Contact Niki Paksoy, Director of Marketing and Creative Services
813-274-0953
813-505-5998 cell
Email: npaksoy@uwtb.org
Local Agencies Get Help
from Thousands of Volunteers During
United Way of Tampa Bay Day of Caring
In one day, $222,750 worth of volunteer work will help
lift Tampa Bay spirits.
TAMPA BAY -- Tuesday, October 13, 2009 -- On Thursday, October 15, more than 2,200 volunteers will tackle 130 projects to help deserving social service agencies – an amount of time valued at $222,750.*
United Way of Tampa Bay’s 17th annual Day of Caring brings together teams from area companies and local agencies who have asked for help. From painting to gardening, from pressure washing walls to sorting food, clothing and toys, the volunteers will do work that the agencies may not otherwise get done.
The need for skills-based work has grown. Agencies requested help with installing children’s programs on donated computers, preparing college applications for students and résumés for job seekers, repairing light fixtures and wiring, wrapping water heaters, installing weather stripping and energy-efficient lighting, designing a web site and building a ramp for the disabled.
Diana Baker, President and CEO of United Way, notes, “Our local companies are generous enough to offer their muscle power and their brain power. When the right people come together on the right project, everyone benefits. The volunteers feel good about how they used their skills, the agencies get a project completed that they may not have been able to do, and the people in the community who need help are served better, faster, and in a more welcoming environment.”
Among the more than 100 companies and organizations who will participate are United Way of Tampa Bay, AEGON, Allstate, the Cities of Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Temple Terrace, FedEx, Ferman, Grow Financial, Humana, McNichols, Mosaic, Moffit Cancer Center, Macy’s, Publix and the Tampa Bay Rays.
The media is invited to these photo opportunities from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon on Thursday:
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY LOCATIONS:
- Sulphur Springs Boys & Girls Club, 8608 N. 12th Street, Tampa:
Moffitt Cancer Center employees will clean inside and outside and paint the basketball court, benches and parking lot.
- Sulphur Springs Elementary, 8412 N. 13th Street, Tampa:
MetLife, USF AMA and Publix volunteers will paint, weed and trim the garden and set up indoor equipment.
- Sulphur Springs Resource Center, 8412 N. 12th Street, Tampa:
United Way Women’s Leadership and American Marketing Association members will conduct mock interviews with job-seeking clients.
- The Children’s Home, 10909 Memorial Hwy., Tampa:
The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation employees will remulch the playground and refinish furniture; Rockwell Automation, TriNet and Gold Standard employees will re-paint exteriors; Publix employees will clean walls, windows and ovens; PCL Civil Constructors will remove dirt from a storm drain culvert; Refurbished Office Furniture employees will clean upholstery.
PINELLAS COUNTY LOCATIONS:
- LifeForce Cultural Arts Academy, 1751 Kings Highway, Clearwater:
30 Tampa Bay Rays employees will mulch the front yard, install virus protection and clean computer drives, and work with youth from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on homework assignments and encourage linguistic development through poetry, rap and other literary art forms.
- Sexton Elementary, 1997 54th Ave. N., St. Petersburg:
50 Publix employees will trim bushes and mulch the butterfly garden; plant new flowers, grasses and bushes; and weed and prepare a garden area for second graders to plant.
*The Independent Sector, a leadership forum for charities, foundations and corporate giving programs, calculates the value of a volunteer at $20.25 per hour.
