Deadline nears to join United Way’s Youth Day of Caring

The work includes outdoor cleanup, painting and sorting food donations.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — Tuesday is the deadline for youth and family groups to register to participate in the seventh annual Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way Youth Day of Caring.

The local Youth Service Day of Caring, conducted in conjunction with National Youth Service Day, is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 26. It is a community service project in which student groups from area high schools, Scout troops, churches and families perform tasks, odd jobs and other activities for area nonprofit social service agencies.

Among others, projects may consist of painting, cleaning, outdoor cleanup, office work and sorting food donations, said JoAnn Stock, United Way director of marketing and resource development.

Interested student or family groups should contact the United Way office at (330) 746-8494 or visit the Web site at www.ymvunitedway.org for more information.

On April 26, the students will assemble at 8 a.m. at the YMCA in downtown Youngstown for breakfast and an overview of the day. They will then depart for their assigned locations to complete their projects. The students will meet back at the YMCA at noon for lunch and to share their experiences, she said.

Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way Youth Service Day of Caring activities are designed to increase awareness of United Way and how it works in the community; of United Way-affiliated agencies and how they work to meet community needs; and the important roles volunteers play in helping to make the Valley a better place, Stock said.

“This will be our seventh annual Youth Day of Caring, and it’s grown each year,” Stock said. “It’s great to see these young people pitch in to help to make a difference in our community, and it’s amazing to see how much they can accomplish in a relatively short period of time.”

National Youth Service Day aims to mobilize youth to identify and address the needs of their communities through service; recruit the next generation of volunteers; and educate the public about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders, she added.