MARYSVILLE – Days of Caring is all about community service.
The volunteers from businesses that participate know it. The people and agencies that get the help know it. And now the grade school students at Pioneer Elementary in Marysville know it, too.
Young students were telling volunteers “Thank You” Sept. 12 as workers from The Everett Clinic, Marysville Globe-Arlington Times, United Way and Pinewood Parent Teacher Student Association cleaned up the grounds of their school.
About two-dozen volunteers put flowers in planter boxes, edged sidewalks, cleaned mats, swept, trimmed brush and cleaned the bottom of chairs.
Pinewood Principal Breeze Williams said the school really needs the volunteers because of its huge campus of 15 buildings. The Marysville School District’s grounds crew came for just a week in the summer, and the school’s janitor has been limited because of an injury.
Williams also said the volunteers were “modeling community service.” She said the teachers told the students that community service means donating time and doing hard work.
“The kids were keyed up to see” the volunteers, Williams said. “We’re trying to get the parents and students to learn about community service. It’s an important part of being a good citizen.”
The principal said the school could use more volunteers on a regular basis, especially to read to students.
One parent who does volunteer there, in fact two to six hours a day, is Brittany Ponjavic, vice president of the PTSA. She said last year not many folks volunteered on Days of Caring, so this year’s turnout was “incredible.”
“The kids love it,” she said. “They are getting their school nicely re-done.”
One of the volunteers from The Everett Clinic was Amy Kass. She’s also involved in her own community service project she started last summer. She exchanges life jackets for water safety with people who have outgrown their old one.
“I’m really involved with this community service stuff,” she said.
Other projects and volunteers involving Marysville and Arlington included:
• Tulalip Boys and Girls Club. painting the Teen Center and placing beauty bark. The Everett Clinc.
• All Breed Equine Rez-Q. CMC Biologics, Payne West Insurance and Chase Bank.
• Habitat for Humanity. fence painting project.
• YMCA of Marysville helped Housing Hope in Everett
• Senior Aerospace AMT in Arlington helped the Olde Everett Train Station.
Countywide, there were 700 volunteers participating in the 21st annual Days of Caring. There were 70 teams helping 28 nonprofits on 35 projects, said Neil Parekh, who handled publicity for the event for United Way.
