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Due to the effects of COVID-19, the Bartlesville Regional United Way’s annual Day of Caring activities will be a little different this year.

Dubbed “Day of Caring – Social Distance Style” and scheduled to formally open on Thursday, Sept. 24th, many of its associated events focused on helping area non-profit organizations will be virtual. But even as that is the case, this year’s Day of Caring, which is always a staple of the Bartlesville Regional United Way’s annual fundraising campaign, will still carry on its long-standing tradition of making a positive impact in the community.

“While the coronavirus (COVID-19) has altered many aspects of our lives, it has not changed the mission of the United Way or its 14 partner agencies,” says Lisa Cary, CEO and president of the Bartlesville Regional United Way (BRUW). “We always look forward to our annual Day of Caring activities, which support our goal of promoting volunteerism within our community.”

While known as the Day of Caring, the event actually involves a wide array of volunteer activities spread out over the course of several weeks. BRUW Marketing Manager Katie Zaun said the BRUW reaches out to non-profit organizations throughout the area to see what types of volunteer activities are needed and then recruits people to assist with the projects. She said the volunteers come from all walks of life, from corporate teams to individuals interested in lending a hand.

Past projects have included everything from cleaning up a school playground to landscaping activities at the Westside Community Center to sorting donated clothes at Mary Martha Outreach.

This year, to respect health and safety guidance, “Day of Caring” volunteer activities will be done a little differently. And, some new ones have been created which allow for social distancing, while still making a positive impact. Zaun said BRUW wanted to provide projects that individuals or groups could do remotely. She said they also want to provide projects for smaller groups that can still socially distance while making a difference for the communtiy.

Examples of those activities include…

• Writing notes to teachers, first responders, essential workers and those associated with non-profit organizations to express gratitude and lift spirits.
• Livening up the environment in and around area non-profit agencies, hospitals and schools with creative posters and sidewalk art.
• Helping spread stories and messages from non-profit organizations through social media. This includes liking and sharing organizations’ posts.
• Recording reading passages to assist with literacy organizations.

Information regarding Day of Caring can be found by visiting bartlesvilleuw.org/day-of-caring/ or by visiting the Day of Caring event page on Facebook.

Also available on the BRUW’s website will be a link to purchase commemorative 2020 Day of Caring T-shirts. Zaun said all proceeds raised through Day of Caring activities – including T-shirt sales – will go toward the BRUW’s 2020 campaign to fund the programs of its 14 partner agencies. She said BRUW will kick off their 2020 campaign during the first Bartlesville Bruins home football game on Friday, Sept. 4th.

The partner agencies benefiting from the funds include organizations such as the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, Elder Care, Agape Mission, the YMCA and many more. The deadline to purchase a t-shirt is Thursday, Sept. 3rd.  Click here to buy a t-shirt.

If you do purchase a T-shirt and volunteer for a “Day of Caring” activity while wearing it, please share it via social media. You can tag the Bartlesville Regional United Way on Facebook posts and use @bartlesvilleuw for Instagram posts. For social media platforms which utilize hashtags, those interested can use #dayofcaring and/or #liveunited.

“While this year’s Day of Caring activities will be a little different, they will still be very impactful,” says Cary. “We welcome any and everyone who would like to help us make a difference in Washington, Nowata and Osage counties.”

The BRUW is a nonprofit organization which supports programs that help individuals reach their full potential. It helps lead the fight to improve the health, education and financial stability of people throughout our community.