The heart of a community is in its volunteers and the work they do to improve that community for their fellow residents – particularly the children.
Danny Liedka knows that well – a former East Syracuse mayor and trustee, an Onondaga County Legislator and Visit Syracuse president and CEO, he has spent a large part of his adult life working to improve his hometown and the surrounding area.
Among the many hats Danny wears is vice president of the East Syracuse-Minoa Little League. The volunteer team behind the league plans to expand so more children can participate in team sports and benefit from the lessons of sportsmanship, hard work and cooperation.
“[Kids] need someone with their best interests at heart to help bring them up with positive experiences,” Danny, who also coaches a team, said. “I think [baseball] encompasses everything they need to be successful later in life.”
Right now, the league utilizes a single field, but league leadership envisions additional fields and more teams.
“We have some big and bold ideas,” Danny said. “Not having running water, not having bathrooms – it’s hard to grow without basic services.”
The volunteers wanted to improve the league facilities, including adding bathrooms. Potable water access also would mean the ability to water the field and have a greater range of offerings at the concession stand, but the cost to the league would have been approximately $5,000, which the group simply didn’t have.
However, the Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA) has a partnership with HomeServe USA. Through this partnership, OCWA homeowners are educated about aging infrastructure, their responsibility to maintain their water and sewer lines and offered affordable plans to protect against the potentially expensive repairs. As part of that partnership, HomeServe offers a charitable fund dedicated to pro-bono repairs for disadvantaged homeowners and organizations. The water line installation cost was covered by HomeServe Cares funding.
“To have to invest in infrastructure and not the kids was troubling,” Danny said. “This was a godsend to us, because we would have had to keep kicking the can down the road, year after year, and it would have likely been five or ten years before we were able to do a project of this magnitude.”
HomeServe has a network of over 1,400 vetted local contractors who are dispatched to perform repairs. Mike Courcy of Courcy Enterprises Inc. was the network contractor performing the work to install a water service line and faucet at the little league’s concession stand. In addition to Mike’s business being located in nearby East Syracuse, Mike’s nephew plays on that field, so he felt especially connected to the project.
“Most of our customers are our neighbors and our friends – people we know – so we have to make sure that they’re happy, take care of them like they’re family,” he said. “We treat everyone like they’re family.”
One sixty-foot trench later, the little league had access to potable water.
“Thankfully, HomeServe came along and filled a huge gap for us so we can take this field to another level,” Danny said.
Service Line Warranties of America partners with municipalities to educate homeowners and offer affordable protection against potentially costly service line repairs. The Program uses a network of local plumbers who have gone through background and drug screenings. The Program’s 500-seat call center is staffed 24/7/365 to answer claims calls and dispatch contractors to address homeowners’ emergencies.
The Program is provided at no cost to cities, and partner cities can receive royalties based on participation.
To find out how you can help your residents achieve peace of mind, contact us.
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