DASNR group lends a hand during Day of Caring

Friday, September 27, 2013

While they are used to putting in a hard day’s work at the office, a group of employees from Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources recently took it a step further to help others.

The group, 14 in all, helped several Stillwater residents during the United Way’s annual Day of Caring. Meghan Collins, Day of Caring volunteer and senior administrative support specialist in DASNR, said they worked at five different houses. All of the homes had a significant amount of yard work that needed to be completed, including clearing out weeds from flowerbeds and trimming shrubs and trees that were overgrown.

“All of the homeowners we helped were individuals who receive Mobile Meals and aren’t able to maintain their yards as they would prefer,” Collins said. “Some of them don’t have family members to help them or they’re unable to afford to have workers come take care of their yards for them. The Day of Caring is a wonderful event that helps people in the Stillwater community come together and help those who need it most. Taking just one day out of our busy schedules to help others is nothing, and I know the people we helped were very grateful for us to be helping them.”

DASNR employees who helped with this effort include Collins, DASNR human resources; Nancy Rogers, biosystems and agricultural engineering; Sharon Williams, horticulture and landscape architecture; Hollie Schreiber, grants and contracts; Chuck Willoughby, Food and Agricultural Products Center; Rajesh Krishnamurth, biosystems and agricultural engineering; Kathy Ratzlaff, animal science; Michelle Stewart, animal science; John Damicone, entomology and plant pathology; Karen Smith, Food and Agricultural Products Center; Diana Ward, DASNR; Lori Fancher, Food and Agricultural Products Center; Shelley Mitchell, horticulture and landscape architecture; and Danielle Ballmer, biosystems and agricultural engineering/Food and Agricultural Products Center.

“I encourage DASNR employees to make an effort to volunteer for Day of Caring next year and any other United Way events we have scheduled,” Collins said. “It’s really a great cause and all of our work and participation comes back to help the Stillwater community.”