28th Days of Caring planned

United Way of Hancock County is gearing up for its 28th annual Spring Days of Caring which begins Monday and continues through Friday. Participation has soared this year, with 1,000 volunteers signed up to take on more than 130 community projects. "We expected a larger event this year as pandemic restrictions begin to ease, but this is incredible," said Sarah Mayle, volunteer coordinator with United Way of Hancock County. "We are grateful for this truly inspiring expression of community support to make this event happen." Volunteers will work in four-hour shifts and accumulate 4,000 service hours. This is an estimated value to the community of nearly $120,000, based on the Independent Sector's 2022 hourly value of a volunteer time estimate of $29.95. During Days of Caring, employees of area corporations and small businesses lend a hand to local organizations. Nonprofits in need of help submit projects, volunteer teams register to help, and the United Way matches up the two groups. Volunteers then head out in force to complete projects such as landscaping, organizing, painting, cleaning, construction and more. Last year, about 550 volunteers participated in the spring event. A particularly notable project will take place this year when volunteers from Marathon Petroleum Corp. work alongside the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica and Mobile Education Center, as well as Owens Community College, to build The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This exhibit will honor veterans of Vietnam, as well as digitally display localized hometown heroes.