Volunteers and moms helping out Greenwich Green and Clean with Greenwich Youth Volunteer Club founder, Chelsea Woody (front row, black jacket)
Greenwich native Chelsea Woody’s dedication to community service began in seventh grade, when she started volunteering at the Arch Street Teen Center. “It was an experience that has stuck with me for life,” she says. Looking for a way to give her middle-school-aged son Jackson a similar experience with community involvement, the pair started the Greenwich Youth Volunteer Club last September.
“Jackson has the same love of giving back that I had, and I wanted to nurture that,” says Woody. “When you start making volunteer work part of your life at a young age, it sticks,” she adds. “Being part of Greenwich Youth Volunteer Club has helped me to be a better person and recognize the power of community service,” explains Jackson.
GYVC stuffed animal drive for kids in the Greenwich Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit below: Giuliana Dedvukaj, Madelyn Klocinski, Eleanor Klocinski, Jones Glenn, Juliette Brockman, Jackson Woody, Aurora Rincon and Sonali Thal get ready for Valentine’s crafts and bingo at King St. Rehab
What started as a small grassroots effort with six student volunteers has rapidly evolved into
a team of over 24. “The group grew quickly, and interest just spread by word of mouth. People would see posts on Instagram or have a friend that was part of the program and then want to get involved,” says Woody. With the number of students involved rising, Woody knew that she’d need more adult hands on-deck and was grateful to have three other like-minded moms (Meeta Thal, Lyndsay Cafagno and Shannon Pesce) eager to take on roles with the club.
Each week, the club meets on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Crush–Arch Street, which generously offers its space, for the teens and tweens to work on various community projects, ranging from making homemade dog treats to handcrafting blankets for babies in the NICU.
“We’ve had two local businesses, Glenville Pizza and Costantino’s, who have sponsored our meeting nights with pizza for the kids, just out of the kindness of their hearts,” says Woody appreciatively. The kids are directly involved in every step of the work that the club does, down to writing their own mission statement, which explains that their goal is “to bring middle school students together to help the community foster kindness and make a positive impact, because we believe everyone matters,” says Woody. “I live in Cos Cob and still have many friends here from childhood. Having deep roots in the community is very special, and having friends in different areas of Greenwich has been so valuable for our group. It helps me gain a better understanding of what the community really needs and how we can best serve it by hearing from the people who live here.”
Giuliana Dedvukaj, Madelyn Klocinski, Eleanor Klocinski, Jones Glenn, Juliette Brockman, Jackson Woody, Aurora Rincon and Sonali Thal get ready for Valentine’s crafts and bingo at King St. Rehab.
In March, the club will be partnering with two foundations that are both near and dear to their members. The Tiny Miracles Foundation, a Darien-based organization that provides support to families with premature babies, will be hosting Woody’s group to fill backpacks with essential supplies. “When Jackson was born, he weighed one pound, seven ounces, and the wonderful CEO of the Tiny Miracles Foundation called me to check in and to see how Jackson was doing while I was riding this NICU rollercoaster. I’ve since been very involved [as has Jackson] and volunteered helping parents in the same situation that
I was in,” she says.
The club is also working with Abilis, an agency that provides services to those with special needs and disabilities. Both groups will come together and meet at Crush for table tennis, various games and even a karaoke night. There will be theme parties and opportunities for the kids to bond and spend time together.
“Volunteering makes the world brighter for me and others, because we know we are help- ing people in need,” says student volunteer Sonali Thal. “There is such genuine community spirit and enthusiasm,” says Woody. “I’m so grateful to live in a town where so many kids are excited and willing to volunteer.”
For more information about how to get involved and upcoming events, follow along on Instagram @greenwichyouthvolunteerlub.