1,200 volunteers assembled beneath BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium early Sept. 10 for a pancake breakfast to kick off United Way’s Day of Caring. Pancake flippers included many local leaders such as LaVell Edwards, Provo and Lindon Mayors Lewis K. Billings and Jim Dain, County Commissioners, BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson and UVU President Matthew Holland.
After breakfast, volunteer teams drove to their assigned non-profit service locations throughout Utah County. Service included painting, landscaping, cleaning and minor repairs of area homes. UVU faculty and staff were assigned a Provo home in which they assisted an elderly resident with her landscaping by weeding and pruning. “UVU is happy to provide this service to the community,” said Mike Moon, program coordinator for Volunteer & Service-Learning at UVU. “As part of our mission, we are an engaged campus. The fact that so many faculty and staff members are willing to give part of their day to this Day of Caring gives manifest to our commitment to that mission.
Volunteers consisted mainly of employees from local companies whose employers encourage involvement in the Day of Caring annually. The Home Depot, Intermountain Healthcare, Lowe’s, UVU and BYU staff, Nordstrom, Novell, Nu Skin and Omniture were just a few of the companies represented. Noting the increase in volunteers, Bill Hulterstrom, President and CEO at United Way, said, “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when things are tough in the community, more people volunteer than ever before.” Volunteering is up 25 percent from last year.For a list of local volunteer opportunities with United Way of Utah, visit www.unitedwayucv.org/volunteer
