Hundreds of helpers from Largo and Dunedin did whatever they could to make a difference.
By TERRI BRYCE REEVES
Published October 25, 2004
On Saturday, Rose Prescott, 81, and Bob Cloud, 91, danced and twirled about in the lobby of the Barrington senior living community to songs made popular in the 1930s.
"We're not married but we might as well be," he said with a sly grin.
She promptly planted a kiss on his cheek.
He then twirled her around as if they were 20 years old again.
It was a time to relive old memories, thanks to volunteers Bob Whitehead, June Dehart and Bill Haugh who played piano, sang and entertained a group of residents for a few hours.
"I love to entertain the elderly. If I see them laugh, it makes my day," said Whitehead, 75, who sang and performed magic tricks.
They and hundreds of other volunteers were participants in Day of Good Deeds, a sweeping volunteer effort organized by the cities of Largo and Dunedin to bring comfort and help to the frail, the elderly, the needy and the infirm, as well as the environment.
The event coincided with national Make A Difference Day in which millions of Americans traditionally volunteer to help their neighbors.
The young, the old, and the middle-aged could be found throughout the two communities cleaning up shorelines, parks, yards and homes. Others helped by reading, visiting, and addressing Christmas cards or letters. Some provided pet therapy.
Deed-doers like Joan Hermann, 73, and Shirley Neff, 77, donned special T-shirts and delivered goodie bags to residents in their rooms at the Barrington.
Merrill Webert and her husband, Leo, were two of the recipients.
Merrill, 91, who wears her snow-white hair curled up neatly in a bun, greeted the pair of well-wishers with big hugs. Her husband, Leo, slept in a chair, but not for long. It was his 97th birthday and on this day he was getting a special "Happy Birthday" serenade.
"Thank you and I'll see you in 12 months," he told the songsters.
"He used to be in management for a fire insurance agency," Merrill recalled proudly. Now he suffers from memory loss.
Lots of hugs and smiles and stories were shared, and Merrill passed out some personal cards with her name, address, and phone number to her newfound friends.
"I'm not selling anything but friendship," she said.
Warren Ankerberg, Largo's recreational program manager and president of the Volunteer Corps Advisory Board, said about 250 people showed up to volunteer in Largo.
"It was a tremendous success," he said. "Everyone had a great time and many said it was very rewarding to feel like they had made a difference."
Jan Sebald, volunteer coordinator for Dunedin, said she had mobilized about 425 volunteers for the feel-good day.
"The volunteers truly were excited about going out and helping someone or cleaning the environment," she said. More than 300 of the Dunedin volunteers helped to clean up Honeymoon Island, Caladesi Island, Dunedin Causeway and other coastal areas.
Ankerberg and Sebald are optimistic that the enormous turnout and merit of their programs could net the cities a large monetary award, which would be split and used toward other community volunteer projects.
As part of national Make A Difference Day, actor and philanthropist Paul Newman will donate $10,000 to 10 outstanding projects. The winners will be announced in April.
At Palm Lake Village apartments in Dunedin, volunteers Mariette and Paul Chapman cleaned up yard debris from a large oak tree at the apartment home of Frances Johnson, 72, who walks with a cane most of the time.
"I don't know what I would have done without them," she said. "I tried to get out and rake some but it didn't turn out too well."
"It seems like the right thing to do," said Chapman, 65. "There is a lot to do after these hurricanes, a lot of people still need help. And, quite frankly, we need the exercise."
