To the Editor:

The melting of snow each spring brings a sense of joy back to town, and also uncovers debris and disrepair once hidden beneath the icy blanket.  For many members of our community, especially the elderly, the required maintenance of spring-cleaning is simply unmanageable alone.

New Scotland’s Town-wide Volunteer Day allows them to turn to their neighbors for support, bringing the town together through the sharing of both our common service goals and our passion and pride for the community we love.  For me, the day has been a meaningful and impactful way to be involved in town outside of my school community.

For several years, starting in middle school, I participated in volunteer day with my family.  It was a fun way to make an impact together in the community.

My fondest memory is from the day I was assigned to trim the gardens of the town’s oldest native resident.  The work was light, and the day beautiful, especially in the garden.

After our work was done, my three friends and I were treated to homemade berry tarts from the very bushes we had trimmed.  This helped me see the immediate benefit of my actions, as well as the meaningful strengthening of a relationship with a neighbor I’d never met before.

When volunteer day was discontinued after 2012, I sought service opportunities elsewhere, including a weeklong service trip to New Orleans in 2014.  In an intense service setting, I assisted local organizations in the Lower Ninth Ward and worked alongside leaders who used their education and interests for the benefit of the wider community.  I returned from New Orleans seeing service and my role in the community in a new light.

Going away to conduct service meant I could bring a greater commitment home.  This year, as co-president of our National Honor Society, I’ve turned my energy and efforts to play an integral role in revitalizing our town-wide volunteer program.

In November, I reached out to Janna Shillinglaw, the past and current event coordinator, about helping bring back volunteer day.  This stimulus helped spark the renewal of the program this year.

Through my position in the Honor Society, I’ve helped plan the event alongside community leaders, like Janna, who are truly inspiring in the depth of their passions for the town and their commitment to making an impact here.  

Town-wide volunteer day was the beginning of my service career and I’ve been excited to come full circle to help create that same opportunity for others.

This year, Town-wide Volunteer Day will take place on Saturday, May 2.  There will be two shifts, from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m., to accommodate different schedules, separated by a barbecue at the New Scotland Town Hall.

Students, families, and residents are encouraged and invited to assist with light chores, yard work, and other small projects, as well as Vly Creek and cemetery cleanup.  To sign up, please call or email Joanne and Rich Porter at porters@localnet.com or 765-4582.  I hope you will join us!

Ben Mackay

C.A. Bouton High School senior

Slingerlands