Published: February 2, 2014 | Last Modified: February 2, 2014 01:00AM

By Stephen Knight

The political season is off to a somewhat quiet start, so this column will cover a couple of my favorite subjects: Wallingford’s special community spirit and, to no surprise, SCOW. And I intend to craftily weave the two subjects together in order to plug an upcoming event that I hope many of you will consider attending.

Below are three of a countless number of examples of how people and organizations selflessly volunteer generously of their time, talent and treasure to making a difference in this community. Making it even more special is that they do so without fanfare, seeking no recognition or approbation, and receiving little or no notice.

Allnex: This is the new name for Cytec, the chemical manufacturer. Yes, we all know about their environmental footprint, etc. But you will not know of an effort that ten of their employees initiated this past Christmas. This group wanted to do something for the community during this season, so they raised funds within the plant through a silent auction. Armed with the proceeds, they then contacted the Wallingford Emergency Shelter to see how they could help. They did so by purchasing Christmas gifts and clothing for two single moms and their children housed by the shelter as well as a family that had recently moved from the shelter into public housing. They told no one about this effort, but I felt you should know.

Kendrick Park: You may recall a previous column describing the efforts of a group of neighbors that reside near this small park who are in the process of raising funds to invest in new playground equipment. Their mature and non-confrontational approach to working with the town to improve this park was the subject of the column. Recently I attended their first fundraiser, a wine-tasting. I was struck by 1) the number of people who attended, 2) the incredible effort that this group has put into their project, and 3) the upbeat and positive approach that they have taken. Their effort will no doubt succeed, serving as a fine example of how people in the Wallingford community expend so much effort to make this a better town.

Choate Rosemary Hall: We all know that the school administration makes many contributions to the betterment of the town, but you might be unaware that some of their students do as well. One such effort is a group of about ten who took it upon themselves to reach out to SCOW. Every week for the past year, they have been teaching a group of “SCOW kids” to play classical music on instruments such as the violin, trumpet, recorder, and guitar. They held a recital last Sunday that I wish the entire town could have seen but, of course, won’t. So I am mentioning it here.

And speaking of SCOW …. On this coming Thursday, February 6th, the agency will hold its third Wine-tasting fundraiser entitled Latino Wine-makers. It will be held at Traditions Golf Club beginning at 6pm. Tickets are $25, and can be purchased at SCOW (203-265-5866), Wallingford Center (203-284-1807) from me (203-464-6196) or on line (scowinc.org). It promises to be as enjoyable as have been the first two. The funds raised will help the agency enhance and grow the many youth leadership and education programs that have been so successful in the past few years.

My friend Maria Harlow tells me that one of the special attributes about American society that has always impressed her is the incredible spirit of volunteerism that is part of our national character. I wish I could list every selfless effort made by members of the community to make their hometown a better place, but I cannot. So, please — let these three anecdotes serve to represent all of you who do as they have done. And accept the thanks of all of here in Wallingford.

Stephen Knight is a former Wallingford Town Councilor.