United Way's Day of Giving gives back to the community

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United Way’s Day of Giving brought people together from all over Utah County for a day of service.

Deborah Weiss, a United Way employee, was all smiles at 6 a.m. as she was busy making sure everything was in order for this important day.

“Day of Caring and United Way are really great,” Weiss said. “Because we’re focusing on advancing the common good and finding what the community needs and going out and doing it.”

The LaVell Edwards Stadium was crowded with people at a time when the rest of the community was still home in bed. United Way employees and BYU volunteers braved the early hour and the morning chill as they set up the Day of Caring kick-off breakfast. Important members of the community, such as BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson and Provo Mayor John Curtis, flipped pancakes as they thanked the volunteers for donating their time and energy in giving back to the community.

Katie Hoshino, Senior Director of Advancement at United Way, knew that the hours of preparation and the stress that went along with planning and executing a huge event such as Day of Caring would be worth it at the end of the day.

“Every year there’s new surprises,” Hoshino said. “And every year it comes together and the community goes out and completes a lot of service projects and does a lot of good in the community.”

Stella Dobry, who works with the EveryDay Learners’ initiative stated, for her, Day of Caring was so important because it gives members of the community a chance to volunteer, perhaps for the first time.

“This gives those people an organized experience volunteering,” Dobry said. “And hopefully, because of their good experience, perhaps they’ll continue to find more ways to volunteer in their community.”

The United Way of Utah County has many opportunities for volunteerism and giving back. For more information go to http://www.unitedwayuc.org/.

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