‘Love Ithaca’ aims to unite community through volunteerism

When Chuck Tompkins, longtime Ithaca resident and former pastor of Bethel Grove Bible Church, read the book “Love Our Cities” by Jeff Pishney and Eric Jung, he knew that Ithaca could benefit from the ideas there.

“These are polarizing times,” Tompkins said. “We all want to live in a flourishing community. What better way was there to do that than serve together?”

Love Our Cities is a national movement to mobilize volunteers in cities across the country. It began with Love Modesto, which started in 2007 in Modesto, California. “We were hoping for 100 people and more than 1,200 people showed up to love our city in practical ways,” states the Love Our Cities origin story on the organization’s website, loveourcities.org.

So far, Love Our Cities has 100 partner cities and more than 300,000 volunteers who have put in over 1.3 million volunteer hours, according to loveourcities.org. Tompkins wanted to hold a special day in Ithaca where like-minded people could gather in one location and help out a local organization with a volunteer project.

That day is May 3, where 75 to 100 volunteers will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the small pavilion in Stewart Park for a kick-off orientation. Volunteers will receive free T-shirts and fuel up on coffee and a breakfast of bagels and donuts before heading out to work with the organization of their choice for the rest of the day.

“The United Way has an all-volunteer day in the fall, and we are targeting the spring,” Tompkins said.

Those who wish to be part of the first-ever Love Ithaca event can sign up at loveithaca.org.

Tompkins formed Love Ithaca with the mission of bettering the community by servicing its partners together. “In these times, love becomes a pretty healthy challenge,” he said, wondering, “How could we do it better together?”

Tompkins drew upon his considerable connections within the community. “We’re not starting anything,” he said. “We just want to come along.” 

“How can we serve you?” he asked the organizations when he called them to find out how Love Ithaca volunteers could help.

Tompkins chose the date of May 3, found eight local organizations that wanted to partner with him, found sponsors, built a website and hung up banners and flyers for the event, all within the last few months.

“It’s a faith-based operation, so it’s a shared love for God and a shared love for people in our community,” he said.

Tompkins said that he hopes the event is the first of many to come. Love Ithaca will have volunteers sign waivers, and then send them off to their chosen job site for the day.

Several events are being held on the same day and coincide nicely with Love Ithaca. Stewart Park volunteers were already planning an event for “I Love My Trails Day,” and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will hold its walkathon that day, as well.

“So many amazing stories have emerged from Love Our Cities, but perhaps the greatest stories are of the thousands who continue to volunteer regularly with organizations and areas they served,” the I Love Cities website states. “This is our hope and prayer … renewed pride in our cities, ongoing volunteerism and communities transformed.”

Tompkins said that he is hoping volunteers will work with an organization and have a good experience so that they will be encouraged to volunteer again on a more regular basis.

“It’s a win-win for everybody,” Tompkins said.

The projects:

-Adopt-a-Highway will clean up a one-mile section of Route 13 from North Triphammer to Warren Road. All equipment will be provided by the state of New York.

-Catholic Charities will organize clothing donations, do yard work in its garden and deep-clean its building.

-Second Wind Cottages will clean up its grounds and spread mulch.

-The Community Beautification Program will weed and mulch Van Horn Park on Taughannock Boulevard between State and Seneca Streets, as well as do a typical spring clean-up on one or two sites downtown. This project is appropriate for families with older kids.

-The Friends of Stewart Park will do trail maintenance and work at the dog park. It is part of “I Love My Park Day,” organized by NY State Parks and Trails New York.

-Habitat for Humanity is looking for basic skilled labor for building homes at one or two sites.

-Ithaca Children’s Garden will do weeding, raking, mulching  and other clean-up projects at the garden site.

-NAMI will host its annual walkathon and is looking for people to be present along the route, as well as to clean up afterward until 5 p.m.