Seeing how the small community of Menands came together to support her family in their time of need inspired Carol Darmetko and her husband, Lyle, to start a local movement they’re calling “Pay It Forward …Together.”
When Lyle Darmetko, a self-employed contractor, was injured at work, his family was not sure if he would be able to work in the future.
“Our community of Menands came together and took care of us. They had a fundraiser for us. It was a wonderful, life-changing event for us. There were so many random acts of kindness that just really made a difference in our lives,” said Darmetko.
“We knew when we got back on our feet, we needed to pay it forward, so I got together a group of people who were interested,” she said.
The Menands and Watervliet-based Pay It Forward movement began as a post in late August on Darmetko’s Facebook page. She said eight to 10 of her friends showed an interest in the small community-based movements Darmetko had in mind, like helping local families and volunteering at the senior center.
Now, the group has grown to nearly 140 volunteers working together to help the two communities in any way possible.
To really get started in the community, the Pay It Forward group will host its kick-off event on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Watervliet Elks Lodge, 501 4th Ave. in Watervliet, that begins at 6:30 p.m. A $15 charge will help go to food, beverages, a DJ and literature outlining what the group hopes to do in the future. All ages are welcome, and children under 13 are free. Darmetko said she hopes the turnout will help spread the word.
So far, the group has been working to get established within the community. In early fall, Darmetko and several other members of the group met with senior centers, along with Menands and Watervliet City School District officials, who showed an interest in setting up a Pay It Forward Together Kids Club.
More than 280 kids from the two school districts have also submitted logos for the group. They have set up meal programs with a Watervliet civic center. At the Pay It Forward Kids Kick Off in October, nearly 40 kids made cards for sick children. The group’s most recent project is making sandwiches to bring to a local homeless shelter.
“This is just the beginning,” said Darmetko. “When we meet with people, they’re like, ‘This could be good, this could work.’ There are so many areas that, if you have a big enough volunteer-base, you could really do work for.”
Darmetko said there are three groups of people she feels the movement could benefit—seniors, individual families fallen on hard times, and children and teens who may want mentoring, or even to volunteer.
“What it is, we’re an organized system of volunteers, whether you can spend time with a community that needs it, or a family in crises in need of a fundraiser,” she said. “If you want to volunteer for seniors, if you want to participate with the kids.”
Although the group started out with a small number of people come together over Facebook, Darmetko said she hopes the number keeps growing. Even with the 140 volunteers the group has right now, she believes that Pay It Forward…Together can make an impact.
Volunteering for the group should not be seen as full-time work, either, but however much time each person is able to give each month can make difference, Darmetko said. Anyone interested in volunteering can attend the kick-off event, or email the group at [email protected].
“I really want his to become bigger. Right now, we’re just a small group of folks. I would love to become an organization and have a place where people can come in and get what they need. I would really love for people to have a home,” Darmetko said.
