After last year's United Way Day of Caring crew made short work of preparing for the CHUM Rhubarb Festival in Duluth, CHUM development director Mary Schmitz wasted no time putting in her application for this year.
She had a brief scare when she got the message that her cause was denied.
"I didn't know what to think," she said. "Maybe we weren't needy enough?"
Turned out that response was only a glitch, and Schmitz spent Wednesday's Day of Caring directing all things rhubarb-related to 30 volunteers at First Lutheran Church at 1100 E. Superior St.
Teams of volunteers for festival prep came this year from the AFLCIO United Way Community Services and YMCA Community Services.
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"Having this Day of Caring is incredible," Schmitz said. "I don't know how we'd do (the event) without them."
During this year's 15th annual Day of Caring, more than 250 people were expected to donate their time and energy at 60 work sites throughout the greater Duluth area. The event aims to bring together employees, employers, community groups, organizations and agencies to work on important community projects.
Lorraine Reinke and Helen Wisenski with the AFLCIO have been participating in Day of Caring events for so many years they've lost track.
"I'm retired," Wisenski said with a laugh. "I don't have to remember."
The goal is to promote a greater understanding of community issues and also provide team-building opportunities. And for Dave Schaeffer of YMCA Community Services, that's exactly what it does.
"Another connection I like (between YMCA and CHUM) is that a lot of families who use CHUM we know from our mentor program," he said. "I feel like all the nonprofits are always helping each other out."
Schaeffer's co-worker and singer-songwriter Charity Huot is providing a double-whammy of volunteer services for CHUM; she spent Wednesday chopping rhubarb and will perform at the festival on Saturday.
"(Schmitz) twisted my arm," Huot said, "but she didn't have to twist very hard."
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Huot even had 45 kids in the YMCA Summer Bridge Program out cleaning streets to do their part for the day.
Other groups chaperoned children from the Damiano Center's Kids Café on a field trip to the Lake Superior Zoo, made major clean-up efforts at Memorial Park in West Duluth, cleaned the warehouse for Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank and ran carnival games for a Boys and Girls Club cookout, among other projects.
