United Way planning Days of Caring event
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on August 30, 2006 1:45 PM
Wayne County people will demonstrate the spirit of helping during the 2006 Days of Caring Sept. 8-16.
The event will be co-sponsored by Volunteer Wayne and United Way of Wayne County.
Throughout the week, local businesses, civic groups, schools and individuals will be doing a variety of community service projects.
This year's Days of Caring will start with an opening ceremony Sept. 8 at 8:30 a.m. on the steps of the courthouse.
Center Stage Theatre Encore Performers will provide musical entertainment.
The Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Honor Guard will post and retrieve the colors and Airman Dana Kirsch will perform the National Anthem.
Mayor Al King will read the Days of Caring resolution and Geoff Hulse, United Way campaign chairman, will give opening remarks.
The speaker will be from the Boys and Girls Club and will talk about volunteerism.
Projects that have registered with Volunteer Wayne are:
*Wayne County Chapter of the American Red Cross -- paint a utility building with oil paint.
*Boy Scouts -- collect uniforms for needy youths.
*Boys and Girls Club of Wayne County -- develop a technology committee to teach computer classes; coach football, soccer, basketball and baseball; help with the National Day for Kids celebration Sept. 15 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.; paint the floor at the Northern Wayne unit; assist with homework during Power Hour; plant flowers and other landscape work at the Mount Olive Unit; to implement a choral group to practice once a week from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.; help youths write thinking of you letters for residents of Somerset Court retirement home; and to an Angel tree at Christmas.
*Cherry Hospital -- collect hygiene items and backpacks for youths, conduct a basketball clinic for residents; demonstrate personal hygiene and skin care for female adolescents; donate or collect phone cards for adolescents; build volleyball and basketball courts.
*Communities In Schools -- collect school supplies.
*Habitat for Humanity -- organize thrift store warehouse, trim and paint a new home.
*Lighthouse of Wayne County -- paint four rooms at the thrift store, landscape a garden area, build playground equipment and build shelves in the safe house.
*Mental Health Association of Wayne County -- collect sleeping bags that protect under 32 F for the homeless.
*Partnership for Children -- paint a multipurpose training room, create a scrapbook of agency pictures and events and test and delete files on used computers.
*Salvation Army -- collect nonperishable food items.
*WAGES -- gather and assemble supplies for disaster kits for seniors (flashlights with batteries, bandages, whistle, hand sanitizer, poncho, tissues, baby wipes, gauze and first aid tape, zippered plastic bags and a waterproof container for the items.
*WAGES Headstart -- collect books and infant toys.
*Wayne Opportunity Center -- build two benches for clients.
*Seymour Johnson AFB Women's Health Clinic -- decorate and paint clinic.
*Seymour Johnson AFB Airman and Family Resource Center -- collect pillow cases for pillow case drive for deployed airmen.
*Meals On Wheels -- deliver meals to the homebound elderly.
*Wayne County Chapter of the American Red Cross -- paint an outside building.
*Community Arts Council -- landscaping.
*MERCI Center -- collect items for flood buckets.
Those who have signed up to do some of these projects include Pittard Perry and Crone, Goldsboro Housing Authority, Strickland Insur-ance, Fairview and Lincoln Homes, Turner Equipment Co., Moffatt Oil Co., Wayne County Master Gardeners, Long's Plant Farm, Seymour Johnson AFB, Wayne County, Gold's Gym, Wayne Memorial Hospital, Wayne County Public Library, Three Eagles Rotary Club, Edgewood Developmen-tal School, WAGES and Wayne County Services on Aging.
Days of Caring T-shirts will be available for those volunteering. They may be ordered from Darwin Screen Painting for $6 each for a minimum of one dozen. Company or organization logos may be added to the sleeve of the shirt at no extra cost. To order, call 734-6848.
Volunteer Wayne director Barbara Stiles is encouraging those who are doing projects for Days of Caring, but who have not yet registered, to do so as soon as possible at 735-5151, ext. 702 or by logging on to www.volunteersolutions.org.