There is more than one way to volunteer and The United Way of Tucson, and Southern Arizona will offer Tucsonans hundreds of options during Days of Caring Wednesday and Saturday.
The event, now in its 17th year, is expected to mobilize more than 3,000 volunteers to assist with 140 different projects for Southern Arizona nonprofits, schools, parks and childcare centers during the region’s single largest volunteer effort.
“This is really an opportunity to get the community involved with all of the needs in Tucson and there is something for everyone. This is such a great event—you can even take your kids and they can help, too. No one is too young or too old because there is such a wide variety of tasks,” said Melissa D’Auria, director of marketing and communications for the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona.
Projects range from community beautification and painting (indoors and out) and gardening and landscape work (including buffelgrass removal at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum) to organizing files, offices and classrooms and writing holiday cards and stuffing envelopes.
Days of Caring initially began as a cooperative effort between corporations and nonprofits supported through United Way workplace campaigns. As an extra show of support, employers offered employees time off to volunteer with their chosen nonprofits. This year, nearly 20 businesses including IBM, BBVA Compass Bank, Tucson Electric Power, Texas Instruments, Geico, and Freeport-McMoRan will offer more than 1,000 employees time off from work to volunteer.
“It is a direct connection between the employees and the nonprofits that they are helping through workplace campaigns. It gives people the opportunity to go out and build a fence or paint a wall and it has such a great impact. It started with companies and their employees and has grown to include the public at large and is a wonderful activity for schools, clubs, families and groups of friends. It is a great way to do something for the community,” D’Auria said.
For the first time this year, Days of Caring volunteers can also opt for organizing collections drives and distributing books, clothing and food to assist those in need at HopeFest. The day-long event will provide free dental services and medical screenings, haircuts, diapers, hygiene items, groceries, clothing and more to underserved and marginalized populations from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, 2500 E. Ajo Way.
HopeFest Chair Lisa Chastain said that at least 1,200 volunteers are needed at the event which provided about $1.5 million in goods and services to more than 12,000 Tucsonans last year.
Chastain said that HopeFest is thrilled about partnering with Days of Caring since volunteers are essential in facilitating distribution of goods and services to attendees, who are comprised primarily of the working poor. She said the event serves many families and veterans as well as homeless people and those who are uninsured or underinsured. Services are completely free and are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
“This is an important event for two major reasons: first, it provides goods and services to people in desperate times of need with no eligibility requirements. There are so many hoops people have to go through in order to receive things that they need and we try to make it easy and convenient to take care of some of their basic needs,” Chastain said.
“Equally important, we have about 100 different social service agencies, government entities, and faith-based groups in attendance so that people can come and connect with services and programs that will be a valuable asset to them in receiving ongoing care that will provide them with long-term sustainability.”
Overall, D’Auria said that HopeFest and Days of Caring are symbolic of hope and caring, which are central to the mission of the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona.
“Our mission statement is to build a better community by uniting people, ideas and resources. What better way to execute that mission than to bring together all of these nonprofits and the community to fill these needs? It helps achieve and forward all that we are about,” she said.
