For the Sault’s Erica Speer, the importance of the annual United Way Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District Trades Day of Caring, in partnership with Sault College skilled trades students, cannot be overstated.
Every fall, a group of college students band together for a day and volunteer to rake and gather up leaves and perform some winterizing tasks at the homes of Sault residents who are not able to perform those tasks themselves due to their age and/or a disability.
Erica’s father James died three years ago, her mother Patricia in the spring of this year, both parents having experienced illness and physical limitations.
The Speer family benefitted from the help given by the trades students in past years.
“I called the United Way and asked if we qualify and they said yes, and there was a big crowd of students like this and I thought ‘wow,’” Erica said, speaking to SooToday at her home Saturday.
“My father really enjoyed watching the young people. He taught, and he was a great supporter of trades. It was lovely. The young people came in and talked with him, and over the years this made it easier for him to step back from doing these tasks.”
“They do it so fast,” smiled Erica, who has herself suffered weakness from a stroke.
“For me to rake these leaves myself, it would take me so long to do. They’ve been so kind to keep coming. They make it so much easier for me,” said Erica, cheerfully offering treats to the students as she tended to her five cats.
17 Sault College students, three of them international students, along with one secondary school student doing his community service hours as he works toward earning his secondary school diploma, took part in Saturday’s labours, tending to 19 homes across the city.
“I think one of the nicest things is when you go to a home, the residents are so appreciative, they give you candy and doughnuts and thank you a thousand times because the work we can do for them as a group in an hour would take them weeks to do. We’re trying to keep elderly people in their homes as long as we can and keep families together, and it’s a very rewarding thing for myself and the students,” said Sam Spadafora, Sault College civil engineering professor.
“This is the ninth year we’ve done this event,” said Rayna Evoy, United Way Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District fundraising manager.
“Every year we get 20 to 25 residents sign up for help. Every year we’re pretty full and we get new clients as well as some repeat clients, which is great, because we’re here to help the people who don’t have the money to pay to hire somebody to do this or don’t have the physical ability to do this, and help keep them in their homes.”
Students not only rake leaves during the Trades Day of Caring, but also perform caulking and laying plastic across windows inside homes to keep residents warmer and cut down on heating bills in preparation for the upcoming winter.
Every year, the United Way informs the public of the deadline to apply for help from the Trades Day of Caring through news releases distributed to local media.
Evoy said every fall, residents may call the United Way at (705) 256-7476 and press zero to register ahead of the deadline to apply for Trades Day of Caring assistance.