Plenty of volunteers are expected to help with Jackson County United Way’s 22nd annual Day of Caring.

Organizers of the May 15 event just need projects for the people to do.

To reach all areas of the county, from Crothersville to Medora and all points in between, the word is being spread to ensure there are enough projects to go around.

Bonita Dobbs, program manager for Jackson County United Way, said when she started with Day of Caring in 2012, there were 28 projects and 78 volunteers. In 2017, there were 173 projects and more than 1,100 volunteers.

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“So just in six years, we have grown by leaps and bounds,” she said. “Everybody wants to be involved in this great day in Jackson County. It’s the biggest day of volunteerism in our community.”

This year, she expects between 1,250 and 1,300 volunteers.

“We encourage friends, families, churches and civic organizations to keep an eye on their neighbors and share information about Day of Caring,” she said. “It is after all a day where neighbors help neighbors.”

The deadline to turn in volunteer forms and project request forms is March 30.

Dobbs recently spoke to the Brownstown Town Council about Day of Caring and left both forms to distribute to people in the town.

Along with mailing more than 500 letters, Jackson County United Way is doing other outreach to let people know about Day of Caring.

Committee member Matt Nicholson is speaking with pastoral groups, United Way administrative assistant Marianne Willacker spoke to the Jackson County Community Service Council, interviews with Radio 96.3 WJAA (Breakfast with Bob, March 21) and 92.7 WXKU (with Kelly Trask, April 6) are scheduled and the other 24 Day of Caring committee members are talking to people.

“I am very excited about the direction our outreach is moving right now,” Dobbs said. “We have asked individuals who we feel have a great pulse on the needs in the outlying communities to join our Day of Caring committee. This will help us connect to those communities in locating projects.”

Those people are Tim Reynolds in Medora, Gary Drake in Brownstown and Brenda Holzworth in Crothersville.

“Last year, we did door-to-door canvasses in Seymour and Medora, and we may do so again this year,” Dobbs said. “We are very fortunate that many of our project sites return year after year. We have some locations that have forged a beautiful relationship with the volunteer group, and they request the same group and/or the volunteer group requests the project site.”

Most projects are accepted, Dobbs said. Volunteers just can’t enter a home or do any roofing jobs for liability reasons.

Projects must be able to be completed from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 15, and a certificate of insurance must be provided.

People are asked to provide as many materials as possible to have their project completed, and they should plan to provide the volunteer crew with a light lunch and beverages as a thank-you for their time.

“We’re always looking for projects,” Dobbs said. “It’s really kind of thinking outside the box. If you think something is doable, send it. The only thing we’re going to say is, ‘No, we’re not going to do it.’ That’s the worst case scenario. I don’t know that that happens very often that we’ve said, ‘No, we can’t do it.'”

Each year, there is a big push for senior citizens to apply so they can receive help with something outside their home. There are simplified forms for them to fill out.

“You don’t know what your neighbor’s needs are, but by us reaching out, we’re able to find them,” Dobbs said. “We know the seniors a lot of times have very limited income. We’ll provide the labor to come out to your home … and to do those things is really huge for the seniors. They are very, very appreciative of that.”

In mid-April, the United Way will contact people to let them know if their project was accepted, and volunteers will be matched with projects.

Organizations or groups interested in participating in Day of Caring may make a cash donation or be a sponsor ($100, Helping; $300, Serving; $750, Leading; or $1,500, Presenting). They also can fill out a form to make an in-kind contribution.

Volunteer groups will be asked to provide some tools for their projects. They also need to fill out a waiver and release form and turn it in by March 30 to ensure their requested T-shirt size.

“Our volunteers come from a very diverse group,” Dobbs said. “Some are like me, I plant flowers. Other people have very skilled attributes that they can do skilled work. We try to match what their passions are and their abilities to what the project is.”

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The 22nd annual Jackson County United Way Day of Caring is set for May 15.

Project ideas are needed to have enough work for the more than 1,250 volunteers to do.

A project request form, a volunteer form, an in-kind contribution form and a waiver and release form are available online at jacsy.org under the “Get Involved” tab and then “Day of Caring.”

Once the forms are completed, mail them to Jackson County United Way, P.O. Box 94, Seymour, IN 47274; fax to 812-524-8176; or email [email protected].

Forms also are available at the Jackson County United Way office in the Community Agency Building, 113 N. Chestnut St., Suite 301, Seymour.

For information, call 812-522-5450.

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