It was appropriate that the Volunteer Day held Saturday in conjunction with Clarendon Hills’ Centennial year went very well.
The village has used “The Volunteer Village” as its slogan for as long as anyone can remember, and about 150 people participated as volunteers Saturday in 20 various projects at 13 locations. Some of the locations that had multiple projects were The Birches, Walker School, Notre Dame Parish, and the Clarendon Hills Historical Society.
“We had volunteers of all ages sign up, from elementary-age kids to senior citizens,” said Lana Ferren, who coordinated Volunteer Day for the village’s Centennial Committee. “We had couples, families, groups of high school kids, and groups of neighbors sign up for projects. It was a fun, but meaningful activity for these groups to do together.”
Ferren said she found it amazing to see the village come together, all in the spirit to volunteer and make the community even better.
“New friends were made, old friends were reconnected, and the community was beautified,” she said. “I have always loved living in Clarendon Hills the past 18 years because of its small town beauty and charm, but (Volunteer Day) made me proud to be part of the ‘Volunteer” Village’ and live amongst the people that have made it such a great place to live.”
Ferren said Village Hall was set up as a central meeting place to hand out volunteer t-shirts, collect waivers, hand out popcorn provided by the Lions Club, snacks, and water bottles to take to the projects. Most of the projects were completed between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
One of the largest projects was a food drive held at the Notre Dame parking lot for the Notre Dame food bank and the Clarendon Hills Infant Welfare food bank. More than 1,000 pounds of food was collected.
Three other projects took place at The Birches, volunteers helped the residents of the assisted living and/or memory care units play bingo and do several gardening projects.
Jacqueline Sander, executive director & chief executive officer of The Birches, and president of the Clarendon Hills Chamber of Commerce Board, said she was glad to be a part of the Volunteer Day, while The Birches is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year.
“We agreed to host projects at The Birches so our residents can connect with their neighbors in the greater community and continue to create a space that feels like home,” she said. “Volunteering, or having meaning and purpose in our lives, is a key factor in aging happier and healthier every day.”
As part of the Clarendon Hills Historical Society open house, volunteers baked desserts and provided lemonade that was sold as part of a volunteer-led bake sale during the open house. Several projects across town involved mulching, gardening, cleaning, and painting.
“One of the goals of the Volunteer Day was to provide numerous projects that required a variety of interests, skills, and effort so that all people could find a project they felt comfortable or interested in participating,” Ferren said.
One of the volunteers, Susan Kellly-Costello, has lived in Clarendon Hills for 23 years.
“Signing up to volunteer for the day of service was an opportunity to celebrate all that is great about our community,” she said. “I suppose you could look at it as an act of gratitude, a way of saying thank you. We’ve been lucky enough to raise our boys in this family-centered, idyllic, and community-focused town.
This event was a way to celebrate our village’s important milestone and show that gratitude with a bit of old-fashioned elbow grease.”
Kelly-Costello and some of her family signed up to volunteer at the Clarendon Hills Fire Department, where they washed windows and cleaned the floors in the truck bays. That was the project of choice because one family member, Jack, is a member of the fire department’s Cadet Program.
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“The department has given so much to the Cadet Program, this was just one small way to say thank you,” said Kelly-Costello, who added that she hopes to see Volunteer Day become an annual event.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.