By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

For two days this past month – on October 5 and 11, to be precise – members of the Bayside Community Network, Inc., armed with rakes and determination, helped to clear walking trails at their facility in Cecil County.

The staff and volunteers at Cecil County Animal Services performed a clean-up at a local shelter. The Voices of Hope Maryland staffers and volunteers applied fresh coats of paint at men’s and women’s recovery houses. In all, a total of 250 volunteers rolled up their sleeves at 15 locations throughout the county, and collectively, gardens were planted, parking meters were painted, and donations were collected for local agencies. Together, their efforts became a consortium of sweat and selflessness in a countywide day of service known as Cecil Cares. 

First begun in 2016 and coordinated by Cecil County Department of Community Services and the Cecil Cares Planning Team, the annual event – having just wrapped its ninth year -- offers county residents the opportunity to volunteer with local nonprofits, government agencies, and faith and service-based organizations on a variety of service projects throughout the county. 

“We started planning for the first Cecil Cares back in the fall of 2015,” said Krista Gilmore, the volunteer program administrator for the Cecil County Department of Community Services (DCS). “The department received a grant from the Maryland Governors’ Office of Service and Volunteerism to provide funding for volunteer centers or connector organizations in an effort to boost volunteerism in the county.” 

The grant DCS received provided the seed money to fund the Volunteer Cecil website, but there was an even grander thought, generated by former DCS Community Wellness Division Chief Linda Tull. 

“We met in the evening and Linda said, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful for Cecil County to be known for something good?’” Gilmore said. “At the time, there were high incidents of opioid overdoses and crimes throughout Cecil County, but Linda said that we need to all band together, break down some barriers and come together for a day of service.”

Soon, the department began to collaborate with neighboring agencies, county businesses and department staff and in September of 2016, the first Cecil Cares was held at eight locations around the county. Since then, 38 non-profit organizations have been a part of Cecil Cares, including the Fair Hill Nature Center, which has participated every year.

While the organizational structure of Cecil Cares is generated from its participating agencies and in partnership with the event’s Planning Team and with support from Upper Shore Regional Council, the true strength of the program lay in its volunteers, who come from every sector of the county.

“I have watched over the years the way that each project is owned by the organizations and the community,” Gilmore said. “We tell them, ‘This is your project,’ and let them talk about it. It’s never something that our department does. It’s merely about providing the support to those who do the work.”

The ideas for the Cecil Cares projects are generated from the agencies themselves and this year, the result produced a full rainbow of diverse projects. One such project, Cecil Transit’s “Stuff the Bus,” parked a bus at the Walmart shopping center parking lot in Elkton and asked customers passing by to make purchases on Cecil Transit’s shopping list. Following a gathering of all of the gifts purchased and donated by the shoppers, the department then dropped off all items to the Cecil County Help Center, an agency that provides food, supplies and energy assistance for county residents.  This year, Cecil Transit collected over 4,000 pounds in items for the agency.

“We always meet those more fortunate who understand the need for crucial items and are happy to add an item or two to their shopping carts,” said Jonathan Creamer, transit coordinator for Cecil Transit. “I am always amazed at how happy our drivers are to get out and do good in the community. It’s also heartwarming to see how appreciative the Help Center is to welcome us. It’s been a great relationship we have enjoyed over the past several years.”

Cecil Cares is planning for its tenth anniversary in 2025, and planning for next year is about to begin again.

“For the past few years, we have ended our evaluation dinner with, “Give me one word to describe Cecil Cares,” Gilmore said. “Two of the most frequently used words we hear are ‘Community” and “Relationships.” I have spent most of my career helping connect people to purpose and highlighting the good not only in individuals but with agencies. I know that Cecil Cares highlights the richest resource in our county – our people. Non-profit agencies always have a great need for volunteers, but I know that there are plenty of people in our community to meet those needs. 

“We build communities, and when you have a lot of people each doing a little at a time, you can accomplish great things.”

To learn more about Cecil Cares – and how to volunteer -- visit www.volunteercecil.org, or email Krista Gilmore of the Cecil County Department of Community Services at [email protected].

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].