by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
There are still plenty of volunteer tasks for anyone who wants to be part of the annual Sept. 26 “Day of Caring” in the greater St. Cloud area.
To be exact, about 200 volunteers are still needed. The deadline to sign up is Thursday, Sept. 19. To volunteer and to find out more, see the list of volunteer options on the Day of Caring website: www.unitedwayhelps.org/pages/DayofCaring.
The United Way of Central Minnesota Day of Caring is an annual event that rallies volunteers to do community projects throughout the area. It’s jointly sponsored and funded, in addition to United Way, by the Central Minnesota Community Foundation, Coborn’s Inc., Times Media and Rock On Trucks.
In St. Joseph, there are two volunteer options. The St. Benedict Monastery needs two volunteers to help in the museum, measuring patterns and recording data. The tasks would take place from 9 a.m.-noon and from 1-4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, the Day of Caring. Another St. Joseph-based task is for a participant to help with the Kennedy Kidstop Reading Buddies program that same day.
Other volunteer options include those involving schools, charities and agencies throughout the area, such as at the Boys and Girls Club, Kids Fighting Against Hunger, the Anna Marie Shelter, the St. Cloud Public Library and much more. Activities include a wide variety of projects that involve painting, sealing and staining, organizing and filing, marking storm drains, cleaning, weeding, pruning, mulching, and working with children and senior citizens.
People who volunteer can meet on the Day of Caring, Sept. 26, for a kick-off breakfast from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at the Whitney Senior Center in St. Cloud. A boxed breakfast will be provided, as well as a free volunteer T-shirt.
“There is still a need for 221 volunteers,” said United Way Volunteer Coordinator Mary Krippner during a Sept. 9 interview with the Newsleader. “We expect about 500 volunteers on the Day of Caring. That number was higher years ago because we used to have what was called ‘Week of Caring.’ As many as 800 volunteers would become involved with that.”
This year, there are about 65 volunteer projects in central Minnesota, mostly in the greater St. Cloud area, Krippner noted.
“Day of Caring,” she said, “is a great way to help the community while getting to know other people and making friends. It’s good to get involved with family, friends, co-workers and churches.”
