May 2017 Day of Service

Wow, Lyme! You know how to show up. Saturday, May 6th, 2017 is a day to remember.

Jeff Valence and Tami Dowd put on an extraordinary breakfast of eggs, french toast, sausage, and bacon, with maple syrup provided by Kingland Farms. Many volunteers were on-site bright and early to set up and clean up.

Workers hit the road under not-so-nice skies that cleared by late morning.

  • Almost 100 volunteers spread out to Green Up nearly every road in Lyme.
  • 60 women, men, and children volunteered to help with over 30 projects requested by Lyme neighbors and community organizations.
  • In memory of Al Hewitt, 10 Guys chopped and delivered several cords of wood to warm hearts and (come wintertime) homes of grateful individuals and families.

Sue Hanlon, Kathy McGowan, Sarah Shipton, and Erin Wetherell coordinated the project requests, volunteer matching, and electronic sign-ups. If you see any of these ladies, please thank them for their masterful work. Erin said,

“The spring Day of Service is a wonderful way to begin the month of May and give back to a community that gave so much to me when I was growing up. I really enjoy the opportunity to bring residents of all ages together in the name of service, and to meet new people as well as re-connect with people that knew me when I was young. Any town that serves real maple syrup with breakfast is a special one.“

The recipients of service also had a special day. Patty received the following in a note on Sunday:

“I was so happy yesterday.  When the weather was so miserable I didn’t think anyone would come.  Around 10 the volunteers showed up.  I smiled to myself when they were both wearing boots!  I thought they were only going to rake a small section of my garden but they kept going and going … In all my 85 years I have never lived in an area where the community is so knit together and willing to help others like me.  Yes, we could pay to have these things done but that isn’t always available to those of us with limited income.“

If you were one of the more than 150 volunteers who joined in the work and fun on Saturday, THANK YOU! If you missed out this year, we hope you’ll be with us next time.