SitemapThe United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley’s annual Day of Caring today got off to a cooler start than usual.
With temperatures for today forecasted to approach 70 degrees, the temperature was only 52 degrees around 9 a.m. in downtown Youngstown as volunteers prepared to head to their service projects. “We’ve done this when it’s 100 degrees. It’s the first time we’ve done it when it was 20 degrees,” joked Bob Hannon, local United Way president. This year’s Day of Caring also offered another twist: A drone was used to photograph the various activities throughout the day, though Hannon remarked that it was unnecessary because of the bright green shirts given to volunteers this year. “You could be seen from outer space with the shirts we got this year,” he quipped. This year’s Day of Caring is the largest yet for United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, with 850 volunteers registered, compared to the 780 who participated last year, Hannon said. “We have more companies in the Valley that are supporting United Way so they provide more employees to us,” he said. “I think the volunteers like the specific project.” This year, 600 volunteers, in collaboration with Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., will focus on the neighborhoods between Albert Street and Lansdowne Boulevard along Oak Street, near where the Joseph Co. International is developing a $20-million plant. “So many jobs are going to be created there,” Hannon said. “We just thought it was a natural to go to the east side of Youngstown with what’s going on there.” The cleanup along the Oak Street Corridor and near East High School is important so residents can see “quality of life changes” there, Mayor John McNally said. To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here.