Day of Caring

Day of Caring is an annual volunteer event that provides local employees and residents with the opportunity to engage in day-long community service projects.

Middlesex United Way held its first Day of Caring in 1995 when 34 employees in Middletown volunteered at 5 non-profit organizations. Since that time, Day of Caring has engaged nearly 3,500 volunteers from local companies and organizations at 330 projects in towns and communities throughout the county.

Every year, we choose a focus area for Day of Caring so that we can make an impact on one issue or need. By mobilizing organizations and volunteers this way, we create real, lasting change that extends beyond that day.

SAVE THE DATE FOR DAY OF CARING 2011 - Wednesday, Sept. 7

In 2011 we will be ensuring children's readiness to learn by school entry, one of our Five Year Goals, by installing Born Learning Trails in all of the early childhood council (ECC) communities we serve. The trails are a fun, physical way for parents and caregivers to make the most of a child's early learning years. Signs posted along a trail provide activities for adults and kids to do together along with painted stencils on a path featuring colors, shapes, letters and numbers.

United Way will purchase the trail kits and recruit volunteers to install them throughout the county so that all families can benefit from this wonderful learning tool. Our Education partners, the ECCs, will assist us in identifying trail sites in their town and serve as a liaison to the volunteer group leader to ensure the site and necessary materials are ready for September 7.

We are looking for groups of volunteers to help install the trails. Each trails takes about 8 volunteers up to 4 hours to prepare and install. Individuals are also welcome to participate; we will assign you to one of the trails working alongside other volunteers.

Tasks involved include securing signage to wood posts, preparing trail site, installing posts inground and painting stencils on the ground. Additional activities, such as doing landscaping around the trail, are at the discretion and expense of the volunteer group/company.

• Please click here to learn more about Born Learning and the trails.
• Or click here to complete an online volunteer participation form.

DAY OF CARING 2010

In 2010 we focused our efforts on meeting the needs of senior citizens thereby helping to increase their self-sufficiency. This focus falls under the Income interest area in our work, where our goal is to increase the economic self-sufficiency of individuals and families.

ABOUT DAY OF CARING IN 2009

In 2009, we held Project Homeless Connect (PHC), an event that engages individuals who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness in one location and connects them with needed services. The event served as our one large-scale community-wide Day of Caring project.