Since 2003, the employees of Koch Eye Associates have spent each July 29 continuing a legacy of volunteerism known as “Koch Cares Day.” The date marks the anniversary of the death of Koch patriarch Peter Koch, M.D. All locations are closed for business while employees of the firm spend the day – not in the office – but around the state at a variety of civic and non-profit organizations, volunteering their time and talent.

More than 130 employees went into their communities, working side by side with groups like Save the Bay, the Audubon Society and the R.I. Community Food Bank. Warwick alone featured spots at A Wish Come True, Cornerstone Adult Services, the ImPossible Dream and the American Cancer Society.

The work is as varied as the placements, with volunteers painting, cleaning, landscaping, serving meals, working with rescue animals, assisting the elderly, and washing cars – one of the more popular volunteer spots.

“There were 19 different placements and employees got to pick their first, second and third choice,” said Janice Pothier Pac, director of the Volunteer Center at Serve Rhode Island, which coordinates Koch Cares Day.

At this seventh annual volunteering event, several employees, wearing Koch Cares Day pins, spent the day with members of the Johnston Senior Center quilting class, creating a quilt made from scraps of pink cloth. The product will be donated to the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Research Foundation, for an auction to be held in conjunction with the fourth annual Flames of Hope WaterFire, to be held on Oct. 10.

The quilting class is instructed by Susan Contreras, director of Capitol Region Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). This is the fourth year that RSVP has been a participant of Koch Cares Day, with a quilt made each of those years.

“This is one of the more popular ones,” Pothier Pac said of the Johnston Senior Center quilting for charity placement, praising Contreras’ work.

Volunteers started the day with a kick-off breakfast and finished the day with an appreciation dinner.

Koch employees Nancy Dodd of Warwick, Jami-Lynn Pardee of West Warwick, Tara St. George of Coventry and 14-year Koch veteran Robin Cichy of Charlestown, worked to sew the blocks of the quilt as JSC members Fran Zanni, Pat Baxter and Marie Lanzi assisted in trimming, pressing and placing the finished blocks.

It was Cichy’s first time volunteering with the Johnston quilting group, although she had quilted before. On any other Wednesday, she would be in an office, writing down surgery plans for patients scheduled for surgery on the following day.

Pardee would usually be in an office posting insurance payments.

“This is so much more fun,” she said.

St. George would have also been in an office, taking care of patients. Dodd would be getting ready for the bi-monthly visit of Dr. Motolko from Canada.

“We see more than 150 patients on that day,” she explained.

The quilt pattern was a relatively easy one, using scraps left over from other projects.

“You can’t make a mistake,” said Contreras, adding, “We have less people this year, but it’s going faster – they had all quilted before.”

One year the quilting for charity group had 20 volunteers, many of whom had never quilted before but had chosen a more difficult pattern. It was more than the three Johnston Senior Center mentors could handle.

This year’s quilt was more than half done by the time the group took a break for lunch.

When the 6- by 8-inch striped blocks were finished and laid out in a pattern, one of the advanced quilters pieced the quilt together, adding a border. A label, signed by all those who worked on the quilt, was the last piece to be added.

“Quilters always sign their quilts,” Contreras said.

She and a group of seniors had created a “Memorial Quilt” years earlier, featuring iron-on transfer photos of Johnston history and the town’s residents. The quilt hangs in the conference room of the Johnston Senior Center.

Koch Cares Day is only one of the ways Koch Eye Associates employees give back to the community. The company also holds monthly dress down days, offers scholarships and participates in mentoring programs. The company also sponsors the Rhode Island PBS auction and several sporting teams each year.

“It’s a nice way for Koch employees to honor Dr. Koch, and doing something different for the day is a great way to give back to the community – it’s also great for team building,” Pothier Pac said.

The quilting class that creates quilts for charity year-round, instructed by Contreras, meets every Friday at 1 p.m. at the Johnston Senior Center, located at 1291 Hartford Avenue, and welcomes new members of all sewing levels. For organizations interested in becoming a volunteer location, contact Pothier Pac at 331-2298.