Annual United Way Day of Caring event to be held Thursday

182

More than 1,000 volunteers will converge on LaVell Edwards Stadium for the 15th annual United Way Day of Caring on September 12.

Participants from 25 companies and organizations around Utah County will come together to offer their time, money and resources to the community.
Volunteers work on home repairs as part of the 2013 United Way Day of Caring.
Volunteers work on home repairs as part of the 2013 United Way Day of Caring. (Photo courtesy of United Way of Utah County)

“It’s been a wonderful thing to see more companies get involved,” said Michaelann Gardner, marketing and communications manager for United Way of Utah County. “They do a lot of projects that save the county tons of money and time. All the supplies are donated, and all the man hours are donated.”

The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a donated breakfast served by community leaders, including BYU president Cecil O. Samuelson. After the meal and a presentation about the event, volunteers will drive to service locations around the county.

“When they get there someone will be there to greet them and to hand out their rakes, or their paintbrushes, or their books or whatever it might be, and they get to work,” Gardner said.

This year volunteers will read with students at dozens of local elementary schools, paint and repair playgrounds, clean and paint the Alpine House (a facility for those with mental illness) and improve the landscaping at South Franklin Community Center, in addition to several other projects.

Overall volunteers are expected to provide more than 4,000 hours of service to local organizations, something Gardner hopes will inspire more service throughout the year.

“It’s neat to see how everyone just pitches in and makes it happen,” Gardner said. “You see a lot of people willing to just do whatever needs to be done.”

For more information about the event, visit unitedwayuc.org.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email