The United Way of Indian River County joined forces with more than 1,000 volunteers last Saturday morning at the annual Day of Caring, raising awareness about the needs of the community while completing more than 70 projects for fellow residents in need of a helping hand. The hands-on work they accomplished will continue to have a positive impact long after the last nail was hammered and paintbrushes were put away.
The morning kicked off with a breakfast at the Freshman Learning Center, where Marine Bank and Trust President/CEO Bill Penney announced on behalf of his fellow Team Marine co-chairs, that the 2017-2018 campaign fundraising goal is $3,040,000.
“This is without a doubt the largest Day of Caring that we’ve ever had,” said Michael Kint, United Way of IRC CEO as workers left to complete their tasks.
Teams headed out to paint, erect and repair mailboxes, number houses and assist with yard work at locations around the county. Some students completed projects at individual elementary schools and a group of about 70 students put together 1,000 care kits for the homeless, which local law enforcement officers hand out when they encounter folks living on the streets.
“What I love about Day of Caring is that you get to see a whole bunch of different people from different places in the community coming together and working on different projects,” said Katie Kirk, Day of Caring Chair committee chair. summing up the unity of everyone working for the common good.