BIDDEFORD — One thing about United Way volunteers: They keep coming back.
Take Tony LeBlanc, for instance. Through his employer, Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution, LeBlanc has been volunteering for the United Way of York County’s Day of Caring for about the last 10 years, rarely missing the chance to help out a local nonprofit.
This year, LeBlanc and several of his coworkers could be found at the YMCA in Biddeford, helping out with various projects on the organization’s campus: clearing trails in the woods, installing mulch on the playground and digging trenches to catch rainwater ”“ an especially appropriate activity given Wednesday’s wet weather.
It’s not just the Y that benefits, said LeBlanc, it’s the volunteers themselves.
“A lot of us work inside all day,” he said. “It’s nice to get outdoors and help out the community. It’s a lot of fun.”
Each year, the United Way of York County enlists area businesses to lend volunteers for the Day of Caring, with nonprofits enjoying roles as the beneficiaries of those efforts. Last year, more than 1,000 volunteers freely gave their time, and this year saw a similar influx of help; multiple sites in southern Maine were beautified or otherwise improved by the backbreaking sacrifices of those wearing telltale orange shirts, bespattered with the United Way’s logo and, in many cases, mud and dirt.
In Lebanon, volunteers from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard trekked to Lebanon Elementary School to build “buddy” benches and bat houses; representatives from Central Maine Power did tree work and landscaping at the Springvale Public Library; Cision employees built bunny habitats at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Trust; and the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport & Wells Water District lent help to Kennebunk Middle School, assisting in work on an outdoor classroom.
Heather Gendron, executive director of the Northern York County branch of the YMCA, said that without the annual contributions of Day of Caring volunteers, certain projects around the campus simply would not get done.
“We would never be able to afford that kind of labor,” said Gendron. “Days like today are invaluable. It’s about making the Y a great place for kids.”
Saco & Biddeford Savings, TJ Maxx, Hannaford, Unum and the Biddeford High School Interact Club were among those represented at the Y on Wednesday.
“We all live here,” said Jeff Roberts of Saco & Biddeford Savings. “We all work here. It’s nice to give back to the community.”
Local businesses were also given a volunteer boost by AmeriCorps, a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, drawing volunteers from across the country. Alex Seghieri of Maryland was among them, and said the benefits of the Day of Caring don’t stop with the nonprofits.
“It’s nice to have a volunteer service that’s not the military,” he said of AmeriCorps. “It’s all civilian. It’s nice to say, ”˜I made a difference.’ And you feel a lot better about yourself.”
— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 319 or [email protected].
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