The concept of Day of Caring was created at a Regional Association of United Ways meeting which included Allegheny, Butler, Greene, and Washington Counties, plus Mon Valley in Pennsylvania; Marion, Monongalia and Harrison Counties in West Virginia and the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley which covered Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel Counties in West Virginia and Belmont County in Ohio.
For years each United Way held its campaign kickoffs at different times. This group decided they could avoid confusion and attract more public attention by launching their fund drives on the same day. To make the opening day even more significant, local companies were asked to loan employees to provide time and energy for community service projects in each community.
The First Day of Caring was held on September 11, 1991. Here in the Upper Ohio Valley, we had 6 social service agencies and 60 volunteers participating. The job list that year included general cleaning and painting.
The number one way to help people feel more connected to their community is through volunteering. Companies around the Ohio Valley will help us kick off the United Way campaign with the largest volunteer day in the Ohio Valley – SANDY O’HAVER DAY OF CARING. This event makes a lasting impact on so many of our neighbors in the Upper Ohio Valley through community service.
How does DAY OF CARING work?
As a community partner, we ask that companies give their employees a paid day out of the office to volunteer at a local non-profit agency. Day of Caring proves to be a great team-building day as well as an eye-opening and gratifying experience for volunteers. Teams will be assigned to a specific agency whose staff will give direction and supervision on tasks needed. Volunteers gather at Wheeling Parks White Palace for a continental breakfast and a brief program at 8:00 am before hitting their projects.
Annually, this event brings together 300 volunteers. Last year during the pandemic, we were still able to deploy 80 volunteers to safely provide several nonprofit agencies the TLC they needed. We are looking forward to growing our numbers back up to full strength.
We will proudly and publicly recognize participating companies and volunteers. We welcome volunteers to take pictures and share them with us and on social media. Volunteers receive a SANDY O’HAVER DAY OF CARING t-shirt and lunch provided by the host agency.
This is a rewarding opportunity to help us celebrate the good work being done by agencies across our communities and for helping us kick off the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley’s annual campaign.
If you are a non-profit needing some help or a company that would like to connect to your community through volunteering, call the United Way UOV office at 304-232-4625 and ask to speak with the Associate Director, Maddi Seavy, or email her at [email protected].