United Way Day of Action, a nationwide event that brings people in communities together to improve the communities and the lives of the people will be Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
United Way is a worldwide organization that helps raise awareness of the importance of volunteering and coming together for a cause.
Brett Horsley, director of communications of United Way of West Alabama encouraged people to come and volunteer, as it is an important part of improving the community.
“Whenever you give back it makes you feel good. You know you’ve improved the community,” Horsley said. “If everyone could just give a little bit of their time to use their talents towards volunteering, it would just improve the community overall.”
When registering, volunteers are asked to list any specific skills or talents they have in order to be placed in a location that would benefit the most.
“We do our very best to use people’s talents in a positive light and really zone in their skills for a specific agency,” Horsley said.
Some of the projects that will take place are landscaping, painting, debris removal and website and media management.
Specific agencies like Arts ‘n Autism, Tuscaloosa’s One Place and The Arc of Tuscaloosa are participating in the June 21 festivities. Area schools such as Echols Middle School, Northington Elementary and Duncanville Middle School are also volunteering.
Companies that donate and are involved with United Way, such as Target, often get a crew together to volunteer.
“You have to give back to the people who make up our community. That’s one of the biggest ways to make us stronger as a whole,” said Sarah Machen, team leader of Tuscaloosa’s Target Corp. store.
Machen encouraged her employees to take the United Way pledge in order to put their donations into actions.
“It’s a really good way for employees to find out what their donations are going towards,” Horsley said. “We try and match up their skills to what agency they will be working with.”
The youth in the community are also encouraged to sign up. Youth-age groups form teams and are supervised by an adult leader.
Students at The University of Alabama also come together for the community’s well-being.
“It’s important because you get involved with your community. Volunteering is the one time when people act selflessly without needing recognition or reward,” said John Morgan Davenport, a junior at The University of Alabama majoring in public relations.
Even though every United Way does the Day of Action differently around the country, the goal is still the same: to improve the community by uniting the people who inhabit it.
To register, go to UWWA.com. The morning session is from 8:30 a.m.–noon. The afternoon session begins at 12:30 p.m. Participants who have registered are asked to sign in at the United Way office at 2720 6th St. in Tuscaloosa.
