Volunteers? The brigade is in full step
Carrie Costa, of Norwalk, volunteers at Crumb Together Bakery, an offshoot of the nonprofit Circle of Friends in Norwalk. Its slogan is “Baked goods on a mission.”
Christmas is a time to share stories and I have a story that I would like to share with you.
The beginning chapter was written centuries ago and since that time, its pages have been filled with characters from every walk of life.
And the story continues today as hundreds more characters here in Connecticut are added.
They’re our volunteers, and the brigade is in full step as they continue to be a layer of support that is as strong as it is unwavering.
Tuesday, like other Nutmeggers, I awoke to freezing weather, frozen cars and treacherous roads. Early morning weather forecasters warned about driving conditions and their keyword of the day was safety.
But none of that stopped Christine Randolph.
By 10 a.m., she was where she can be found every Tuesday — at the Smilow Cancer Center at Greenwich Hospital, where she has clocked in more than 2,500 volunteer hours since 2011. Her goal is to make life easier for patients who are undergoing cancer treatment and chemotherapy, whether that is by serving coffee or lending an ear.
And she drove approximately 30 minutes from Larchmont, N.Y., to be part of what she calls a “rich and rewarding” experience.
“I’ve volunteered in many capacities for probably about 30 years, but I have to say working with the hospital patients is probably one of the most fulfilling,” she said. “... I’ve met many wonderful people over the years and kind of shared their journey and I find it very inspiring.”
Carrie Costa of Norwalk volunteers at Crumb Together Bakery, an offshoot of the nonprofit Circle of Friends in Norwalk. Its slogan is “Baked goods on a mission.”
The bakery at 40 Kings St. provides the means for specialneeds people to be employed and, at the same time, learn the skills of baking so they can earn a living and live independently. Circle of Friends considers the bakery to be a “recipe for success” as it trains specialneeds people to work in the bakery and food industry.
And it is sorely needed. According to the Brookings Institute, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., “only 40 percent of adults with disabilities in their prime working years (ages 2554) have a job.”
Costa’s daughter, Hannah, was the first person professional bakers took under their wing to help get Crumb Together up and running. That was a year ago — and that is when Costa put on her sales hat and walking shoes.
She spent the last year pounding the pavement to get the baked goods into other entities, such as Harbor Harvest. The more cookies and baked goods that could be sold meant more specialneeds people could be hired and trained.
“If you don’t have a child or a grandchild that has special needs, everybody knows someone who knows someone who has special needs,” she said. “... If everyone just volunteers just an hour, even, that would make a big difference.”
Some use volunteerism as an extension of activism.
Bridgeport residents Bishop Lorenzo Stewart and pastor Alfreda Stewart of Second Chance Outreach Ministry see their volunteerism as “the manifestation of our desire and passion to make a positive change in the community in which we live.”
As an exinmate, Lorenzo Stewart and his wife spent 20 years ministering to inmates at Bridgeport Correctional Center on North Avenue. Their days are now spent volunteering with the organization FaithActs for Education.
“If we can get our children educated and motivated, we can stop them from being incarcerated and we can close the gap of economic and racial disparity in this city and shut down the prison system in this city,” said Alfreda Stewart.
And then there is that neighborhood volunteer whose name everybody knows and has adopted an affection for; in this case, Bridgeport’s “Grandma Carol.”
That moniker suits Carol Nunley just fine. She started volunteering as a teenager when she dressed as a clown for the Barnum Festival. That was decades ago and her ongoing volunteer efforts include ushering at The Klein to Read Aloud programs for kids with the School Volunteer Association.
“Everybody has a gift, so I encourage you to share it,” she said.
I could fill the pages of this Sunday newspaper with people who have volunteered their time, money and effort to make Connecticut a better place — and still need more editions.
There are tens of thousands of volunteers who will never have a tribute paid to their name and whose efforts — large or small — won’t appear in print. But that meal they serve, that ear they lend and that ride they provide keep people and organizations thriving.
They don’t do it for an endoftheyear recognition dinner — which most don’t get, anyway — and they certainly don’t do it for the coffee and danish.
The volunteers that we see every day, talk to every day and rely on every day do it for the betterment of people and their communities.
We all want Connecticut to be a better place, but how many of us are in full step together to make that happen?
That is something to think about when we interact with the people who get up every day and provide the helping hands that society relies on.
Christmas is a time to share stories but some stories are neverending — just like the efforts of our volunteers that are ongoing throughout 169 towns and cities in this state.
And that should make those of us who don’t volunteer ask ourselves, how badly would we stumble without them?
Volunteers? We’re so lucky the brigade is in full step.