JSU Faculty, Employees and Students Lend a Hand on United Way’s Day of Caring
From Staff Reports
The Jacksonville News
06-27-2007

Reprinted here in its entirety.

Local Volunteers Chip in to Help Community

Connie Thompson paints a rabbit on the wall of the Jacksonville Day Care Center. Photo: Jennifer Bacchus

“Take more than 300 volunteers performing more than 1,000 hours of labor during the United Way’s Day of Caring and you have saved area non-profit agencies close to $15,000 in just one day” said Carol Cleghorn, the 2007 Day of Caring Committee Chair for Calhoun County United Way.

Close to 400 volunteers from more than 25 companies and organizations painted, landscaped, cleaned and spruced up area non-profits on June 22. According to Dodie Newman, United Way Day of Caring Coordinator, “the response for volunteers for this year’s projects has been super.”

In Jacksonville, Habitat for Humanity and Jacksonville Day Care benefited from the Day of Caring. Volunteers from Alabama Power put up siding on the Habitat house soon to become Meria Stripling’s home on Roberson Street.

Melvin Bolt, Andy Carden, Ken Deal, Buddy Eiland, Steve Hildebrand, Douglas King, Brad Mooney, David Naugher, Rod Nowlin, Chris Shinstock and Janice Vera joined in the project.

Meanwhile, across Highway 21 at Jacksonville Day Care, Jacksonville State University faculty, employees and students painted the hallways, bathrooms and mural.

Randal Blades, Mary Cheatwood, Christan Green, Marcia Hardney, Rainer Haspel, Debbie Hood, Shelley Kaler, David Keefer, Karen Maxwell, Courtney Peppers-Owen, Tracy Phillips, Robin Smyre, Connie Thompson, Janet White and David Zeigler all put a lot of elbow-grease into their painting. Angie Finley and Joe Whitmore helped gather the JSU volunteers and organize them to make the day a success.

“The day of caring is about sharing our most valuable asset: our time,” said Cleghorn. Some employers pay their employees for the time spent on a project while other employees may use an off-day or vacation time to volunteer.

In many cases, once a company has taken on an agency’s project they build a bond with that agency, leading to additional support and donations throughout the year.

This year’s theme was “We’re Having a Ball, Giving Our All.” Volunteers across Calhoun County worked at 2nd Chance Women’s Shelter, Alabama Baptist Children’s Home, All Saints Interfaith Center, American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Boys and Girls Club, Calhoun County Humane Society, Calhoun/Cleburne County Children’s Center, Children’s Services, Community Enabler, Concern for Children, Coosa Valley Attention Home, Coosa Valley Detention Center, Daybreak Crisis Center, East Alabama United Cerebral Palsy Center, Girl Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, Interfaith Ministries, Jacksonville Day Care, Opportunity Center, Retired Senior Volunteer Service, Salvation Army, United Way of East Central Alabama, YMCA, and YMCA Camp Hamilton.

See story at The Jacksonville News's website: www.jaxnews.com .

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