United Way’s Peter Schaller submitted this article.
Maybe it’s the changing colors of the leaves, the rush of college students back into our downtown streets, or perhaps, for you, it’s a more personal commitment to reconnect with what matters most this season: there’s just something magical about fall in New Haven.
This fall, United Way is energized and excited because we are doing something new to kick off our annual campaign. We’re hosting our first ever city-wide New Haven Day of Caring! On October 13th volunteers will unite to do good deeds across our city, and we want you and your family to join us. If you’re a parent, imagine watching your children learn the lessons of giving back while having fun with friends in the park. Looking for the perfect start to a fall Saturday with friends or coworkers? Grab that pumpkin spice latte and pick one of the sites below to volunteer before enjoying the rest of the day.
Together with our partners at Yale University, Yale-New Haven Health, Dwight Hall, and New Haven Parks and Recreation, we are mobilizing volunteers like you to tackle beautification projects at parks throughout New Haven.
Improving our community’s green spaces positively impacts the mental health of people living nearby. Volunteering also has the power to unite people of different races, ages, and religions for the common good. It’s good for all of us.
So this is your chance to be part of something big this fall. Sign up today at uwgnh.org/nhvdoc, registration is open through the end of the week. Groups are welcome — please register individually under your group name.
Questions? Contact Beth Pellegrino at [email protected] or 203 – 691-4207.
PROJECT SITES AND TIMES
9:00 AM-11:00 AM
•East Rock Park — 41 Cold Spring St.
10:00 AM-12:00 PM
•East Shore — Corner of Woodward Avenue and Tuttle Street
•Edgewood Park — Corner of Fitch Street and Whalley Avenue
•Lighthouse Point Park — 2 Lighthouse Rd.
12:00 PM‑2:00 PM
•DeGale Field — Corner of Goffe Street and County Street
1:00 PM‑3:00 PM
•Peat Meadow Park — Corner of Peat Meadow Street and Oakley Street
How about Wooster Sq. Park? All parks need care here because the Parks Dept. is weak and undermanned. Yes, we need UNPAID interns and their grandparents to slash through the weeds, low hanging branches, and pick up the human waste and detritus. The bike trails are so covered in broken glass, you are guaranteed a flat. My husband has begun to trim trees and bushes without being asked and I have picked up all kinds of garbage on the grass with a Home Depot gadjet. Walking through the park, I feel like I need a hard hat. Walking along Whitney Ave. nr. Audobon, I find untrimmed poison ivy.
And by the way, today, Wed. I went to the 40 million dollar boathouse to pay "dues" and nobody was there (doors also locked). What gives with that??? We could have paid for subsidized housing for the poor and working poor with that 40 mill.