As schools prepare to get ready for the big back to school rush, the to-do list seems endless. That’s where having great partnerships pay off! For the third summer in a row, volunteers from Union City’s Parker-Hannifin plants helped complete some hands-on projects for Union City’s Elementary School. This year, projects included weeding and mulching front entrances to the building, refreshing the courtyard, and restocking the shelves of the library.
In 2022, Parker assisted in a massive renovation of the school’s courtyard, calling in help from Capela’s Landscaping to create a vision for a sustainable and student-focused space within the building. Every year since, Parker has recruited volunteers for a clean up day in advance of Orientations and Open House. On Tuesday, August 12th, seven volunteers from both of Parker’s assembly and machining plants joined Union City Elementary’s Community School Director, Mrs. B. Pituch to refresh the courtyard. This year, we had support from Damon Pieper, Gary Weed, Justin Cooper, Joe Pituch, Nick Jawdy, Trina Dingle, and Tracy Pituch. The team helped to weed the area and lay down fresh mulch. Once the courtyard was done, the team moved to the front entrances, to do the same.
On Thursday, August 14th, a different crew of Parker volunteers spent time in the school’s library, restocking shelves. This summer, the library was part of a renovation project that included new flooring and new paint. Because of the new floors, the library books had to be packed up and stored away for the summer. This was done mostly by our school librarian and a few students who wanted to volunteer their time to help pack up each shelf, over the course of a few weeks. For the restocking, we welcomed eleven volunteers from both Parker plants. The school librarian, Mrs. Pauline Pituch, labeled each shelf, taught the volunteers how to read the call numbers, and soon everyone began to reshelf the books. For this project, we had support from Tracy Pituch, Joe Pituch, Lola Vincent, Nikayla Conaway, Wayne Tingley, Alan Sturgis, Tammy Sanden, Julie Good, Carrie Magee, Dale Nichilo, and Raymond Pituch. Over the course of four hours, this crew restocked approximately 15,000 books to the correct shelves.
“Thanks to this team, the library is ready for over 400 students to visit during the first week of school!” says Mrs. B. Pituch. “We are so grateful to these volunteers and how much this program has grown over the years.”
Parker-Hannifin, Union City, formerly Snap-Tite Quick Coupling, employs approximately 160 employees from local communities. The team feels it is important to give back, and truly enjoys projects that get them out in the community to help out. Parker-Hannifin offers eight hours annually to each employee's PTO bank that can be used for volunteering within the community proving that the social responsibility commitment comes from both the employees and the corporation! The Parker Engagement Team wants to increase participation in volunteer events by 10% in the coming fiscal year. Thanks to this event the team has already achieved approximately 60 hours into its goal! The Engagement team has sponsored blood drives, trout stocking with PA Fish and Game, community clean ups, and similar events. Parker-Hannifin also allows each event group to apply for monetary grants through the Parker Foundation for qualifying events, with funds going to the charity sponsoring the event, in this case the United Way of Erie County.
The Elementary School projects were made possible with funding from United Way of Erie County. Union City Elementary’s Community School Director, Mrs. Bailey Pituch coordinates the volunteer opportunities with Parker Hannifin’s Human Resource Manager, Mrs. Tracy Pituch. The mulch used for the front entrances was kindly donated by Devyn Hopson of Erie County Land Services LLC.
The Administrative team at UCASD, including Superintendent Mr. Matthew Bennett, are grateful for the hard work of these caring volunteers, noting the importance of seeing community members coming together: “This is such a great example of the community support we have in Union City! We are extremely grateful to have neighbors like Parker Hannifin and the many community members, local businesses, and partnerships through the United Way who make projects like these possible!”
As the team prepares to welcome students, faculty, and staff back for the kick-off of the 2025-2026 school year, Dr. Melissa Tomcho, Elementary Principal, reiterates: “We are so grateful for the Parker-Hannifin family’s ongoing commitment to our schools and school community. Their volunteerism means so much to all of us!”
Article Written by Mrs. Bailey Pituch
Union City Area Elementary United Way Community School Director
Photograph Caption:
L to R, front row: Gary Weed, Nick Jawty, Bailey Pituch, Trina Dingle.
L to R, back row: Tracy Pituch, Joe Pituch, Damon Pieper, Justin Cooper