United Way of Central Ohio Celebrates 20 Years of Community Care Day Volunteering

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United Way of Central Ohio celebrates an important milestone with the 20th Anniversary Community Care Day, the largest single volunteering effort in central Ohio. 

Over the past 20 years, Community Care Day has mobilized more than 75,000 volunteers and provided an estimated half a million dollars in equivalent labor costs to United Way member agencies, other nonprofit organizations, neighborhood groups and local schools.

Community Care Day is a powerful example of how people come together through United Way to help strengthen our community. The thousands of hours of volunteer service given each year allows participating schools and nonprofit organizations to further their missions of moving central Ohio forward in the interconnected areas of education, income, health and home.

This year, 3,000 volunteers from 150 companies are participating in almost 200 projects throughout central Ohio. Projects range from stocking food pantries and organizing clothing donations, to repairing and refurbishing school facilities in the Columbus City, Southwestern City, and Groveport Madison Local school districts.

20th Anniversary Community Care Day projects include:

  • Cleaning up  three playgrounds at the Homeless Families Foundation to give the families that live in the facilities safe, enjoyable spaces in which to play.  Volunteers will also organize and re-stock the warehouse where donations and food for the on-site food pantry are stored.
  • Building a storage cabin, planting 100 trees, landscaping, mulching, and maintaining trails at Camp Mary Orton, which is part of the Godman Guild Association, a longtime United Way of Central Ohio member agency.  Maintaining and improving Camp Mary Orton will help the organization in its mission to provide children and adults with opportunities to develop leadership skills and learn about the natural environment.
  • Building fences, restoring boardwalks, and painting the basketball gym and  fitness center walls at the Jerry L. Garver YMCA.  These improvements will help the YMCA provide programs and services that help the people who participate stay healthy and fit.

 Community Care Day is sponsored by Bob Evans Farms and the Kroger Company.  Their generosity supports the efforts of the thousands of volunteers who are working to advance the common good in central Ohio.