DETROIT, JULY 24, 2023 — Volunteers helping volunteers.
A Time to Help was bolstered by more than a dozen additional helping hands at its latest monthly project Saturday (July 22) thanks to the Detroit branch of VT Seva, a global nonprofit and volunteer organization, that worked alongside ATTH for the first time.
The project was a familiar one for ATTH regulars — we packaged dental kits that will go into festive gift boxes which the Detroit Goodfellows will distribute to area children (ages 4-13) in December.
“This is our first time with your organization, and, hopefully, we’ll be at more projects in the future,’’ said Vanitha Gopalan, VT Seva Detroit’s volunteer coordinator. “Projects on Saturdays and Sundays are good for us.’’
A total of 33 volunteers worked for 2 1/2 hours at the Goodfellows warehouse, where more than 4,000 dental kits were assembled, not including an additional 4,000 clear plastic kit bags that were prepped. Deborah Kollar of Highland participated after she was encouraged to volunteer by her sister-in-law, Robin Kent of Canton.
“I’m going to be retiring in three years, and I really want to get more involved in stuff like this,” Kollar said. “I’m very glad I was here.’’
As Sari Schneider glanced around the room, she smiled at the teamwork in action.
“Because I’ve been doing this for so long, I get to hear so many of the stories of how Detroit Goodfellows has made a difference for families,’’ said Schneider, who’s in her 26th year as executive director of the 100-year-old-plus organization. “It really is a gift from above.’’
SAY Detroit would like to thank the volunteers who donated kitchen items and nonperishable goods for a family of seven who soon will be receiving a refurbished house as part of the nonprofit’s Working Homes/Working Families program.
A Time to Help is taking August off for summer break. The next project will be Sept. 9 at the SAY Detroit Play Center in northeast Detroit, where we’ll be helping prepare the facility for fall semester (mostly cleaning and organizing) after students return to school. Registration is open at Bloomerang Volunteer.
