Neighbor News
58 Haitian Migrant Volunteers Rake Leaves for Woburn Seniors
Over 100 volunteers raked leaves for Woburn Seniors on Thanksgiving weekend, including 58 migrants who wanted to show their thanks.
This past weekend, over 100 volunteers raked leaves for senior citizens around Woburn. The group included 58 Haitian migrants staying in local hotels who volunteered as part of the effort. This was the second and final SCI Volunteers for Seniors raking day, which saw over 200 volunteers of all ages serve at 21 homes of seniors needing assistance with leaf raking.
SCI VEAP Outreach Coordinator, Vitalie Memeus, organized the participation of the migrant volunteers. They responded eagerly to the opportunity to help out in the new community that has been very welcoming to them. The migrants served along with families and individuals who have made volunteering for this raking for seniors project an annual tradition.
Memeus noted that, “Many of the migrant families are asking about the next volunteer opportunity. They want to keep on helping.”
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SCI organizes this annual leaf raking project in partnership with the Woburn Council on Aging and Woburn Senior Center. A diverse range of Woburn residents participate. Volunteers are drawn from school clubs, youth sports teams, scouting groups, and local businesses. Many families with young children volunteer, providing a chance to teach their kids about the importance of service. The project began in 2015.
“This project is always a highlight of the fall, with volunteers from so many different walks of life coming together to help out,” commented SCI President David Crowley. “This year was particularly special, with migrant families eagerly jumping in to participate.”
For more information, contact Leah Mulrenan, Development and Communications Manager, at [email protected].
Find out what's happening in Woburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
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The mission of SCI Social Capital Inc. is to strengthen communities by connecting diverse individuals and organizations through civic engagement initiatives. Founded in 2002 in Woburn, SCI has grown to serve the Greater Boston area while continuing to have a significant impact in Woburn. SCI projects include youth-led campaigns to promote mental health awareness and provide food assistance; community events reflecting the diversity of the population; and the SCI AmeriCorps program providing support to youth by increasing volunteerism and providing leadership training and community service opportunities for youth.
Major support for SCI Woburn comes from Cummings Properties. Visit socialcapitalinc.org to learn more.
The Woburn Council on Aging is a municipal, volunteer board appointed by the Mayor. It is the responsibility of the Council to identify the needs of the communities elder population and available resources, to educate the community at large regarding the needs of the elderly, and design, promote and implement needed services. The Woburn COA Senior Center provides information, referrals, outreach, advocacy, transportation, health screening, nutrition, education, peer support, recreation, volunteer development and intergenerational programming.
