Day of Caring keeps youths busy

By Sean Barron

‘Clean and green’ was the name of the game for more than 200 youngsters and adults.

YOUNGSTOWN — If you were out and about enjoying Saturday’s unseasonably warm weather, chances are you saw groups of people wearing white who were trying to make the city a bit more green.

If, for example, you found yourself on the North Side, you might have seen Jennifer Toth and Alyson James in action.

The two Cardinal Mooney High School 11th-graders grabbed rakes and removed debris that had collected during the winter near the front of Burdman Group Inc., 284 Broadway.

Both girls are members of their school’s service club and were among an estimated 260 youngsters who participated in Saturday’s eighth annual United Way Youth Day of Caring event.

The community service project, sponsored by Farmers National Bank, allowed high school student groups, Scout troops, church youth groups and others to perform yard work, painting and other tasks and odd jobs for about 17 area nonprofit social-service agencies. This year, United Way partnered with HandsOn Volunteer Network of the Valley, one of its funded agencies.

“I just like helping the community, and [this] is a way to give back to it,” Jennifer explained, adding that their school club participates in Special Olympics competitions and coordinates food drives for those less fortunate, among other things.

The group’s work was greatly appreciated by Joe Caruso, Burdman Group’s director, who pitched in by pruning soft pine shrubs.

“It’s a great show of community support and spirit,” Caruso said. “The people we serve are grateful for the beautification efforts.”

Burdman Group serves about 3,000 clients annually by providing behavioral health as well as employment and job retention services. It also operates Sojourner House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

On the other side of town, five students and two teachers from Summit Academy in Youngstown busily cut grass, tilled a garden, removed weeds and cleaned screens and windows at a South Side site run by the Ursuline Sisters.

Summit Academy serves about 80 students with autism, attention-deficit disorder and other special needs in grades nine through 12 and is working to get them involved in community work, noted Monica Perkins, one of its teachers.

“I express my deepest gratitude for their efforts,” said Jessica Sheppard, the Ursuline Sisters site’s child and family program director.

The site provides enrichment, tutoring, life skills and mentoring, and its location is confidential, Sheppard noted.

Katie Spatara of Boardman wasn’t outdoors enjoying temperatures approaching 80 degrees, but was plastering holes in a wall at the Children’s Center for Science & Technology, 139 E. Boardman St.

Spatara, a Youngstown State University student, was preparing to paint the section that will house a science, technology, engineering and math exhibit.

While Spatara was performing patch work, several other youngsters were dusting, painting and washing windows.

The center opened in 2004 and was designed mainly for preschoolers but now offers exhibits for those up to age 14, explained Suzanne Barbati, executive director. In January, the facility began focusing more on math and technology, she pointed out.

“It’s about making learning fun but also helping students be ready for the work force, and be creative and thoughtful,” Barbati said.

The five-hour Day of Caring program kicked off with youngsters packaging and boxing toiletries such as toothpaste and deodorant, which were given to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Mahoning Valley to be distributed to area food pantries, noted Debbie Oliver, event coordinator.

This was the first such effort to be part of the United Way event and was necessary partly because of the poor economy and large number of people in need, Oliver explained.

On Friday, 55 pupils and four staff at Harding Elementary School took part in an outdoor cleanup at their school. That project also was part of the United Way effort, she said.