A $35,000 grant from GE will be used to provide materials and support for 2014 Week of Caring Projects happening all over the Family and Children’s Aid Danbury campus this September.
In addition to funding the Week of Caring, approximately 350 GE employees will volunteer over the course of the week on a variety of projects. GE Volunteers will execute an extensive landscaping plan to all 12 of Family & Children’s Aid ‘s buildings. Volunteers will also work on a building project at Harmony House, a shelter for women and children and on a significant organization and systems project in the Child Guidance Center, a therapeutic, outpatient clinic dedicated to helping children who have been victims of abuse, neglect or trauma heal.
In the front of Harmony House volunteers from GE will construct a vestibule on the front porch to provide safe, weatherproof storage to store baby strollers, children’s bicycles and outdoor equipment and in backyard of Harmony House, they will create a park-like play environment. “We need those facilities, the extra storage so no one will get hurt. We are very grateful that there are individuals that go beyond, that come out and give us their time and sweat. That is beautiful! We are honored and privileged to have them. We appreciate everything. We would love to repay them but it is something we are unable to repay. A simple thank you will have to do. “ said Harmony House director Maria Paraiso.
In the Child Guidance Clinic GE volunteers imaginations and manpower will address how to manage the substantial amount of goods donated each year for the benefit of Family & Children’s Aid clientele. The basement level of the Child Guidance Center will be renovated to look and feel like a subway station lined with storefronts. Each storefront will house a different type of donated goods. The finishing touches will be placed on this space using the kids ideas as the inspiration and the talents of the GE volunteers to paint, hang artwork, stock the store fronts and develop a system to organize future donations. As the pièce de résistance, GE Volunteers will execute an extensive mural project completing the look and feel of a New York City subway entrance.
Having GE’s corporate and volunteer support on projects like these is critical. It not only improves the lives of the people living in and served by Family & Children’s Aid program, but it also allows Family & Children’s Aid to create one of a kind healing environments that make our clients feel safe, nurtured and welcomed.