Many hands work fast

United Way volunteers participate in Day of Caring

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--All around town, there were houses and buildings getting new coats of paint, new roofs, washed windows, gutters getting cleaned out and landscaping being pruned, trimmed and cut.

Thank the United Way of New Ulm, because that's who was behind all of it. Yes, all 400 volunteers and all 100 projects.

The many acts of generosity, seen citywide, were the kickoff for the United Way's capital campaign drive. The group hopes to raise $360,000 this year from local sponsors and plans on giving it to non-profit organizations like the American Cancer Society and local grassroots efforts like Dinners For Shut-Ins.

Teams of volunteers spread out throughout New Ulm and worked on various projects. Many, if not all of them were from local organizations. 3M, Citizens Bank of New Ulm, Girl Scout Troop 153, the Boy Scouts, Jensen Motors, Kraft, Latter Day Saints, New Ulm Dental Clinic, New Ulm Middle School Tennis, New Ulm Medical Center, New Ulm Telecom, St. Anthony's, United Prairie, Valley Properties, Target, Brown County Family Services and Koeckeritz Realty were only some of the teams that helped people accomplish tasks they normally could do alone.

"We have an excellent amount of volunteers who show up and commit to projects," said New Ulm United Way Executive Director Carisa Buegler. "It's something for our community to be proud of."

Many of the projects called for volunteers to do things like clean out sheds, trim hedges and clean gutters. Others, like the roofing job on Jerry Losinski's house, required a bit more labor. Losinski said he took before-and-after pictures of the house on State Street, both of which are entirely different and unrecognizable from each other. Losinski received help putting a new roof on his house, plus painting help, garage demolition and landscape trimming from the LEC Brigade, STS, Citizens Bank and Bob Webb.

"It's a good thing the roof got put on," said son Jeremy Losinski. "It needed a new roof."

The Day of caring is a nationwide initiative.

The United Way of New Ulm is in its 43rd year and serves 43 local agencies. Its mission is five-pronged: increasing self-sufficiency, nurturing children and youth, promoting health and healing, strengthening families and supporting older people.

The money raised by the United Way in New Ulm goes straight back to New Ulm. The agency then directs funds towards the organizations it deems most needy. The next step in the campaign, Buegler said, is to get companies to start employee donations. Buegler said the United Way of New Ulm hopes to have the campaign wrapped up by New Year's Eve.