for the center's nutrition program, said many groups had sent over volunteers: The National Bank, the Grand Victoria Casino, CASA Kane County, the Second Baptist Church.

The city of Elgin also was going to have some people on hand to do grounds work.

"It's great every year," Anderson said of the Day of Caring. "We could not do it on our own."