United Way Day of Caring Benefits OCO Home

6/23/2017

Fulton, NY ? More than a dozen volunteers and several local businesses donated their time and talents and displayed the true spirit of the United Way?s ?Day of Caring,? to the benefit of a local home for disabled adults.

?United Way?s ?Day of Caring? is a nationwide event,? explained Ali McGrath, resource development director for United Way of Greater Oswego County. ?We haven?t had a ?Day of Caring? of this size in several years. I?ve wanted to do one ever since I joined United Way as an intern. Now, thanks to Rich Burritt, it was able to happen. It was amazing to see it finally come together!?

McGrath collaborated with Rich Burritt of Burritt Motors, and a host of other businesses, to help beautify Oswego County Opportunities? group home in Minetto. The home is one of several that are operated by OCO. These homes serve as a permanent home for individuals with a developmental or other intellectual disability.

Employees of Burritt Motors joined Dan Dorsey Jr., Kevin Dorsey, Christian Morgia of Eagle Beverage, Executive Director Patrick Dewine and staff of United Way, and OCO employees in beautifying the home?s yard and storage barn.

?It was amazing!? said Andrea Griffis of OCO. ?The group spent the entire day here. They raked and cleaned the yard, landscaped and planted a flower garden, painted our ramp to the house and cleaned out, painted, and did some repair work to our storage barn. They even cut down some trees near our parking area and spruced up the sitting area in our front yard. Those that live here are now enjoying the flower garden, relaxing in the shade and are thrilled about our new patio furniture, picnic table and gas grill that Burritt Motors supplied us with. I can?t thank them enough for all that they did.?

While volunteers made up the workforce, it was the generosity of several local businesses that supplied materials. ?We received outstanding support from businesses that went above and beyond in making this Day of Caring project possible,? said Burritt. ?Nathali?s Nursery and Farm Market in Red Creek and Ontario Orchards supplied the flowers and plants; Castiglia Lawn Care and Lindsey Aggregates provided mulch and landscaping stone; Enwright Roofing assisted with the cleanup and removal; and Eagle Beverage not only had employees that volunteered but also supplied water to keep us all hydrated!?

?The ?Day of Caring? was a huge success,” added McGrath. ?It was the epitome of our mission in many ways. We hope to mobilize the community to volunteer, raise awareness and support solutions that address needs of the community. The ?Day of Caring? was just that. It encouraged people to come together and give their time and effort to a cause that maybe they weren?t privy to before. It brought attention to a huge part of our community, the group homes that serve adults with special needs. Leaving at the end of the day and seeing the residents of the house enjoying their yard and new lawn furniture was priceless.?

Cutline for photo: Rich Burritt (kneeling, second from left) and employees of Burritt Motors recently collaborated with staff members from United Way of Greater Oswego County, Oswego County Opportunities (OCO), employees of Eagle Beverage, and several area businesses to supply the workforce and materials for United Way?s ?Day of Caring.? More than a dozen volunteers came together for a day of labor for a great cause as they spent the day beautifying the grounds and storage barn at OCO?s group home in Minetto. Above are some of the many volunteers that worked on the project.