Latest news with #volunteers
CTV News
9 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
United Way hosts annual ‘Day of Caring'
London Watch Over 400 people volunteered their time and labour to various charities across the region, CTV London's Lauren Stallone reports.
CBS News
10 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Volunteers clear overgrowth at historically Black cemetery in Ypsilanti to celebrate Juneteenth
After decades of disrepair, the descendants of those buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and volunteers are working to restore their resting places. Thomas Marshall's oldest brother survived serving in the Korean War but passed in a car crash one year after returning home to Michigan. "He was buried here, and no one knows exactly where he is buried," he said. For a long time, the organizer said Woodlawn Cemetery was the only one in Washtenaw County that would accept Black bodies. Marshall said years ago, there was a shed that held the information on who was buried where, but the shed has since burned down. "We've been trying to figure out where his headstone should be placed, and so far we haven't had any luck, but we know he's here somewhere," Marshall said. Back in the 1960s, the land began falling into disrepair. Marshall and upwards of a hundred volunteers gathered on Thursday to continue work clearing overgrown plants around the cemetery. "Over the years, there have been starts and stops around restoring it, but this year we began in earnest with restoring this property," said Debby Mitchell Covington, one of the organizers. Covington said multiple organizations worked together to plan Thursday's event, including the Washtenaw County Historic District Commission and the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County. "I kind of think about this project as making the invisible visible, and everyone can have a hand in that," she said. That goal rings true for Marshall, too. "To me, I'm getting a little choked up; to be able to place his headstone where it belongs would be an honor not just for my brother but for the rest of my family and my mother in particular," he said.
CBS News
10 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Detroit Mower Gang keeps forgotten city parks alive
When Detroit faced deep financial trouble in 2010, the city announced plans to shut down dozens of public parks. That's when one man, Tom Nardone, fired up a Craigslist lawn tractor and unknowingly sparked a movement. Fifteen years later, the Detroit Mower Gang is still at it: clearing brush, mowing fields, and reviving neglected green spaces across the city. "Our goal is to find things no one else is doing, and to do those things," said Nardone, who founded the group in the early days of the city's bankruptcy. Nardone's first mission was a weedy park near Eight Mile Road and Interstate 75 with overgrown grass and abandoned courts. "Kids were just waiting to play basketball or ride the swing; they just needed the lawn mowed," he said. The project grew when he took on a bigger challenge: the Dorais Velodrome, a long-abandoned bicycle racetrack on Detroit's east side. He put out a call for help to bike clubs and scooter groups. To his surprise, they showed up. Since then, the Detroit Mower Gang has become a regular sight every other Wednesday, rain or shine, clearing brush from forgotten parks, ballfields, and sidewalks. When we caught up with them, they were mowing an old football field in Highland Park. "I don't know if there are many people who have been in as many nooks and crannies of this town as I have," Nardone said. "And I'm really proud of it. It's just a fascinating place." From one man and a mower to a crew of determined volunteers, the Detroit Mower Gang continues to cut through the city's neglect—and make space for joy, community, and pride.
CTV News
11 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
‘A rewarding experience': Volunteers take part in annual Day of Caring
Volunteers took part in the United Way Elgin Middlesex's 24th annual Day of Caring on June 19, 2025. (Lauren Stallone/CTV News London) Hundreds of volunteers from local businesses joined together for the 24th annual 'Day of Caring' event taking place across London, Elgin County, and Middlesex County. The event, hosted by United Way Elgin Middlesex, aims at providing volunteers deeper insight into important work being done in the community. 'It's an opportunity for workplaces and corporations to come together and go out to united way funded partners and roll up their sleeves and do a little bit of hard work,' said Kelly Ziegner, president and CEO of United Way Elgin Middlesex. Volunteers were sent out to 23 different agencies and participated in activities such as 'garden cleanup' and 'hosting community barbeques.' Organizers said participating in the day is a 'great opportunity' for volunteers to gain a deeper insight into the work being done by United Way's Funded Programs. 'It's great for our workplaces and corporations that are involved because their employees get to work together on something a little different than their desk jobs,' said Ziegner. Jordan Moat with Libro Credit Union, one of the organizations that sponsored and participated in the event, said he enjoys 'sharing such a rewarding experience' with his staff. 'It's a feel-good moment, right?' said Moat. 'They enjoy rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty and feel connected to the community.' One of the projects included in the day was 'Type Diabeat-it' a non-profit organization focused on ensuring Canadians with diabetes have access to quality produce and increase their consumption of vegetables. 'This is Harvest Haven, this is one of our many projects,' said Gonzalo Gomez-Daza, operations manager for Type Diabeat-it. 'It's a one-and-a-half-acre lot, here we grow food that goes back to the community for free.' The non-profit said they were thankful to have so many volunteers come out and show their support. 'Being able to bring all these volunteers here means that lots of work, probably about a couple months worth of work will be done in about a day,' said Gomez-Daza
South China Morning Post
21 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Chinese couple running dog shelter walk down aisle flanked by canines, delighting many
A man in China, who operates a dog shelter, celebrated his wedding alongside his beloved rescued dogs, bringing joy to many on social media. Advertisement Yang, 31, from Tianjin City in northern China, was once a prosperous construction boss with assets exceeding 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million). However, in 2020, his business faced a devastating collapse. In a bid to honour his commitments and pay his employees, he sold nearly all of his possessions, including his house and two cars. After declaring bankruptcy, Yang resolved to dedicate his life to ensuring that dogs receive the love and care they deserve, a passion ignited by the heartbreak of losing five puppies to illness during his childhood. Starting with only 10 dogs and no staff in 2020, Yang has now rescued over 200 dogs and gathered 8,000 volunteers, with aspirations to expand further in the future. Photo: Interviewees/Baidu With his own savings, Yang began rescuing stray dogs and eventually established a modest shelter that initially housed 10 dogs. At first, he managed the operations single-handedly, without any volunteers.
