Volunteers at a previous Revitalize CDC #GreenNFit Day.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
SPRINGFIELD — Volunteers from all around the area and beyond will work on restoring homes by participating in Revitalize Community Development Corporation’s #GreenNFit Day on April 25.
On the latest episode of “So That Reminds Me” hosts Tyler Garnet and Ryan Feyre sat down with Revitalize CDC’s President and CEO Colleen Shanley-Loveless and Vice President of Community Engagement Ethel Griffin to talk about Revitalize CDC’s #GreenNFit Day on April 25.
Shanley-Loveless explained that Revitalize CDC was founded as an all-volunteer organization in 1992. When Shanley-Loveless was hired in 2009, the organization went from all volunteers with a budget of under $100,000 to growing “significantly” with a staff of 20, now. She said that Revitalize CDC’s work initially began with home repairs.
“The board of directors had realized there was such an overwhelming need in the community, so we focused on doing home repairs, modifications and rehabilitation on the homes of low-income families with children,” she said. “It could be veterans, seniors and people with special needs.”
Currently, Revitalize CDC has a nutrition program, a healthy homes program and a digital equity and navigation program.
“Once people become a part of it, they don’t leave. We have a 24-member board and just yesterday another organization came to our office and said, ‘we would like to place somebody on our board,’” Shanley-Loveless said.
Revitalize CDC’s #GreenNFit Day, which takes place the last weekend in April, is a day when the organization and its volunteers gather to work on homes in different parts of the city.
Beginning in 2013, Shanley-Loveless said the program moved to the Old Hill neighborhood, where volunteers worked on almost 200 homes each #GreenNFit Day for the next seven years before moving into the North End after a COVID-19 related pause.
“We have 20 homes this year, we are kind of spread out across the city — East Springfield, Mason Square area. We’re also going to do a spring cleanup on the Boys and Girls on Carew Street, and then we’re also going to be working on the Boys and Girls Club Family Center, which is on Acorn Avenue,” she said.
Griffin said the planning process for the next year begins a week after each #GreenNFit Day.
“We’ll start back with the planning process for the following year, determining where we are going to be; we’ll determine the application process for them. It’s a good thing we don’t wait to the last minute,” she said.
Griffin said the event goes on rain or shine. Each year, she said the American International College, Springfield College and Western New England University football teams participate. Shanley-Loveless added that the event receives support from businesses, churches, other schools and people “from Maine to Florida.”
She added that the volunteers love showing up each year for the event.
“It’s a really diverse group of volunteers all coming together. I remember one time a volunteer said, ‘You get more from this than you’re actually giving because it makes you feel so good,’” she said.
Some of the work volunteers do include replacing bathtubs with showers, replacing steps, replacing carpets, adding handrails for stairs and much more. While Revitalize CDC does similar work in Holyoke and Chicopee, #GreenNFit Day is focused on homes in Springfield. Shanley-Loveless added that the organization’s nutrition and healthy homes programs, along with its lead inspection and remediation work are available in 11 of Massachusetts’s 14 counties.
Shanley-Loveless touched on how important the GreenNFit event is for helping people in need.
“Everybody needs a little help now and then, and we’re happy to be there to bring some joy and improve people’s quality of life in helping to make their homes safer,” she said.
To listen to the full conversation, head to thereminder.com/our-podcast or search “So That Reminds Me” on your favorite podcasting platform.
