More than 1,000 volunteers in Columbus offered a helping hand at nonprofits across the county during the United Way of Bartholomew County’s annual Day of Caring.
During this year’s event, 1,004 volunteers — including employees from 24 local companies — worked on 61 projects at 18 local non-profits, said Kyle Hendricks, United Way of Bartholomew County spokesman.
Volunteers put in a combined total of 4,016 hours, which provided a $102,126 value to the community on May 10, event organizers said.
Last year, 687 volunteers worked on approximately 55 projects during the event for a combined total 2,748 volunteer hours.
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The Day of Caring is an annual full-day volunteer event where local businesses and community members are connected with local nonprofit and residential volunteer projects in Bartholomew County. This year, the Day of Caring efforts extend beyond one single day, with an additional 16 projects scheduled to be done through June 7, Hendricks said.
“It was a great day of demonstrating just how generous our community is with the number of volunteers rolling up their sleeves and making our community a better place,” said United Way president Mark Stewart.
At Just Friends Adult Day Services, at Mill Race Center in downtown Columbus, about 10 volunteers were helping around 10 older Columbus residents exercise.
Volunteer Shelley Bultman, a Cummins Inc. employee, said volunteering was a rewarding experience.
“It makes me feel good because I didn’t realize all the things that United Way does,” Bultman said. “So being able to come to an agency and actually see what they do and how they help people, you get to see what a difference United Way really makes. I knew this was here, but I didn’t realize what they did.”
Outside, two Columbus residents, Meg Bellami and her mother, Karen Hull, were spray painting a bench that needed to be spruced up. First they used steel wool to sand down the bench, Bellami said. Then, they started painting, but quickly ran out and needed to go buy more paint.
“Honestly, it’s so cheesy, but it just makes you feel good when you leave, knowing that you helped somebody out,” Bellami said. “There’s little things here and there that they’re not asking us to do, and I’m like, ‘I want to do it, I want to help you.’ I know that many of the people in there are disabled or elderly and they deserve it.”
Established in 1985, Just Friends Adult Day Services provides activities, meals and transportation for adults who can’t stay at home or need an opportunity to get out of the house. The nonprofit began in 1988 at its temporary location at First Lutheran Church. By 2015, Just Friends was serving around 70 participants each year. Just Friends moved into its current location at Mill Race Center in 2011.
Before exercising, some of the elderly had played dominoes, cards and painted flowers made out plastic water bottles, said Jayme Zobrist, Just Friends Adult Day Services program coordinator.
After exercising, the participants and volunteers either played pool, baked small pizzas or lemon bars, did more artwork or played cards or dominoes.
Though the nonprofit is for anyone older than 18 years of age, most of the people it serves are at least 50 years old, Zobrist said. The oldest person the program has served was 96 years old.
Typically, Just Friends Adult Day Services has one to two volunteers on a given day, Zobrist said. On Friday, the organization had 16.
“Day of Caring is a great opportunity for us to show our organization to folks who normally don’t see us and to folks who want to make a different but not necessarily work at a nonprofit. It’s a way to share community,” Zobrist said. “We always enjoy the fresh faces.”
Just Friends Adult Day Services was just one of 18 nonprofits that participated in Day of Caring event by hosting volunteers.
“We typically get about 600 to 1,000 volunteers,” Stewart said. “This year we had a really strong showing.”
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The United Way Day of Caring is an annual full-day volunteer event where local businesses and community members are connected with local nonprofit and residential volunteer projects in Bartholomew County.
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Visit uwbarthco.org/volunteer for more information about the United Way of Bartholomew County or to volunteer.
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