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Community Corner

New DHS Grads Are Old Hands at Helping P2P

Seven graduating seniors lead volunteer youth at Darien's Person-to-Person.

What self-respecting teenager doesn't like to sleep late on the weekends?

Throughout their high school years, seven newly minted DHS grads devoted precious Saturday mornings to Person-to-Person, providing everyday necessities for neighbors in need.

DHS seniors Emily Green, Mike Wohlberg, Christian Holmes, Britt Gordon, Clarke Glavin, Leanne Stone, and Ben Wood were elected by their peers to serve as officers of the P2P youth group. With the honor came significant responsibilities.

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"We believe in a group effort at Person-to-Person, so we have a group of outstanding volunteer leaders rather than one or two co-chairs or co-presidents," said adult volunteer Celeste March, co-coordinator of P2P's youth volunteers.

Person-to-Person offers a range of programs to those in need in Fairfield County. The youth group focuses on food and clothing donations.

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Generally, the clothing department serves as the starting point for new recruits, who sort and display clothing donations. As volunteers gain experience, their tasks become more involved.

Green was introduced to the organization through its program for middle school volunteers, Kid-to-Kid. She continued to volunteer during her high school years, when she eventually took charge of the food department.

Food donations are checked for quality, sorted and displayed for clients to select.

"I've been able to enhance my Spanish skills and interact with people I wouldn't otherwise on as regular a basis," said Green.

Green is taking a gap year before she attends college. She plans to live in Peru and Bolivia, where she will mountain climb, improve her Spanish and work on community service projects.

Wohlberg helped wherever needed his freshman year before taking charge of furniture distribution his sophomore and junior years.

Person-to-Person recently renovated its barn, which previously stored donated furniture, into a food pantry. Although P2P no longer handles furniture donations, Wolberg's truck runs to deliver furniture to clients' homes left a lasting impression. He saw firsthand how badly some people in the area could use a hand.

This year, Wohlberg assists clients in the reception area, where he still sees the tangible benefits of his service.

"I think a lot of people involved with Person-to-Person continue to volunteer in similar ways after high school because it's so rewarding," said Wohlberg.

He plans to do community service next year as a student at the University of Massachusetts, and hopes to persuade others to join him.

Holmes, Glavin, and Gordon spent their sophomore and junior years managing the car seat program. The trio purchased car seats with money raised by P2P, and also collected donated car seats.

Before making car seats available to clients, "We had to make sure the car seats held up to safety standards, which taught me a lot about actual responsibility," said Holmes, who will attend Middlebury College.

Holmes and Ben Wood managed the car seats program as DHS seniors. Gordon worked in reception senior year, while Glavin assisted with furniture program before it closed.

Leanne Stone served as "Saturday Supervisor" during her senior year, coordinating volunteers and monitoring their progress.

As they finished out their high school careers over the past few weeks, many DHS seniors were recognized with academic, athletic, and artistic awards.

But for Person-to-Person's senior youth officers, just as rewarding may be recognizing clients in local communities—folks who received their help at P2P when it was really needed.

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