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Many benefit from day of service in Upper St. Clair

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 3 min read
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Harry Funk / The Almanac

From left, Charlotte Malinowski, Ciara Bailey and Hunter Crawley work on crafting toys for dogs.

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Harry Funk / The Almanac

Ari Plutko, left, and Garrett Ziegler work on snuffle mats.

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Harry Funk / The Almanac

University of Pittsburgh student Mary Twofiles works on a no-sew fleece blanket.

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Harry Funk / The Almanac

Youngsters help prepare baked cookies to give to the less fortunate.

What transpires each Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Upper St. Clair Community and Recreation Center is best summarized by Lynn Walcoff: “A day on, not a day off.”

The center’s community program coordinator helped welcome about 70 area children in first through eighth grade for Monday’s MLK Day of Service. High School students joined adult volunteers and a group from the University of Pittsburgh to supervise the youngsters in a variety of projects to put smiles on people’s faces.

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Harry Funk / The Almanac

University of Pittsburgh students Ahmad Jumper and Meredith Sechrist work on fashioning snuffle mats for dogs.

“We also have our needy dogs and cats,” Walcoff said during the event’s lunch break. “So Senior Pet and Animal Rescue will be distributing cat toys that we’re making, dog pull toys from fleece, and something we call snuffle mats.”

Those happen to be made of fleece strips tied to rubber mats, and dogs can exercise their sense of smell by rooting through them to find hidden treats.

Cats, of course, love the scent of catnip, and another project involved hiding the aromatic perennial herb inside small objects for the pleasure of playful felines.

Among those working on the pet-oriented projects was Pitt sophomore Ciara Bailey, who traveled to Upper St. Clair to volunteer with other members of Jumpstart, a national early education organization with a chapter at the university.

“We go into classrooms around Pittsburgh to serve 3- to 5-year-olds,” she said. “We have a curriculum, and we teach them things about language and literacy, emotional awareness and development.”

As far as giving of her time and talents during MLK Day of Service?

“It means using an opportunity like today to serve in the community. We have lots of different projects and activities that will help different groups of people. So I’m happy to come and help.”

Harry Funk / The Almamanc

Harry Funk / The Almamanc

Olivia Ziegler is happy to have helped contribute to the collection of valentines for veterans.

Many of the participants helped U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class Carly Beer with a project she has spearheaded for the past several years. She plans to deliver Valentine’s Day cards created by youngsters on Feb. 14 and 15 to the approximately 450 patients in the two VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System hospitals, along with carnations for veterans and their family members.

“I try to tell the kids to take this seriously because the veterans weep. They cry when they get these valentines,” she said. “They really do appreciate them, and they really do need them.”

Her February efforts on behalf of veterans dates back to 2012, when she was stationed in Portsmouth, Va., and saw an advertisement requesting valentines for veterans.

“My chief gave it to me and she said, ‘Carly, I know you’re a good volunteer. What can you do with this?’ I said, ‘Well, let’s double it. We’re going to get flowers and valentines,'” Beer recalled. “And we went to the VA hospital and passed out individual valentines, and long-stemmed roses that year.”

Other projects during the “day on” included decorating pillowcases for Head Start children in Clairton, fashioning no-sew fleece blankets and baking cookies for people without adequate shelter, and creating sizable thank-you cards for veterans and first responders.

“It’s social and it’s working together, maybe with people you’ve never met before,” Walcoff said, “but all for a good cause.”

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Harry Funk / The Almanac

Charlie Jenkins and Cameron Coller work on valentines for veterans.

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