Record Volunteer Numbers at United Way’s Day of Caring
300 volunteers made this years ‘Day of Caring’ one of the most successful ever. (submitted photo)
by Amy Meyer
Above and beyond. That’s the best phrase I can use to describe the work that 300 volunteers did during Wednesday’s Day of Caring event.
My name is Amy Meyer, and I’m the Executive Director of United Way of Mahaska County. This is the fifth Day of Caring I’ve been involved with, but I have never been more impressed with the hard work and dedication of so many volunteers.
As I saw the stream of workers arrive at lunch – tired, sweaty and dirty – I knew in a few shorts hours, they had left their mark on our community. That gardens, nonprofits, and homes were having love poured into them, all because so many were willing to step up and say, “I can help make this place better.”
Day of Caring brings together groups of volunteers, most from local businesses, with projects at Mahaska County nonprofits as well as homes of those in need. Painting, landscaping, cleaning and even some major home repair projects were all on Wednesday’s agenda.
If 300 sounds like a love of volunteers, that’s because it is. We had never broken 200 in the 10 years of Day of Caring. While I’m not sure what got so many community members fired up to serve this year, I am nothing but grateful for the enthusiasm of the volunteers, as well as the generosity of business leaders who allowed them to leave during the workday.
But Day of Caring is about more than just one day. It celebrates those who work hard to make our community better. With volunteerism and community engagement, Mahaska County would be a different place.
One of our biggest projects this year was the home renovation of a disabled man in Oskaloosa. For years, his home fell further and further into disrepair, with only one source of running water in his whole house. To flush the toilet, he had to fill up a bucket from his bathtub and pour it into the tank.
He had asked for a few items to be repaired, but when volunteers from MCG came to see what the project entailed, they soon realized that it would take a lot more work to make this house a safe place to live.
At 9PM on Wednesday, long after this director had gone home, the team was still there. Replacing rotting flooring and the joists that held it up, fixing the ancient plumbing system and painting walls throughout the house.
And they did not stop until they were done. Even though that meant several volunteers going back all day Thursday.
Matt Tippett is the Telecom Support Manager at MCG and was one of the team of 30 who volunteered for Day of Caring.
“The guy was basically living in third world conditions and what the team did has the potential to make a significant difference in his life,” said Tippett.
That’s the important thing to remember about volunteering. It’s one day or even one hour, but it has the potential to change someone’s life forever.
