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 Tony Shuff, who works with the Salvation Army and is also a
contact person for energy assistance, stated that this year there
are approximately 16 churches participating and at least 300
volunteers have signed up to work on the 40 projects. Those who have
not yet signed up but would still like to participate are asked to
meet at Latham Park at 9:00 a.m. and will be assigned a project.
Shuff said that this year’s projects include the usual basic home
repairs, light housekeeping and general maintenance, yard work and
clean up, painting, and window washing at private homes and
community organizations. There will also be people do home safety
checks, build wheelchair ramps, and help to weatherize homes.
This year, volunteers will complete 10 weatherization projects in
which they replace all the windows in the home. The number is
smaller than years past due to the amount of time it takes to
sufficiently weatherize a home.
Shuff reports that donations for the weatherization come from the
Energy Assistance Foundation and total $17,000 plus matching funds.
Ameren customers can donate a few extra dollars when paying their
bill in order to help fund this program.
In addition to the funding from the Energy Assistance Foundation,
there are various Together for Lincoln fundraisers during the year,
such as the Pork Chop dinner at IGA and a Culver’s night. The many
churches, and several area businesses, also provide contributions.
The first year of Together for Lincoln, there was $35,000 earmarked
for projects.
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Shuff reflected on what he has enjoyed about working with
Together for Lincoln the past three years:
I enjoy seeing the level of kindness and
volunteerism, and the response of the community as everyone joins
together [to serve the needs of the community]. The verse that says
“it is more blessed to give than receive” comes to mind. One of the
mottos is “from a day to a way” and [as a result of TFL,] people
have been inspired to do more community service, helping to spur
volunteerism. High school students have to do community service in
order to earn credits, so one youth volunteer will be assisting with
taking some of the pictures of this year’s event.
The message of turning service days into a way of life has
inspired some to work year round to help others with projects such
as constructing wheelchair ramps. Others help clean up around some
of the local parks. And there is a group that has been helping
people grow gardens for food, then potluck together and enjoy some
family fun.
The Together for Lincoln projects performed on Sunday help many
families in need.
[By ANGELA REINERS]
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