United Way of Lake County’s 32nd Annual Day of Caring Brings Community Together to Give Back
June 20, 2024 (Mentor, OH) – United Way of Lake County’s (UWLC) 32nd Annual Day of Caring took place over two days on June 18 and June 19, 2024. A total of 15 projects took place during this period, and an additional 4 were rescheduled due to the extreme heat. All totaled, the organization facilitated the “adoption” of 19 community projects by volunteers.
Over the 32 years UWLC has made Day of Caring possible, they’ve recruited and paired approximately 16,650 volunteers with nearly 1,450 community projects.
“We work hard to impact our community and improve lives, and one of the ways we do this is through our annual Day of Caring. It saves our local nonprofits thousands of dollars, allowing them to invest in the services they provide to their clients in need,” stated UWLC President & CEO Dione DeMitro.
UWLC’s Day of Caring mobilizes the power of a large group of volunteers from Lake County businesses and organizations to make a meaningful impact in the community by pairing them with projects submitted to UWLC by non-profits.
According to DeMitro, “Bringing community together to impact lives is our role, and Day of Caring is a snapshot of what we do all year long – galvanizing people around solutions to build a stronger community and a better life for all Lake County residents.”
Volunteers worked on a wide variety of projects throughout Lake County, which yard cleanup, mulching, planting flowers and plants, weeding, organizing storage closets, sanding and refinishing tables, deep cleaning buildings, and hosting socials, one a Build-a-Burger Cookout for clients of the Lake County Department of Developmental Disabilities/Deepwood, and another for the clients of Spark Specialized Serices in Perry where a Board Game and Ice Cream Social was hosted.
Projects took place throughout Lake County in the cities of Fairport Harbor, Mentor, Painesville, Perry, Willoughby, and Willowick.
Project completion times varied from a couple of hours to a half or full day.
The organizations and groups who adopted Day of Caring projects included ABB, Cleveland Construction, Fifth Third Bank, Huntington, K-J Fasteners, the Lake County Board of Developmental Disabilities, the Lake Development Authority, Lakeland Community College, Platinum Real Estate, Rea & Associates, RE/MAX Homesource, the Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce, and Winter Equipment. Additional community volunteers also participated.
Despite the oppressive heat, volunteers pressed on to complete their Day of Caring projects, some of which took place at Deepwood Industries, the Fairport Harbor Senior Center, the Lake County Board of DD/Deepwood, the Lake County Council on Aging, the Lake County YMCA Outdoor Family Center in Perry, the Lake County Free Clinic, the Mentor Senior Center, Spark Specialized Services, and Wildwood Cultural Center and Park.
Volunteer Wendy Kunash of Platinum Real Estate said UWLC’s Day of Caring is something she looks forward to participating in every year. “I’m willing to take on just about anything to give back to our community in some small way. I’m fortunate, able to move my body, and it makes me feel good to be able to contribute.”