National Do Something Nice Day – October 5th
Make your friends and family smile this October 5 on National Do Something Nice Day. It encourages us to perform acts of kindness for strangers or loved ones — or both! It’s easy to become so caught up in our own stresses and struggles that we forget to show kindness to others. It is a great reminder that doing good deeds makes the world better — and might even help you better manage your own troubles in the process. So, celebrate the day together!
Indian River County, Florida: Over 1,200 volunteers rolled up their sleeves and put on work shoes to participate in the United Way of Indian River County’s special 25th-anniversary celebration of Day of Caring on Oct. 5, sponsored by Publix Super Markets.
These people completed more than 60 projects at local schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations.
The day kicked off at Vero Beach High School’s Billy Livings Field, where over 400 community members enjoyed entertainment from the Fighting Indian’s varsity cheerleaders and marching band.
United Way CEO Michael Kint welcomed attendees to the kickoff breakfast, recognizing that Oct. 5 also was “National Do Something Nice Day.”
“Today we celebrate many things: the 25th anniversary of this event, the start of our Annual Campaign, and the coming together of community members,” said Kint.
2019-2020 Campaign Co-Chairs Bob and Jeff Schlitt, of Schlitt Services, energized and informed the morning’s crowd about the start of United Way’s annual campaign, which will take place through June 30, 2020. This year’s theme is “Imagine.”
“Imagination is a powerful tool, and it’s extremely fitting for United Way’s mission: To improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of the community,” said Jeff Schlitt. “Imagination is a key step in the process of creating positive change in the lives of the people that live in Indian River County.”
“We imagine that 90 percent of high school students will graduate and graduate on time, and the work that United Way does with the community and the partnerships that it forges with organizations, collaboratives, and individuals is where that imagination becomes a reality,” said Bob Schlitt. “But nothing can happen unless we first imagine the possibility. You may not know it, but the value of one volunteer hour is $25.43. You all are making a tremendous investment in the transformation of our community.
Day of Caring projects ranged from painting to gardening and organizing.
Elementary schools in the district hosted volunteer projects, engaging school staff and families, while middle and high school students assembled over 3,000 weekend snack packs that will be distributed to students at Dodgertown, Fellsmere, Pelican Island, and Vero Beach elementary schools and Indian River Academy. These nutrition packs will provide food to children who don’t know where their next meal is coming from when not in school.
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/INdCwjrFD4Y
- https://nationaltoday.com/national-something-nice-day/
- https://www.tcpalm.com/story/specialty-publications/luminaries/indian-river-county/2019/10/10/1-200-volunteers-tackle-60-plus-projects-25th-anniversary-indian-river-county-united-ways-day-caring/3934760002/
- https://unitedwayirc.org/
- https://readloud.net/
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