Derick Petersen grew up in the Ocean View area of San Diego, near Imperial and Market. So when he found out that he and more than 70 other volunteers from the ARAMARK Building Community program were going to the Adult Day Health Care Center (ADHC) in that area to make lots of improvements, he felt great joy.

“For me, this is giving back to my community,” said Petersen, who for the past eight years has been volunteering for ARAMARK Building Community, a program that enriches lives by helping families improve their health, secure jobs, and move out of poverty, in partnership with community centers around the world.

“I think the patients will be happier with the improvements,” Petersen said. “It will be very uplifting.”

The Neighborhood Housing Association (NHA), one of San Diego’s largest human and social services agencies, operates the Adult Day Care Center. The ADHC offers services and care for disabled adults, who might have varied conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Many of the participants use walkers, canes, or wheelchairs, and more than 90 percent need physical therapy.

The volunteer event, which was on Wednesday, October 2nd, launched a partnership between ARAMARK and NHA.

During the day, volunteers constructed an urban produce garden with customized planters that will be accessible to the center’s physically disabled members, to encourage outdoor activities.

They also built benches for the outdoor area so family members can spend time with their loved ones while they are in the new garden. Volunteers also painted inspirational murals throughout the center, and created a handicapped-accessible meditation garden complete with wall murals, benches, and artificial turf.

“We’re in the community, we live in the community, so it’s important to give back to the community,” said Bev Dribin, vice-president of community relations for ARA-MARK.

ADHC services provide much needed support to underserved families struggling with specialized care needs.

More than 116 patients are enrolled in the program, and 50 people attend the ADHC programs daily, according to Luis Gonzalez, director of community affairs for NHA. The majority of patients are Latinos, Filipinos, and African-Americans, he said.

The building, which was built in 1934, is in need of many repairs, but the improvements and beautification projects that the ARAMARK volunteers made this week will mark a new era for the ADHC and its clients.

He said that NHA receives most of its funds for the ADHC from the County of San Diego, Medical, and Medicare.

“As a non-profit, we don’t have all the resources to rebuild the center, so these improvements will benefit patients a lot,” Gonzalez said. “The facility is looking a lot better now. We’re very grateful to have the ARAMARK volunteers come and donate their time and skills to help improve the lives of so many people.”

Nancy Barnum, whose husband Ron has Parkinson’s disease and dementia, and is a patient at the ADHC, was also volunteering. She said that the center has become a second home for her and her husband, who gets “excellent” attention and care there.

“This is fantastic,” Barnum said. “I love the way they treat people here, especially my husband. That is why it was important for me to come and help in any way I can to make this place look beautiful.”

Visit www.neighborhoodhouse.org for more information on the Adult Day Care Center and other available programs.