20th ANNUAL DAY OF CARING CONNECTS VOLUNTEERS WITH COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

20th ANNUAL DAY OF CARING CONNECTS VOLUNTEERS WITH COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
Editor: David Mills


PORTLAND, ME - Up to a thousand volunteers from local companies, schools and non-profit organizations will spend a full day working on over 100 community improvement projects on Thursday, May 17th at United Way’s 20th Annual Day of Caring.

The day will begin at 8:00 a.m. with Mayor Michael Brennan speaking at a kick-off breakfast at the Back Cove soccer field in Portland. After that, teams from Unum, Hannaford, Martin’s Point Health Care and dozens more local organizations, dressed in their finest LIVE UNITED t-shirts, will spread out to sites throughout Cumberland County to provide volunteer services. Some examples of projects include:
·         Wood chip spreading at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough

·         Campus beautification and landscaping at Camp Sunshine in Casco

·         Playground maintenance at the Casco Bay YMCA in Freeport

·         Food sorting at the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn

·         Spring planting at Goodwill Industries of Northern New England in Gorham

·         Grounds cleanup at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in South Portland

·         Medical supply sorting at Partners for World Health in Scarborough

·         Trail cleanup at Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center in Windham

·         Island cleanup for Rippleffect on Cow Island

·         Organizing and sorting at Ruth’s Reusable Resources in Portland

Suzanne McCormick, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Portland, says: “We’re truly inspired by the volunteers that turn out every year for our Day of Caring. Their giving of time and talent, together with their energy, makes it a very powerful and moving day for everyone – themselves, their organization and the non-profit that they help. We’re especially grateful to the business leaders who afford us their employees’ time for a whole day.”

McCormick added, “For some participants, Day of Caring is their first volunteer experience. We try to make it a great one, and hope it’s the start of life-long volunteerism. We encourage everyone to visit www.volunteermaine.org to find opportunities appropriate for any skill level or time commitment.”

More information about Day of Caring is available at www.unitedwaygp.org.

United Way of Greater Portland has been working to improve people’s lives by mobilizing the caring power of our communities for over 80 years.