Countywide : Volunteers to Make Big Push Saturday

When it comes to fostering volunteerism, Orange County has taken its lumps.

Statistics compiled by the Volunteer Center of Greater Orange County show that 29% of adults in the county volunteer time to support a cause. The national average is 54%.

On Saturday, thousands of volunteers hope to prove the numbers wrong.

Volunteer Connection Day, a massive undertaking involving each of the county’s 31 cities, will involve volunteer projects throughout the county.

“It’s like getting an army mobilized,” said Carol Stone, executive director of the Volunteer Center. “It’s people power, and we’re going to make a difference, in my opinion.”

The list of projects will touch on needs felt by many segments of Orange County society.

In Orange, food is being donated to Mary’s Kitchen, which provides meals for the homeless and will celebrate its grand opening at a new location on Saturday. Volunteers in La Habra will get their hands dirty turning a landfill into a wildlife park and bird sanctuary. An animal farm at Mission Viejo High School will see its barn washed and garden plowed.

In between, miles of fence will be painted to eradicate graffiti and acres of parks and beaches will be cleaned.

Volunteers are still needed for projects in many areas, and event organizers urge those interested to call a newly created volunteer hot line at (714) 647-2600.

The Blind Children’s Learning Center in Santa Ana hopes there will be enough volunteers to paint a “Yellow Brick Road” and other decorations for students, but school officials aren’t sure there will be enough help to go around.

“We’re hoping they get enough volunteers,” said Linn Morgan, school spokeswoman. “If we get the assistance, we don’t have to pay anyone to do the job and the money instead goes to educating the kids.

“We occasionally get volunteers and it’s a real morale booster for everyone--us and them,” she said. “Giving like that is good for the entire community.”

Event organizers say several thousand people have already been lined up, but many projects still need extra hands.

About 18 months of planning went into Volunteer Connection Day, which has also been honored as the kickoff event for National Volunteer Week by the Points of Light Foundation in Washington.

Volunteer Center officials went to city governments and private service groups for help in putting the plan in action. Each city and nonprofit organization will be responsible for organizing anywhere from one special project to half a dozen.

Stone said the foundation laid by Saturday’s event will last much longer than a day.

“One of our goals is to change the perception of volunteering in Orange County with an awareness campaign,” she said. “There’s a widely held perception that we’re very wealthy here and have no social needs. People think all we need to do is write a check to solve our problems.