Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 10, 1993 TAG: 9309100280
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
About 50 volunteers spent the afternoon sorting donations to the Radford Clothing Bank, delivering Meals on Wheels, packaging medicine for the New River Valley Free Clinic and helping several other agencies.
The day was capped with an informal barbecue dinner on the grounds of Corning in Christiansburg where the agency announced a $780,000 campaign goal.
Jim Corrin of Blacksburg Cable announced that 11 companies participating in a Pacesetter campaign - along with several agencies funded by the United Way - already have raised $43,994 toward the $780,000 goal.
During the day, volunteer Lucy Draper, a Realtor with Owens & Co. in Christiansburg, spent a few hours at The New River Valley Workshop in Radford.
The workshop, off Rock Road on Duncan Lane, operates programs for training, employing and providing support services to mentally disabled people.
Draper and other volunteers helped the workers - who include nondisabled people - as they packaged samples of denture cleaner to be shipped to nursing homes and other places.
"I had never worked an assembly line before, so it's interesting," Draper said as she worked alongside Vickie Kytchen, who has been employed at the workshop since 1987.
"They're hard workers," she said, as she passed completed sample boxes on to Kytchen to tape.
Karin Clark, marketing manager with Anderson & Associates in Blacksburg, was opening the cases containing the denture-cleaning tablets at the start of the production line.
The experience, "really makes you appreciate production workers," she said.
It was the first year the campaign promoted volunteer activities during a "Day of Caring." Previous campaigns usually were kicked off with a breakfast meeting.
"This is really interesting," Clark said. "I'm glad they're doing this."
Susan Robertson, a rehabilitation training specialist, said 73 clients and other workers are employed at the workshop.
In Christiansburg, volunteers helped with the Mental Health Association Social Club, which meets twice a month at St. Paul's United Methodist Church.
Helen Sawder, director of the program, said the club was established 14 years ago to assist people who were released from mental hospitals after medicinal advances were made for schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.
Activities include conversation, bingo games and general support.
by CNB