Photographs by William Taufic.
Sarita at the Neighbors Link Stamford center
Sarita Hanley had a baby and toddler in tow when she first started volunteering at St. Camilla’s in Stamford, where she settled with her family in 1994. “It is a geriatric home that is part of Catholic Charities,” explains Sarita. “I began dropping off things they needed, and then we started visiting the older people, many of whom had been emotionally abandoned by their families. We’d do their exercise classes—they would love seeing the kids. That led to helping out at the Covenant House, a soup kitchen. The most meaningful way to give back is rolling up your sleeves and being part of the process. That is a legacy that I’ve inherited, and Greg and I have made it a mission to teach this to our four children; they are all volunteers in the community.”
Sarita is from Puerto Rico and also lived in Philadelphia, where her grandparents founded numerous nonprofit organizations. She has her hands in so many charities here that there is hardly room to list them.
Catalina Horak, executive director of Neighbors Link Stamford, comments, “Sarita and her husband, Greg, are actively involved in Malta House, a home for homeless mothers and their babies; Catholic Charities, which includes her work and committee leadership in programs and on the Capital Campaign team at the New Covenant House—the region’s only soup kitchen—and Catholic Academies of Bridgeport, supporting faith-filled learning academies. She is heavily involved as a volunteer on various committees and as a past trustee at her children’s school, King School.”
Catalina continues: “Sarita is a founding director of Neighbors Link Stamford, which provides English as a Second Language classes, family services, skills development programs and additional support to immigrants in the greater Stamford area, to ensure their healthy integration into the community. When Neighbors Link Stamford was only an idea, Sarita was instrumental in spreading the word, raising funds and making the dream become a reality. Sarita’s genuine and engaging approach to community involvement extends beyond time and her very generous financial contributions. Her passionate desire to work to make change, to create a more vibrant community for all, is infectious.”
“Life has given me so many blessings,” says Sarita. “When there is so much heartache, loneliness and poverty in the world, how can I not give back? At Neighbors Link, I see how often people feel empowered by education. They feel better about themselves and feel like they can progress in life. They feel confident they can make better lives for their children—there is no better feeling. We have 5,000 registered adults now and offer free education seven days a week and a life skills program.
“I used to volunteer one day a week when the kids were young. Now I can volunteer every day, often weekends too. It keeps me happy. Getting friends to volunteer is really fun. Volunteering should be a part of everyone’s life, even if just a little bit.”