SitemapHundreds of volunteers made the Day of Caring a rousing, singular success.
Our mission at the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley is to be the catalyst and driving force for collaborative, sustainable community impact.
On Sept. 4, I believe we fulfilled our mission at our 18th Annual Day of Caring.
We want to sincerely thank the hundreds of people who helped make it all possible. When we first started planning the volunteer event, we were worried because it fell on Labor Day weekend. But that did not stop the nearly 700 volunteers from coming out in full force to make a positive impact in our community.
Our staff spent months planning for this day. We worked closely with the city of Youngstown, Green Youngstown, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., the American Red Cross, and Lowe’s. We got great support from two title sponsors: Huntington Bank and Hometown Pharmacy.
But what really makes this day special is seeing the men, women, students and children from 54 companies, organizations, nonprofits and unions come together to serve their neighbors in need.
More than 400 people went to the Cottage Grove neighborhood on Youngstown’s South Side. They cleaned and boarded up 75 abandoned homes.
Even though dirt and sweat covered the volunteers orange Day of Caring T-shirts, they still beamed with pride as they looked up and down the streets that they helped transform. The smiles and feelings of accomplishment could be seen on the faces of a few hundred more volunteers who went to 16 of our partner agencies.
The United Way of Youngs-town and the Mahoning Valley cannot do this work alone. We have a small staff with big hearts, but we also have hundreds of people who believe in what we are trying to accomplish.
Bob Hannon, Youngstown
Bob Hannon is president of the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.
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