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Nearly 40 projects will be completed to benefit more than 20 nonprofit agencies on Thursday, June 2, in Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Sandy Hook, and West Redding.
“Volunteers are the foundation of every successful organization and every thriving community,” said Kim Morgan, CEO of United Way of Western Connecticut. “We are grateful to be surrounded by so many socially responsible companies who truly value volunteerism and who encourage their employees to dedicate a workday to volunteering. It is because of their leadership and commitment to our community that so much important work is done and so many lives are changed.”
In addition to being a wonderful day of giving back for the many volunteers participating, Day of Action also provides a financial benefit to the nonprofits hosting the projects. These projects can potentially save the organizations thousands of dollars in costly, but necessary maintenance projects, enabling valuable and limited resources to be used for direct services to the organizations’ clients.
All new this year, UWWC is leading a community-wide project in support of early grade literacy named Camp Wannaread. More than 100 volunteers will be gathering at the Danbury Police Athletic League Center to build literacy kits filled with donated books and reading supplies. More than 600 books were collected from book drives initiated at its corporate partners. The goal is to distribute 300 literacy kits to second grade students at Park Avenue School and Pembroke Elementary School in Danbury and Hill and Plain Elementary School in New Milford.
Also, volunteers from Praxair will spend the day at the Regional YMCA Children’s Center in Bethel assisting with various projects.
In addition, area companies have also signed up for projects such as reading to children, planting vegetable and butterfly gardens, cleaning up playgrounds, landscaping, and painting. In addition to the volunteer efforts, local businesses have donated materials and supplies in support of Day of Action projects.
According to The Independent Sector’s 2016 National Volunteer Service formula, the established benchmark for volunteer service value, this one day of volunteering represents more than $66,000 in economic value to the community.
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