(Canton, OH) April 8, 2019 – United Way of Greater Stark County is still accepting volunteers to assist with service projects on Day of Caring, May 17. Many of the local projects only need five to twenty volunteers.
Day of Caring is an annual one-day event where non-profits submit service projects they need assistance completing and workplace volunteer groups are matched up to those projects to complete them. Each year, it is the largest volunteer event available through United Way of Greater Stark County.
“We are celebrating 26 years of neighbors helping neighbors,” said Maria Heege, United Way of Greater Stark County President and CEO. “The ‘sweat equity’ provided by our volunteers allows local agencies, schools and organizations to complete projects that most of them could not undertake on their own. We wouldn’t be able to do this without the generous people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and help.”
In February and March, 38 non-profit organizations and schools in 12+ cities submitted 50+ service projects for Day of Caring.
Project sites include tasks in Akron, Alliance, Canton, Carrollton, Hartville, Louisville, Magnolia, Massillon, Minerva, Navarre, North Canton and Wilmot.
Organizations with projects include: Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, Alliance Family YMCA; Beech Creek Gardens; Carroll County Park District; Catholic Charities Serving Portage & Stark Counties – Adult Day Services; Cedar Elementary School; CommQuest Services – Adolescent Campus, Deliverance House, Family Living Center and Canton Offices; Domestic Violence Project, Inc; Dueber Reading & Math Preparatory School; Early Childhood Resource Center; EN-RICH-MENT; Fairless Schools; First Ladies National Historic Site; Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland & East Central Ohio; Hartville Migrant Ministry; Heritage Christian Schools of Ohio, Inc.; HOPE Outreach Ministries; Huston-Brumbaugh Nature Center; JRC Adult Day Center; JRC Early Learning Center; Louisville Area YMCA; Massillon Museum; Meyers Lake YMCA; Minerva Area YMCA; Mt. Pleasant Community Garden; Pathway Caring for Children; Paul & Carol David YMCA; Pegasus Farm; Refuge of Hope; Sandy Valley Local Schools; Stark County Community Action Agency; Stark Parks; StarkFresh; The First Tee of Canton; The Wilderness Center; Towpath Trail YMCA and YWCA Canton.
Project tasks include weeding and mulching, planting, landscaping, painting, washing and cleaning, construction, roofing, building, and serving food. Most projects tasks can be completed within a few hours of a group of volunteers’ time.
Throughout Stark County, 27 workplaces have signed up so far to volunteer. They include AAM-Metal Forming – Malvern Facility, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital, Aultman Health Foundation, Beaver Excavating, Biery Cheese Company, Checkpoint Systems, Inc., Consumers National Bank, Design Restoration, Diebold Nixdorf, Dollar Bank FSB, ExxonMobil Chemical, Hendrickson Trailer Commercial Vehicle Systems, H&R Block, Huntington National Bank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Keller Williams Legacy Group Realty, Marathon Petroleum Company LP Ohio Refining Division, Marathon Pipeline, Nationwide Insurance, PNC Bank, PolyOne Corporation, Stark County Park District, Synchrony Financial, Timken Company, TimkenSteel Corporation, Walsh University and Williams.
“Day of Caring is the perfect opportunity for local businesses, organizations, service groups and individuals to give back to the community through volunteering,” says Laura Prengaman, United Way of Greater Stark County’s Director of Corporate and Volunteer Engagement. “It’s a great team-building exercise for workplaces and the wide range of projects makes it easy to match up groups of all sizes and capabilities.”
This year, there are enough projects for 775 volunteers and 600 are currently registered. You can register your volunteer workplace team online at www.uwstark.org/get-involved/volunteer/day-of-caring .
Huntington Bank is the Presenting Sponsor of the event, Canton Repository is the Corporate Sponsor and Liquid Custom Apparel and Gifts contributed an in-kind donation.
“We are proud of the fact this is the ninth year Huntington has been Presenting Sponsor of United Way of Greater Stark County’s Day of Caring,” said William C. Shivers, Regional President of Huntington Bank in the Canton and Mahoning Valley Regions. “Day of Caring is a wonderful representation of how individual and business volunteers come together to complete service projects for the betterment of our community. This event is an eye-opening experience and I encourage Stark County citizens and businesses to join us for this inspiring day.”
For more information about volunteer group participation engagements, contact Laura Prengaman, Director Corporate & Volunteer Engagement at 330-491-9953 or email [email protected].
Not able to join us for Day of Caring this year? Find other ways to get involved in your community through our other volunteer opportunities.
About United Way of Greater Stark County
United Way of Greater Stark County fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. We win by living United. By forging unlikely partnerships. By finding new solutions to old problems. By mobilizing the best resources. And by inspiring individuals to join the fight against their community’s most daunting social crisis. Our mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our communities in Greater Stark County. In order to live better, we must live United. For more information about United Way of Greater Stark County visit www.uwstark.org. Offices are at 401 Market Avenue North, Suite 300, Canton, Ohio 44702. (330) 491-0445.