This year marks United Way of the Capital Region’s (UWCR) 10th Annual Youth Day of Caring. Like our Annual Day of Caring in September, non-profit organizations benefit from the hard work and goodwill of area volunteers. As you might expect, Youth Day of Caring, engages local high school students with clean up and beautification projects at non-profit organizations throughout the Capital Region.
Youth Day of Caring coincides with Global Youth Service Day, the largest service event that celebrates the leadership of youth in the world. What makes our event even more unique is the partnership with our Bridges Society members. UWCR’s Bridges Society includes donors age 46 and younger who contribute a minimum of $500 or more annually to our United Way. Bridges volunteers serve as mentors and work hand-in-hand with the students throughout the day.
Last year, nearly 400 people including high school students, teachers, volunteer chaperones and agency staff worked on projects in Harrisburg’s South Allison Hill.
At the end of the day, 550 bags of trash were collected, 300 plants found homes in the ground and in flower boxes and 15 gallons of paint covered graffiti. Most importantly, the students felt a real sense of pride and accomplishment. They showed us all what it means to LIVE UNITED.
For our upcoming 2012 event, we will continue our work in South Allison Hill. In addition we will partner with the City of Harrisburg to work in Reservoir Park to get it ready for spring and summer activities.
Here at UWCR we encourage everyone to get in the spirit of spring cleaning and volunteer to help make our community a better place to live. For more information on how you can make difference, contact The Volunteer Center at 732.0700, or visit us online at uwcr.org.
PHOTO CAPTION: Students help beautify Harrisburg during last year's Youth Day of Caring.