United Way of Salt Lake’s 25th Annual Day of Caring took place last week on Thursday, September 14. As always, the wonderful volunteers and agencies that participated on Day of Caring had an enormous impact on our local communities! More than 3,000 volunteers from 90 local companies spent nearly 15,000 total hours completing 100 one-day projects throughout Davis, Salt Lake, and Summit counties.
Day of Caring is UWSL’s largest day of volunteerism, during which many schools, government programs, and nonprofit organizations are connected with corporate and community groups that accomplish large and impactful projects. Many Day of Caring projects can’t be accomplished any other time, due to lack of resources or the inability to connect with the best group to complete the work. Typical projects often include beautification work, organization of donations, reading/educational activities with youth, and much more.
The enthusiasm of the volunteers on Day of Caring is truly palpable- our community is eager to give back, and that ensures the success of Day of Caring and of UWSL’s mission to ensure every child, and every family, in our community can be successful. Day of Caring could not happen without the incredible volunteers who give their time each year, and the agencies who host projects that support the important and meaningful work that they do. Thank you for making 25 years of Day of Caring possible!
Here are just a few highlights of impactful projects
that took place across our community:
Alliance Data at Guadalupe School | Vision Screenings
This was Alliance Data’s first year as a Year of Action sponsor and regularly volunteering with UWSL. On Day of Caring, they helped out Guadalupe School with vision screenings. These screenings are a critical health interventions to our students, as it helps identify which students need a referral to our mobile health clinic. Every year, many kids get the glasses they need to learn through these screenings. Alliance Data’s dedicated employees helped by administering the screenings, by having the kids describe to them the shape or letter on the sheet. Then another volunteer recorded their results.
It is impactful for Alliance Data and the students to be able to participate in one-on-one volunteer activities like this because being able to interact with one student at a time can make a world of difference. Each student was able to have individual time and attention to see if their sight needed intervention.
Christina Weaver, a volunteer said,“When you are younger, it’s hard to tell if you have trouble seeing because maybe your whole world is blurry, that’s why it’s important to be here today.”
Savage Services in South Salt Lake | Home Improvement Projects
Savage Services brought 100 of it’s employees to clean up and restore the outside of three homes in South Salt Lake. The homes were chosen through South Salt Lake’s Community Connection program that identifies residents in need.
South Salt Lake Mayor, Cherie Wood, said that the volunteers donating their time that day were making a huge impact in the lives of residents, who just need a little help. Savage employees rolled up their sleeves and got to work – making a huge difference for folks in South Salt Lake who need it most!
“There is absolutely no reason for you to not get involved with United Way.” –Kirk Aubry, Savage Services
CHG Healthcare at Family Support Center | Crisis Nursery Improvement Project and Copper View Elementary Mural
CHG opened their new office in Midvale a few months ago so it was very important for them to work with our team to connect them with projects within the Midvale boundaries. UWSL’s volunteer team was able to connect them with two projects that will directly improve the lives of the community they live and work it!
Divina Mauchley, with CHG said, “As the Senior Cultural Specialist at CHG I help organize our community focused programs. It’s really awesome because I work for a company who is committed to live their core value of putting people first by making an impact on their communities and working with organizations like United Way of Salt Lake to help us do so. CHG has been participating in Day of Caring for over 10 years and we have about 50 volunteers who participated.”
CHG had employees participate in two different projects. Half volunteered at the Family Support Center crisis nursery in Midvale to complete yard work, indoor deep cleaning, steam clean the carpets, and repair an outdoor walkway. The other half volunteered at Copperview Elementary to paint United States maps on the playground! The volunteers were dressed and ready to make a difference and have FUN while giving back to their local community.
For more photos, videos, and stories — check out UWSL’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Thank you to all of the amazing volunteers, partners, and agencies who helped make Day of Caring so incredible!
