CMT employees generously support the United Way throughout the year with financial contributions to help fund the organization’s many critical initiatives. On June 23 and 24, they invested some sweat into that mission. The annual Day of Action saw employees from three CMT offices head out into the community and give their time and efforts to assist a United Way member agency.
Fifteen volunteers from CMT’s Springfield, IL, office set out to the Springfield Art Association’s main campus. It was the largest group yet to take part in what has become an annual effort on behalf of the United Way of Central Illinois.
Arriving with shovels, rakes, and strong backs, the group immediately went to work on several projects to beautify and clean up the non-profit’s property. A landscaped island at the facility’s front drive was trenched and surrounded by a brick border. Another landscaped area was cleared of weeds and debris, and a storage garage was cleaned out. A smaller team of workers was dispatched downtown to help prepare for the SAA’s popular Paint the Street event that was being held the following day.
All the hard work was carried out amid a flurry of activity. The campus was abuzz with kids taking part in the SAA’s summer camp program. The Springfield Municipal Band was on hand performing an afternoon concert for campers and neighbors. Our CMT volunteers even had their work inspected by Abe Lincoln and his lovely wife, Mary Todd (or reenactors, anyway.)
This was the first year that the Indy office participated in the Day of Action. A team of seven was assigned to Westminster Neighborhood Services, an organization that provides educational support and basic needs services to those living in the city near the east side.
The Indy 7 got to demonstrate some of the ingenuity that CMT is famous for when they were asked to move a 10-yard pile of mulch up a hill to a playground and were provided with but a single small cart (they were assured before the event that they wouldn’t need to bring any tools or supplies.) Rolling carts and trash cans were deployed and as could be expected, they got the job done.
In Springfield, MO, eight employees took part in their first post-COVID Day of Action. They were assigned to the Gray/Campbell Homestead. Located in Nathanael Greene Park, it’s one of the oldest houses in the city and the site includes several historic structures. Volunteers cleaned windows in the one-room schoolhouse, did some light carpentry work, weeded a garden, and filled in a sinkhole.
All the CMT volunteers enjoyed a rewarding afternoon giving back to the community while enjoying some out-of-office time with co-workers. Thanks to everyone who participated in what is fast becoming a CMT tradition.