350 volunteers set to tackle 150 service projects on United Way’s 12th annual Community Care Day

16 May 2008

An army of volunteers will march through Union County this Tuesday May 20, sprucing up communities and improving the lives of area residents. United Way of Union County’s 12th annual Community Care Day takes place from Richwood to Plain City and all points in-between.

The burgeoning group of 350 helpers from 50 area workplaces and organizations have over 150 projects on their collective to-do list. Painting, landscaping, window washing, and spring cleaning highlight the projects. 126 projects will be completed at the homes of individual senior citizens who requested help. Other group projects will take place at area social service agencies and parks. A countywide drive for six Union County food and personal needs pantries will also occur. The event is mushrooming to more than double its size of three years ago, when 150 volunteers completed 89 service projects on a single day.

“Community Care Day is infectious,” said Dave Bezusko, Campaign & PR Director for United Way of Union County. “The good feeling you get from helping someone gets your blood going and keeps these volunteers coming back year after year. Consider that this is a weekday and note that we have many people using a vacation day from work to join us!”

A crew of 47 associates from Scotts Miracle-Gro tops the list of groups sending volunteers to lend a hand. Vineyard Church of Marysville, Honda of America, Jonathan Alder Junior High School, the North Union High School FFA, Invensys Controls, Best Buy, Starbucks, Students with a Mission, Memorial Hospital of Union County, Union Rural Electric, Best Buy, and the Ohio Reformatory for Women are all sending groups of 10 or more.

Some highlighted group projects include the following:

  • A group from Starbucks will assist the Union County Military Family Support Group in assembling care packages to send to local troops stationed around the world (at the American Legion Hall at Legion Park in Marysville).
  • Students with a Mission will be planting flowers in all Marysville parks.
  • More than a dozen Scotts volunteers will be doing extensive landscaping enhancements at the Richwood Civic Center (235 Grove Street).
  • Home Depot volunteers will be installing new shelving units at the North Union Personal Needs Pantry in Richwood (18 S. Fulton Street).
  • Jonathan Alder junior high students will be weeding and raking at Pastime Park in Plain City. (N. Chillicothe Street).

Area residents and workers not signed up for Community Care Day can still participate by making a donation of needed food or personal needs items. Volunteers will be outside area shopping centers from 9:00 to 1:00 (Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Kroger, and Big Lots) collecting canned food, peanut butter, cereal, tuna, hamburger helper, shampoo, dish soap, trash bags, baby diapers, and baby wipes for six area food and personal needs pantries.

Bezusko says Community Care Day is made possible by the corporate support of Honda of America, Mfg.; Invensys Controls; Memorial Hospital of Union County; and Scotts Miracle-Gro. It is their sponsorships that pay for the supplies and materials used by volunteers to complete their tasks and conduct the event.

For more information about Community Care Day, including coordination of potential photos and interviews with volunteers and recipients of services, please contact Dave Bezusko prior to Tuesday May 20 at (937) 644-8381 ext. 2 or uwuc.dave@rrohio.com. For assistance in doing a story on Tuesday May 20, please call (937) 243-3097 or visit the Catholic Community Center in Marysville (1033 W. 5th St.) where we will be basing our event day operation from 6:30 a.m. through 4:00 p.m.