Volunteer Spotlight

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Our town is more than just buildings and streets, the soul of the town is it's residents.  A few weeks ago I wrote about the enormous responsibilities that many of our citizens take on when they offer their time to community activities.  From time to time, I am going to share some of their stories. The volunteers that I am most aware of are the ones who offer quite a bit of their time with our schools, scouts and youth sports.  That's the circle I am involved with right now, but I realize community volunteerism goes beyond just helping our children.  We have churches who provide for the less fortunate, Vickie's Angel Walk who raises money for cancer victims, the Fire Department and so much more.  All of these efforts help make New Cumberland the caring community that it is.

Today, I'm going to introduce you to a friend of mine, Anita (Cook) Uibel.  If your kids go to Hillside or are involved with youth sports, you probably already know her.  Personally, I met her and her husband, Matt, twelve years ago at a childbirth class when we were both pregnant with our sons.  Over the years I've gotten to know them both, and have had the opportunity to watch their involvement in the community grow

Anita Uibel is one of those people who volunteers with multiple organizations through out the community.  You wonder how she juggles it all, along with raising her own children.  Not only does she volunteer, but she takes on what many people try to avoid, the added responsibility of being in charge.  She spends a lot of time and effort putting together activities for Hillside Elementary School.  For the past seven years, she has been the chief organizing force behind such yearly events as Field Day and After School Clubs, as well as Science Night, which she shares responsibility with another parent, (Megan A).  In addition to her help at the school, she is in involved with youth sports.  Anita, along with her husband, Matt, have been organizing and coaching the Cedar Cliff Youth Boys Basketball league for the past three years.  She coaches her daughter's basketball team and coaches baseball in the spring, too.  If that's not enough, she tutors kids after school at New Cumberland Middle School.  To top it all off, she helps with The Coakley's Foundation, a local charity based out of Coakley's Restaurant and Irish Pub.

(The Coakley's Foundation is dedicated to raising funds to help local kids who need financial help with the expenses involved with community sports & arts programs. Coakley's main way of raising funds is selling T-shirts and related items.  I have provided a link at the end of this blog entry.)

You may be asking yourself, why would anyone take on so many extra responsibilities?  I know I have a hard time just juggling my own household, let alone taking on activities that involve hundreds of people.  These are volunteer positions, there's no pay.  What does Anita get out of her efforts?  She tells me, "I enjoy being in the company of children and I really like getting to know them.  It is very rewarding going into school and being able to know a lot of the kids by name and being able to have conversations with them.  Plus, I get to play and do all the things I enjoyed doing growing up!"

Anita has a background in teaching and sports.  She was a standout basketball player for Red Land High School, a former basketball coach and middle school science teacher.  So, it's not like her background is that far off from what she is doing now, she just doesn't get paid for it anymore.  Anita tells me that she loved her job, but when she decided to stay home and raise her own young children, she missed being around the older kids.  Offering time to schools and sports filled that void for her.  Many of the capacities in which she volunteers arose from just being involved in her own children's activities.

As for kids and their participation in casual sports these days, Anita says, "It seems to me that only a small number of kids today go to parks and play pick up games on their own.  Plus there are not a lot of opportunities for children to participate in activities unless they pay money to do so.  Frankly, in our town, there is really nothing for kids ages 10-15 to do unless their parents pay.  I just want kids to experience the fun I had growing up and maybe learn a few things along the way."

Anita says about the activities she's involved with, "It keeps kids involved.  Plus with (Hillside's) Science Night, maybe it will spark an interest in Science in a child!"  As for her involvement with The Coakley's Foundation, " (It) gives kids the opportunities to participate in paid activities that they may otherwise not have the money to do."

Anita is not the only person here in town who spends countless hours putting together activities for kids, many others do as well.  Not everyone has the time, patience or energy to take on what she and others do.  Personally, I want to thank Anita and all those others out there who take on these tasks, whether it be for Scouts, Sports, Parent-Teacher Organizations, or whatever.  What you do makes our town a better place to live, it gives our kids something to do and teaches them life lessons. 

So, next time you sign up your child for activities, think about Anita, and the many people like her, who spend their own time organizing them.  Please, make an effort to thank them and volunteer a little of your own time to ease the burden on them.

Link to Coakley's Foundation

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