Before winter hits, raking your yard and cleaning out gutters is a vital step to ensuring spring snow melt does not cause water damage to your home or lawn. Many area seniors try to accomplish this work on their own, putting them at risk for falls and serious injury.
On Thursday, November 9th join hundreds of Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren County volunteers who will give area seniors a helping hand! Gather your co-workers or friends and create a team to rake and bag leaves, and clean gutters for seniors as part of United Way’s 13th annual "Rake A Difference"
Did you know that 47% of seniors ages 65+ in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties have households with incomes below the ALICE threshold? This day serves seniors, age 60 and older, who are physically incapable of performing yard work and are unable to pay for services.
Sign up for your geographic location or anywhere you are needed. Shifts available for all day or for half days.
ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST REGISTER!
NOTE - volunteers must provide their own rakes (for raking) and ladders (for gutters). United Way of Southwest Michigan will provide leaf bags, gloves and tarps.
To learn more visit https://www.uwsm.org/rake-a-difference
Have questions? Email us at Volunteer@uwsm.org
Thank you for helping our seniors!
Quotes from previous Rake a Difference seniors:
-
I am soooo...incredibly grateful for this event!! It's such a great idea - and such a sweet way to honor/help we seniors!! And to see such wonderful, willing, helpful, caring folks from the community/different businesses coming out to help us - and be leaders/examples to those coming behind them. I am just so thrilled and richly blessed! - to have these dear people out to help me/us!!! And the "goodie bag" is always such a help to me, too! Especially as inflation is killing me w/ my already low income! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!! :-)
- “Nothing can put into words the gratitude we have for your workers. They did an exceptional job and we are so thankful. I am a widow, a veteran and the surviving spouse of a disabled vet, who passed 5 years ago. When I am a recipient of the hard work and efforts of caring volunteers and organizations such as United Way, I realize that the world is not such a hard journey because there will always be someone like your volunteers who are willing to give their time and effort to help his fellow man. God Bless You and thank you. The crew went over and beyond their call of duty. Looks wonderful! Thank you so much for your work crew, I wish I could do something for them!”
- "The volunteers were very helpful, kind and sweet which made us so very thankful for United Way. We almost cried as our eyed filled up with knowing seniors are being helped and cared for. We don't have any family here. Thank you for making us feel valued and appreciated. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts! God bless you!”
-
Beside having a much more presentable yard - I can now rest easy knowing it is done and I am not scrambling to dig up money to pay for the help. As a widow and retiree that is a huge chunk of money off my shoulders. Thank you so, so, so much!!
- “If it weren’t for Rake a Difference volunteers, my clogged gutters would cause damage to my roof, and my yard would be in terrible shape, so it means the world to me that I am able to get this help.”
-
The leaves are all taken care of while I could not have taken care of them. I'm so thankful that there are people who will lend a hand to help someone they didn't even know. My prayers and thoughts are with all the wonderful people. "Thank you" again and again. and again! Thankyou
Quotes from previous Rake a Difference volunteers:
- “This is the second year I have participated, it's one of the easiest, most rewarding ways to serve our community and create bonds with our fellow coworkers - highly recommend! :)”
- "I got to know workmates better and saw their skills in a different setting; it also creates a sense of purpose and feeling of collective responsibility in our community, which warms my heart.”
- "My favorite part of the day was knowing how much great work was done all through volunteers being willing to give their time to help those in need."
- "My favorite part of the day was the camaraderie and working together as a team to help the homeowner who was in need."
