Standing by her front door and holding back tears, 93-year-old Fountain Hills Resident Kathleen F. noticed the fresh landscaping, clean windows and high interior shelves no longer covered in dust.
“I really appreciate you very much,” Kathleen said of the volunteers. “I don’t have family around here to help me.”
Kathleen’s home is one of 37 residential projects that hundreds of volunteers tackled Saturday for Make a Difference Day.
“I so appreciate you guys,” said an emotional Kathleen. “Can’t tell you how much I appreciate you.”
This year marked Fountain Hills’ 17th Annual Make a Difference Day, a tremendous showing of community pride and a day where neighbors truly help neighbors. This year, more than 400 volunteers took part.
“It’s overwhelming to see those groups come out,” said the Town’s Volunteer Supervisor, Kim Wickland. “It’s inspirational.”
Many of the clients include seniors who are in a similar position as Kathleen, with few resources to help complete tasks inside and outside the house.
“So, this might be the only time of year that they are going to get a little extra help around their homes,” Wickland said.
Saturday morning saw groups span out across the community to clear brush, trim trees, rake leaves, organize inside the home and complete other vital tasks. In total, volunteers collectively contributed 2,075 hours of work, equating to $82,902 in time and service, based on an estimate of Arizona’s hourly volunteer rate ($33.70).
“It’s very heartwarming,” said Luanne, a volunteer who helped with landscaping and other tasks in the yard of a resident’s home. “I may be there myself one day and I believe in what goes around comes around.”
That sentiment is shared throughout the pool of volunteers.
“I think that we make an even bigger impact every year,” Wickland said.
In addition to the 37 residential projects, volunteers also helped complete two Town-wide service projects: one at Fountain Park and a campus clean-up at the high school.