VALDOSTA – Lowndes County non-profits received a slew of helping hands Friday morning as the Greater Valdosta United Way sent more than 150 volunteers for its Fall Day of Caring initiative.

Volunteers from businesses across the county gathered at the Unity Park Amphitheater for United Way’s kickoff event. Day of Caring occurs twice a year — in the spring and fall — but Valdosta United Way President and CEO Michael Smith said more mini-versions of the event could soon be held throughout the year.

“We’re very blessed with great weather today. We’ve got around 150 volunteers doing 12 projects around Lowndes County and a project in Lanier County at the Boy Scout Camp. We want to expand it into other counties over time so we can have more coverage,” Smith said.

He explained that hosting volunteer events allows people within the community to learn the missions of the non-profits and helps those organizations receive assistance with projects that could be a big task for the current staff members.

Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and state Sen. Russ Goodman of District 8 shared remarks to the participants before releasing them to project assignments.

Some projects ranged from giving non-profit buildings such as the Boys and Girls Club’s Teen Center and Legacy Behavioral Health Services a new paint job, assisting Girls on the Run South Georgia prepare race packs for its upcoming 5k end-of-season celebration, landscaping, or cleaning the river at Langdale Park.

South Georgia Medical Center had a team of employees who were ready to refresh the Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta’s Teen Center.

Christina Bryant, an internal auditor, was one of the volunteers in the team. She was excited to make the building bright and uplifting for the teenage members at the club. Bryant is not a Valdosta native so learning more about volunteers was a major benefit while participating in the Day of Caring. She looks forward to volunteering again.

“You never know the fulfillment you get from serving other people with time,” Bryant said.

Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta Vice President of Development and Marketing Kristin Hanna said, “For us it’s encouraging that other people want to come in and pour into the kids we serve. United Way is able to mobilize hundreds of volunteers for all the non-profits instead one island of a non-profit trying to do all the work on their own. Them championing this event serves all the nonprofits at once.”

The Valdosta Daily Times’ own sales representatives Lauren Lane and Sasha Mitchell worked with other volunteers at Legacy Behavioral Health Services.

Day of Caring also had volunteers of all ages from elementary aged students to Valdosta State University students.

Kristiana Chusovitina and Veronika Potpenko are exchange students at the university. They both learned about Greater United Way of Valdosta’s Day of Caring through a mail notice from VSU.

The students said the day was a great opportunity to get closer to community members and see more of the town outside of the university campus.