Dawn Castro
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
More than 230 volunteers rolled up their sleeves Friday to show their support for the community.
The Greater Valdosta United Way Day Of Caring kicked off at America’s Second Harvest of South Georgia before the forecasted rain could begin.
The volunteers covered the 11 different locations preset by the United Way. One of those locations was The Salvation Army on Smithland Place.
Six volunteers from Publix did their part by painting the interior of The Salvation Army. Publix employee Elaine Burton said she tries to help out every year.
“I just want to make a difference and give back to the community,” she said.
Co-workers Lesley Strohl and Justin Dasher are Valdosta State University students and agreed with Burton on the importance of giving back.
“I do it out of the kindness of my heart,” Dasher said.
While most of them had the day off to recuperate after painting, Dasher had to report to work when his volunteering duty was complete.
Rebecca Daniels, coordinator of the group, said she has been lending her helping hands for the past 12 years to the United Way and the March of Dimes.
“It’s about helping others,” Daniels said. “Even if you’re down and out, you can still make a difference. Everybody counts, no matter who you are or where you come from.”
At the Children’s Advocacy Center of Lowndes County, volunteers from South Georgia Pecan Co., the Valdosta Junior Service League, and Guardian Bank cleared out the playground and storage building. Home Depot agreed to lay rubber mulch down and bring in outdoor equipment for the children’s play area.
Louise Aldridge, from South Georgia Pecan Company, has been volunteering for the past few years. She didn’t mind working through the Georgia heat and humidity to help out the center.
“By helping out, you know you’re not just helping one person, you’re helping many people,” she said.
Katie Patterson agreed and added that helping the center was a little more personal for her. She is a pre-school director at church and works with the Valdosta Junior Service League. They recently held a Teddy Bear Tea fundraiser for the advocacy center to raise money for new playground equipment.
“It is really special for us to be able to come out here and do some of the manual labor before the mulch is put down,” Patterson said.
The Children’s Advocacy Center helps roughly 400 children per year who are affected by domestic violence and/or sexual abuse, Executive Director Brenda Hodges said.
“We really look forward to this (Day of Caring) every year,” she said. “We are so busy throughout the year, and with the budget cuts, we don’t have the staff to get out here and do a lot of the work that needs to be done. These ladies have done a great job preparing the playground before Home Depot comes in.”
Volunteers assisting the American Red Cross participated in a three-hour CPR safety training session Friday. Regions Bank, CJB Industries, Henderson and Godbee and Southeastern Federal Credit Union attended the session and learned the different ways they can help out in a potentially disastrous situation.
Terri Whitlock, executive director of the American Red Cross, said the Red Cross is one of the umbrella organizations working with the United Way.
“We provide services to the military as well as the general population,” Whitlock said. “Disaster doesn’t discriminate. We try to be prepared in any emergency situation.”
Bobby Yarbrough, director of the Greater Valdosta United Way, said not only did the nonprofit agencies get the much-needed help planting, painting, building and whatever else was needed, the volunteers also had the opportunity to see what goes on within the organization while they were volunteering.
“The campaign is about the community,” Yarbrough said. “We are already working on next year’s campaign.”
He wants to urge the community to get involved in future United Way campaigns and employers to offer payroll deductions to employees who wish to contribute to the United Way.
During this economic time, Yarbrough said, it’s not about what they don’t collect, but what they do collect that makes the difference.
The Greater Valdosta United Way improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities in the counties of Berrien, Brooks, Echols, Lanier and Lowndes. It does this by energizing and inspiring people to make a difference.
