WILSON, Pa. — Half an hour before they were even scheduled to start, volunteers had already nearly finished trimming the flower beds along the front of the main building at the Children’s Home of Easton.
The dozens of individuals who trekked out to the Children’s Home had made massive strides in sprucing up the grounds, tackling a mountain of work that would have taken their own staff weeks, if not months, to complete.
It was just one mission on the itinerary for the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley’s 31st Day of Caring, which was presented by Crayola.
Additional support came from Platinum Sponsor JP Morgan Chase & Co.; Silver Sponsors Air Products and Capital Blue Cross; Bronze Sponsors AAA East Central, B. Braun Medical Inc., Buckeye Partners LP, Highmark Blue Shield, Just Born Quality Confections and KingSpry Law; Pearl Sponsor Amazon Fulfillment and in-kind contributors ABARTA Coca-Cola, ASR Media Productions, Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Uline.
With a force of 1,500 local employees and 81 area nonprofits working alongside 800 Moravian students, the event is known as the largest single day volunteer effort in the community, and the public kickoff for the United Way’s 2024 campaign.
According to United Way Chief Engagement Officer Laura McHugh, this year marks “the biggest numbers we have had in 31 years of doing Day of Caring.”
"It's really meaningful, and for the people who directly use their services, it's wonderful to see that they're going to have a beautiful space to come home to today."Laura McHugh
Normally, McHugh said, the Children’s Home has two staff workers tackling maintenance each day.
On Thursday, they had nearly three dozen.
"To be able to have what I heard some people describe as a SWAT team of volunteers come into your organization ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work doing things that are both really necessary and really important, but also things that maybe are on the list for months and nonprofits haven't been able to get to…" McHugh said.
"It's really meaningful, and for the people who directly use their services, it's wonderful to see that they're going to have a beautiful space to come home to today."
Crayola Community and Employee Engagement Specialist Alyssa Sarnosky said the company promotes of a culture of “giving back,” with a mission statement of “foster a giving spirit and help others.”
“So we have around 35 Crayoleans out here today at the children's home of Easton, and we are winterizing their garden and doing some landscaping for them and really getting them ready for fall and winter. And it's stuff that their facilities team wouldn't get done otherwise. So really it's the manpower of our group coming in and helping them do over 140 hours of volunteer time to really get them ready for the winter and fall,” Sarnosky said.
The Crayoleans spent the day clearing out intact vegetable plants, being careful to leave behind any pollinator plants, and mulching the debris to be used for next year.
“Everybody’s really excited to be here. Everybody’s excited to give back,” Sarnosky said. “It’s for the kids, it’s for the area, and they’re just excited to be here.”
Crayola Executive Vice President of Brand Experience Victoria Lozano added the Day of Caring is “so important” to Crayola, as the workers harbor the “volunteering spirt.”
“We as a company, have over 11,000 volunteer hours, and this is one of one of the ways that we do it, specifically because it helps us help these organizations accomplish the kind of work that they would never be able to do on their own, in a very short amount of time,” Lozano said.
Lozano said Crayola has relationships with numerous nonprofits across the area, and working with United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is an incredible opportunity for staff to give back to the community.
Children’s Home of Easton Executive Director and President Anita Paukovits said the facility, which includes 17 buildings, has been in existence since 1885, serving dependent, traumatized young men and women.
The mission of the Children’s Home is to work with those youth and get them back together with their families or prepare for an independent life.
Paukovits said Crayola has provided plenty of assistance throughout the year, “but especially today, what they’re doing here reminds me almost of an Amish barn raising.”
"But with the manpower here and the enthusiasm, it just blows my mind. We could not be as successful as we are without the community support."Anita Paukovits, Children’s Home of Easton Executive Director and President
“Our focus is always on safety, so the aesthetics kind of come second. But with the manpower here and the enthusiasm, it just blows my mind. We could not be as successful as we are without the community support. And this is a prime example,” Paukovits said, adding the grounds had a significant face-lift within just half an hour of work, commending the volunteers for their work.
As she spread mulch around the flower beds near the main building on Thursday morning, Crayola Senior Director of Finance Carrie Driscole said she could not have picked a better opportunity to pitch in and improve an integral part of the community.
“We’re very passionate about the United Way campaign, very thankful that the whole community in the Lehigh Valley can unify together on this day to support all of our local agencies, and Children's Home is near and dear to my heart, so this was top of list for me,” Driscole said.
Expressing her gratitude for the wealth of volunteers, McHugh said it was incredible to see everyone spending their precious time actively helping the Lehigh Valley, and especially the Children’s Home.
“It is the best day of the year. You know, some people may say Christmas or their birthday [is the best]. For me, Day of Caring is the very best day of the year,” McHugh said.
