Show You Care Everywhere: UWTT's Day of Caring
Next week, many United Ways will be marking United Way Worldwide’s global Day of Action (June 21). Countless volunteers will be making a difference in the communities where they live and work – building playgrounds, painting schools and child care centers, delivering boxes of nutritious food and more.
But United Way galvanizes volunteers all year long, part of our work to mobilize communities so everyone, everywhere has a pathway to opportunity and impact.Across our global network, some 1.4 million people come together to help their neighbors and communities.
And some United Ways make it a long-term, national event. For example, United Way Trinidad and Tobago (UWTT) mobilized more than 1,700 people (called Care Ambassadors) on a single day recently to volunteer in 48 different venues, including schools public spaces and community residences.
The theme for UWTT's 10th National Day of Caring was “Show You Care Everywhere.” On May 21, United Way brought together corporate entities and volunteers to make a lasting impact on individuals, communities, NGOs, and the environment. It reminded everyone involved how we can create powerful moments of hope by helping others.
This National Day of Caring impacted more than 13,500 people across Trinidad and Tobago, building on community impact work United Way has been doing in school communities. In one volunteer project, the team recovered the greenhouse of a climate-smart community garden. The garden was introduced to support a low-income community but deteriorated during the pandemic. At another site, donor partners resurfaced the pathways at a rural elementary school and installed murals in another school's courtyard.
Allison S. Abraham-Duncan, principal of the Mon Repos RC Primary School, expressed her gratitude for the outpouring of care and commitment to her students. "The management and staff of Nutrien, one of the volunteer groups, demonstrated exceptional organization, kindness, and generosity," she said. Their efforts transformed the school and enriched the environment where the children of Mon Repos spend most of their time.
Another volunteer project took place at Santa Rosa Government Primary, which saw participation from funders and partners, including Nestle, IBM, Hyatt Regency, Sherwin Williams, Lange Trinidad Limited, bmobile and iGovTT. Employees came together to paint the interior of the school, replant courtyard greenspaces and beautify play areas, which hadn’tbeen cared for since before the pandemic.
The National Day of Caring was made possible through the power of collaboration. United Way can’t build stronger communities by itself – it’s the volunteers, advocates and donors across 1,100 communities who bring volunteerism to life – on Day of Action, Day of Caring and thousands of other volunteering opportunities generated by the global United Way network. If you want to get involved in making your community a better place, contact your local United Way.