$108,000 IN GOOD FEELINGS: DAY OF CARING: NEARLY 1,000 WORKERS DONATE 5,800 HOURS TO NONPROFIT GROUPS IN SONOMA, MENDOCINO COUNTIES AS PART OF UNITED WAY'S YEARLY EVENT

Nearly 1,000 office, city and county workers rolled up their sleeves and

went to work Wednesday as part of the 17th annual United Way Day of Caring.

''This is one of the best examples of United Way's collaborative spirit. We

have so many wonderful partners. If not for them, this couldn't happen,'' said

Walter Collins, chief executive officer of United Way of

Sonoma-Mendocino-Lake.

The day kicked off with morning rallies and light breakfast in both Sonoma

and Mendocino counties. Then teams of volunteers fanned out for daylong work

projects, including gardening, landscaping and painting at the Sonoma County

Museum and Kid Street Learning Center, light carpentry projects for the

Council on Aging, painting at Boys & Girls Clubs in Cloverdale, Healdsburg,

Windsor and Petaluma, and other projects.

''Today, volunteers will contribute approximately 5,800 hours, which equal

about $108,000 in value,'' Fritz Ward, spokesman for United Way, said

Wednesday.

At the Sonoma County Museum, dozens of volunteers tackling yard work and

interior painting of the main exhibit hall began pitching in before their

first morning cups of coffee cooled off.

Tracie Larcom, Heidi Tribble and Sara Derenia, who work in the clinical

department at Medtronic, were taping walls to be painted.

''I was really excited when I heard we'd be here, because I've lived here

my whole life and I've never actually been in the museum,'' said Larcom, who

vowed to return for an exhibit now that she's helped spruce up the building.

Outside, workers from the County Registrar of Voters office swept fallen

leaves, picked up debris and considered a bit of prudent pruning.

Assistant Registrar of Voters Gloria Colter of Santa Rosa was pushing a

broom. She pointed to the Bible to explain her participation:

''This is like Isaiah 6:8, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then

said I, Here am I, send me.' We are not here for ourselves. That's why I give

my time,'' she said.

Colter's co-worker, Pam Cullen of Santa Rosa, also helped with landscape

maintenance. It was her third year of participating in the Day of Caring.

''The first two times I worked out at the Chanate Cemetery. Even though I

got poison oak, I really enjoyed it. And the weather is perfect to work

outside today,'' she said.

Across town at Friends House, an elder community that is preparing for its

annual antiques appraisal fair Saturday, volunteers from Agilent helped spruce

up the grounds.

''This work really does my heart good. The senior citizens here are so

friendly and so appreciative. It really warms my heart to know that I'm

helping someone,'' said Connie Bassignani of Sebastopol, who has worked for

Agilent for 27 years.

Agilent employees comprise the largest corporate group, with nearly 370

workers signing up.

''We readjust our calendars so we don't have meetings on Day of Caring. And

we pay our people for their day, so that helps,'' said Jim MacGilvery, vice

president and general manager at Agilent.

You can reach Staff Writer Rayne Wolfe at 521-5240 or

rayne.wolfe@pressdemocrat.com.