NEW BERLIN – Efforts are underway to coordinate a volunteer-driven campaign aimed at helping New Berlin area residents who have difficulty helping themselves.
For three years, the New Berlin Helping Hands Project has assisted families and individuals with outdoor projects that may be impossible for them to do otherwise due to sickness, disabilities, aging, or other hardships.
That tradition continues this year as volunteers gear up for four consecutive Saturdays of serving the community.
The Helping Hands projects will assist six families in New Berlin this year. In previous years, volunteers have taken on projects that included exterior painting, landscaping and gardening, and overall yard cleanup at several homes in the village.
“It’s really about just donating time and efforts to help people,” said Helping Hands coordinator Gene Chilion. “It’s getting people to volunteer because it’s sometimes easier to get money from people than it is to get their time. We’re trying to teach – especially to young people – that this is what people should be doing. It’s not always about money. It’s also about volunteering your time and talents to someone who really needs it.”
While Helping Hands depends on volunteers, supplies and other necessitates are purchased through generous grant donations from the RC Smith Foundation. Money is funneled through St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in New Berlin; but that certainly doesn’t mean Helping Hands is strictly a church function, explained Chilion.
“Helping Hands is more than a church. We have people from all walks of life, from private businesses to local residents who just want to help out,” he said. “Everybody pitches in.”
In its first year, Helping Hands drew more than 100 volunteers to donate their time and effort. Last year, 50 volunteers did the same. The organization hopes to get at least 50 people to sign on again this year.
“It can be hard sometimes to find people to help because this isn’t something that we advertise,” said Chilion. “We rely a lot on word of mouth. We’ll use Facebook to advertise what we’re doing, and we ask that people spread it around their work places.”
Last year’s big Helping Hands endeavor entailed painting and yard cleanup at the New Berlin Railroad Museum. The year prior, teams of volunteers spent four Saturdays scraping and painting a Victorian style home, in addition to other smaller projects around the village.
Chilion said that project coordinators have identified similar projects this year, where a little bit of hard work can make a big difference.
Helping Hands has four work days scheduled this year. Volunteers will meet at 8:30 a.m. at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church on July 9, July 16, July 23, and July 30.
Chilion said the group is always seeking volunteers to lend their time and talents. Anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to call Maryellen Canuel at 847-8890 for more information.