Ft Leonard Wood Unit Returns to Lend a Hand to Hands on For Seniors
August 20, 2010(Springfield, MO)…U.S. Army soldiers from ECHO Company 787 Military Police Battalion, 14th Military Police Bge., headquartered at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, are lending their time, muscle and expertise to Hands on for Seniors, a community impact initiative of United Way of the Ozarks, Saturday, August 21.
Between 40-45 soldiers will be working on home projects for senior citizens in Greene County. The projects will range from working on yard clean-up jobs to minor outside repair projects . The soldiers worked on projects Saturday, August 14 and are returning to work on additional projects for Hands on for Seniors this Saturday, August 21. The group is under the command of Captain Ian Wagoner and 1st Sergeant Thomas Collison.
This effort is continuing a collaborative effort to build stronger community engagement between the Springfield area and Ft. Leonard Wood.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for some of our seniors who are unable to physically or financially take care of these projects. These young men will be providing a tremendous service to these seniors," comments Kim Hopkins-Will, Hands on for Senior's coordinator. "It has been a pleasure working with both Capt. Wagoner and Sergeant Collison. We have worked together to prioritize the projects and work out the logistics. We're confident that everything will run very efficiently on Saturday and that these initial projects will be completed."
The day will begin at 8:30am on Saturday morning, August 21 at the United Way of the Ozarks building at 320 N Jefferson. Springfield Mayor Jim O'Neal along with Jennifer Kennally, United Way President/CEO will welcome the soldiers, help to distribute the building materials and then send them on their way to their prospective projects.
Hands on for Seniors is a community collaborative between, United Way of the Ozarks, Connections Handyman Services and Southwest Missouri Office on Aging. It matches senior citizens of Greene County, in need of home maintenance, who physically and/or financially are unable to get the task done, with community volunteers that can get the jobs completed. This collaborative is made possible with a grant from the Greene County Senior Citizens' Services Fund.
United Way of the Ozarks is a locally governed, volunteer-driven organization whose mission is: to increase the understanding of human needs and mobilize resources to meet those needs.
United Way of the Ozarks funds over 60 programs and initiatives that address critical health and human service needs in a 14 county area.
For additional information contact Cindy Howell, at 417.863.7700 or 417.830.0852 or chowell@uwozarks.com
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