Up to 1,800 volunteers of all ages will scatter throughout the Columbus area Friday to carry out more than 90 different projects — all intended to improve the community.
It is the most ambitious “Day of Service” schedule since the United Way of Bartholomew County began the program six years ago, said Joy King, director of United Way’s Volunteer Action Center.
In addition to employees from 16 companies, there will also be four different schools and 29 nonprofit organizations sending out personnel to work on the projects, King said.
Companies and organizations, from the Dorel Juvenile Group to Columbus Regional Health, will allow their employees to spend part or all of today repairing or upgrading public facilities, social service agencies, and even individual homes occupied by those who can no longer perform the upkeep themselves.
The “United Way Day of Service” began one day early for a 90-year-old Columbus widow, when a dozen volunteers from Toyota Material Handling arrived at her home at 7:30 a.m. Thursday to begin a myriad of projects.
A decision was made to start working a day early at Barbara Shumaker’s home on 25th Street, just west of Jordan Drive, because the projects were expected to be labor-intensive, United Way employee Uriah Pierce said.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see this,” said Shumaker as a new front porch and wheelchair ramp began to materialize in front of her residence. Some of the volunteers also cleared out gutters, trimmed trees and performed other landscape work.
For more on this story, including more photos, see Friday’s Republic.
