On June 22 more than 2,300 volunteers across the Ozarks worked on 270+ different projects for nonprofit agencies through United Way’s Day of Caring. It is the single largest one-day, community-wide volunteer event in Southwest Missouri. Many local businesses and organizations take part in deploying teams of employees to spend their work day giving back to area non-profits. This year, United Way celebrated its 25th anniversary of Day of Caring. BR&P has participated for at least the last 15 years.
This year, our team volunteered at the Salvation Army, where we painted the front lobby of the main administration building. The structure, which is 22 years old, still has many of its original features. Most of the items are slowly being updated, paint being one of them. While painting may not seem like the most exciting task, it did transform the space into a warm, inviting place for everyone who walks through the Salvation Army’s doors. Many of their clients are coming to ask for help, which is often times humbling. The Salvation Army wants to make sure their building is a place that is dignifying and cared for, so clients can feel comfortable asking for services.
Many times nonprofits do not have the staff or resources to take care of tasks that often get put to the wayside, including painting. Day of Caring allows nonprofits to take care of those jobs with the extra help of volunteers who aren’t typically in their network, ultimately, saving them time and money.
Some thoughts on the day:
Angie Way, BR&P Partner, who coordinates our efforts, says that BR&P participates every year because,
“It seems like the right thing to do. For most of us here, we look forward to Day of Caring because the individuals at United Way and the partnership agencies do a wonderful job organizing and preparing for us to come in, so that we can get a lot of work done in a relatively short amount of time, and see the benefit to those not only in need of the agencies but those that also work in those agencies all year.”
Nick Banner, BR&P Intern Architect, says, “I find it really fascinating that everywhere you go in town you see someone wearing the ‘LIVE UNITED’ t-shirt, especially this year with the bright neon green. It just goes to show how many people participate every year and how big of an impact one day can make on the community.
For Nate Hay, BR&P Intern Architect, Day of Caring is important because, “We are able to unite and build up our community and its members and beautify our city.”
Geoffrey Butler, BR&P Founder says, “We have participated for as long as I can remember and it is part of our commitment to the community. We strive to make the community better by our involvement, actions and support in any way we can.”
Previous BR&P Day of Caring Projects include:
Painting a warehouse for Crosslines
Assisting in a food drive for Ozarks Food Harvest
Painting at the Southwest Missouri Office of Aging
Scraping and painting cabins at Camp Wakonda
Assisting in yard work and cutting down bamboo stalks at Arc of the Ozarks
Be sure to check out the video to learn more about the Salvation Army and Day of Caring. Butler, Rosenbury & Partners is proud to support Day of Caring and United Way’s efforts to better our community!