Livingston County High Schooler Volunteers Make United Way’s Biggest Ever Day of Caring

LIVINGSTON COUNTY  – More than 200 community volunteers including more than 155 high school students are currently hard at work after a meeting under the pavilion in Highland Park in Geneseo Tuesday morning to share bagels and doughnuts and to lay out the plan to get their hands dirty with projects in their communities.

Karen Rumfola, Regional Director of Livingston County United Way, said that Livingston County’s communities have always stepped up when it comes to volunteering to fix and spruce up local libraries, parks, and service stations, but this year’s turnout of high school students put their number of volunteers well over previous records.

“We put a challenge out to the students and they took it on,” said Karen Rumfola to the volunteers at the Highland Park pavilion. “I want you to know that there are 55 other volunteers from Cal-Mum who are not here because they are working in Caledonia already.”

Livingston County United Way Campaign Vice-Chair and local attorney Kevin Van Allen commended Campaign Chair Laura Geary for coming up with the idea to involve the schools.

“I applaud Laura Geary, chair of United Way’s 2016 campaign, for her idea to involve local schools in this year’s Day of Caring,” said Van Allen. “We are impressed by the outpouring of support for the United Way Day of Caring, but particularly delighted with the turnout of student volunteers. I am personally proud of their commitment to service.”

A total of 7 students from York, 28 from Avon, 17 from Geneseo, 17 from Keshequa, 31 from Livonia and an incredible 55 from Cal Mum are currently hard at work in their own communites.

Their project sites include Avon High School, Avon Circle Park, Vitale Park, the Livonia IRA, Conesus IRA, the Office for the Aging, Focus on the Children in Caledonia, Caledonia’s ambulance station, Caledonia Library, Caledonia’s monument park, the Genesee Country Inn, and the Livingston County Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Mount Morris.

In addition to the student volunteers, more than 45 volunteers with Wegmans, Walmart, the Bank of Castile, 5-Star Bank, Community Bank, Howlett Farms, and Kraft Heinz pitched in.

“I never thought it would get this big,” said Geary. “I’m really really proud of you guys and I thank everyone who’s here today. You’re doing good work, and I think giving is not always about opening your wealth its also about getting your hands dirty and helping your community.”