Last Saturday morning, McAfee Hall at First Presbyterian Church was filled with a sea of white T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Live United,” as nearly 300 volunteers gathered to power up on coffee and breakfast sandwiches before heading out to work on projects at the United Way of Indian River County Day of Caring.
Before they spread out to locations touching every corner of the community, UW CEO Michael Kint thanked everyone who came to assist those less fortunate. Volunteers supplemented much-needed manpower, working on 31 projects at 22 non-profit organizations throughout the county.
Sunny skies enabled some volunteers to work outdoors; beautifying gardens, picking up trash and washing windows, while others painted and did general chores inside.
“This year we have a lot of projects for organizations who are not under our funding,” said Kint. “We want this signature event to grow to all non-profits. We need everyone to help, and I hope by next year we will have 1,000 people come out to volunteer for projects big and small.”
Kint credited his staff as the driving force behind Day of Caring and thanked the Volunteer Chair Karl Williams and his crew from Marine Bank & Trust for organizing the volunteers. He also recognized Publix, as both the presenting sponsor and the top workplace contributor.
“Today is the first day of 365 days of caring, we want to make an impact every day of the year,” said Kint, before introducing the 2015-16 UW Campaign Chairs – Kerry Bartlett, Susan Chenault, Janie Graves Hoover, Katie Kirk, Leah Muller, Lenora Ritchie and Sue Tompkins.
“We endearingly call this powerhouse line-up the Sensational Seven. They have agreed to do the daunting task of raising the funds to advance the common good to make the needs of this county their priority this year,” said Kint, noting the goal is a whopping $2.955 million.
New Campaign Director Tracey Segal said she had felt like a part of the United Way family since moving here 13 years ago. “It’s nice that it’s official now. I’m excited to be able to help a number of organizations – funded partners and other non-profits and their clients who are in need,” she said. “The groups we help support are widespread and it is great to be a part of this national day of caring.”
Lisa Ioppolo and others from the office of the Clerk of County Court were headed off to paint at the Samaritan Center, to which they have contributed financially in the past.
“We want to reach out to the community and see who we are donating to in person and this also gives us a chance to bond,” she explained.
Vero Beach Mayor Dick Winger said he and other city officials, including Councilwoman Pilar Turner and Airport Manager Eric Menger, felt that if they expected others to get involved, they should be involved as well.
“I love our city and I think a good community is all groups working together to help others. We all have to be an integral part of that,” said Winger.