Community Volunteers Donate Time for Day of Caring 2019

United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County launches annual community event, bringing volunteers to organizations across the area, including Gemeinschaft Home.
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Left to right: Cody Callahan, Wilson Smith, Donita Quinn, Sherry Monger, Heather Miller, and April Ramirez

On Wednesday, September 25, a group of six volunteers—all employees of Massanutten Resort—arrived at Gemeinschaft Home bright and early. Their task for that morning and afternoon was painting the program room, a large space located in the Bender Building behind the main house, where group activities and meetings take place daily. It’s a high-traffic area, and the walls and doors had begun to show signs of wear and tear over the past couple of years.

Team leader Donita Quinn, joined by five of her work colleagues at Massanutten Resort, arrived around 9:30am—all wearing red “UNITED” t-shirts designed for the event, and they started work right away, after a brief introduction and tour of the facilities. Quinn explained that their group specifically selected Gemeinschaft Home as their project site, because of their desire to support our mission to serve formerly incarcerated individuals. Their efforts included sanding, taping off areas of the walls to accommodate two colors, and applying paint to the walls, doors, and trim. After a short lunch break, the group worked a few more hours into the late afternoon.

We are grateful for the time and energy these volunteers graciously devoted to Gemeinschaft Home; their work was immediately noticed and appreciated by the current program participants and staff, as the room is now bright, updated, and inviting!

The project, part of a larger community-wide initiative, is organized every year by United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, with the support of local businesses sponsors. This year, the event highlighted 90 projects, at 38 organizations, with over 650 volunteers!

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