LOUDONVILLE – A team of coworkers from Whitcomb & Hess left their accounting work behind for a few hours Thursday to spend the afternoon in and around Loudonville giving back to the community.
The crew laughed and talked as they trimmed hedges, raked leaves, cut back morning glories, checking off each item on their to-do list. Among the most important things they accomplished was brightening 88-year-old Ursula Studer’s day by taking care of tasks she couldn’t have done herself and by demonstrating how much they care.
“It’s a godsend,” Studer said. “It’s done with so much caring and so much love. It’s not something you can hire, no matter how much you would pay.”
Thursday marked the 24th year for United Way of Ashland County’s annual Kay Conrad Day of Caring. Teams of volunteers from Ashland area business, schools, agencies and clubs fanned out across the county to provide 1,280 hours of volunteer time in a single day, doing yard work and winterizing homes for residents identified by United Way partner agencies.
A total of 320 volunteers registered for the event, according to Stacy Schiemann, executive director of the local United Way.
In conjunction with Day of Caring, the American Red Cross provided free smoke detectors and volunteer teams to manage the installation of the detectors in 40 of the homes participating in Day of Caring services.
Many of the businesses who take part in Day of Caring send teams year after year. Jordan Kvochick, who worked with the Whitcomb & Hess team, said the volunteer activity felt like a natural fit with the company’s core value of serving others.
It also makes for an enjoyable change of pace, she said.
“I’ve only missed one year in the last six or seven years. I just like doing it,” said Jerod Daniel, one of Kvochick’s coworkers. “It’s nice to hang out with the other employees outside the work environment. You get to know each other in a different way.”
Studer said she would encourage people to think about lending a helping hand, not just on Day of Caring, but also year-round.
“If people can take the time and the energy and be willing to do something for maybe two hours every three months for somebody, think how much that helps the person and how much of a positive image it leaves for the ones they are helping,” Studer said. “It helps them get through their days.”
