Volunteers canvas county during United Way Day of Caring

Badly needed work was evident all around HeavenEarth Spaces’ building.

The Whiteland nonprofit, which aims to provide affordable space for organizations and local families, had a cracked and damaged cement stairway in the front. A wooden handicap-accessible ramp required repairs and cleaning. Shrubbery and brushes had overgrown areas of the property, while weeds had sprouted along a fence in need of painting.

As HeavenEarth Spaces works to create a space the community can use, they were aided in a big way by dozens of volunteers Wednesday morning.

“We have a lot of good people in our county. We have a lot of challenges here, like affordable housing, substance use, mental health. But if we leverage collaboration on this stuff, we can get it done,” said Ross Stackhouse, pastor at HeavenEarth Church.

The volunteer outpouring was part of this year’s Day of Caring, a community-wide extravaganza of service that serves as the kick-off to the United Way of Johnson County’s fundraising campaign. More than 450 people from 37 organizations and businesses came together Wednesday to spread mulch and pull weeds, paint offices, move furniture, build playground equipment and do a myriad of other jobs at nonprofits and agencies around the county.

With a goal of $1,535,000 for the 2024-2025 year, those same volunteers and supporters will help generate the vital funds that touch more than 23,000 area residents. Their work on Wednesday was a symbolic first step toward that benchmark.

“It really launches our campaign and gives us the opportunity to tell the people the United Way story,” said Nancy Lohl Plake, executive director of the United Way of Johnson County.

The Day of Caring has served as the starting line for the United Way’s annual campaign for the past 28 years. Supporting companies from throughout the county provide volunteers to do work at United Way agencies, providing a boost to organizations more focused on helping Johnson County residents.

The United Way of Johnson County raises money to support 16 partner agencies around the community, from the Arthur Baxter YMCA to Gateway Services to KIC-IT and the Nineveh Area Senior Citizens Center. In addition, funding from the organization makes seven community programs possible — including the annual Christmas Angels, Fast Track and Operation Bundle Up programs to help those in need.

“Each year presents its own challenges and obstacles to raise enough dollars to support the good work of the United Way of Johnson County, its programs and its partner agencies. This year, we need you, now, more than ever, to help us be successful in meeting our goal to support those in the community who need us most,” said Ella Casper, campaign chair for the United Way.

Facing a day full of work, the more than 450 volunteers for the day filled Scott Hall early on Wednesday morning to fuel up with breakfast and get energized with a pep rally to focus on the impact they would have.

The theme of this year’s kickoff breakfast was “Team United,” with an emphasis on teamwork. That’s a subject keynote speaker Kerry Prather — Franklin College president and the school’s former basketball coach — knew all about.

Melding together a hardworking and dedicated team of players was central to success on the hardwood, he said. The same would be true of supporters of this year’s campaign.

“My challenge to you this morning is to help move Johnson County from good to great. We have so much to be proud of, but we also have so many needs to be addressed,” Prather said. “Truly great communities are defined by the extent to which they come together and successfully address their greatest needs. The United Way campaign is uniquely impactful in pursuing that goal.”

This year’s campaign goal of $1,535,000 would be an increase from the 2023-2024 campaign total, which finished at $1,505,000. The campaign is the lifeblood of the United Way, generating 88% of the money used for programs that support youth, seniors, people at risk of homelessness and local families throughout Johnson County, among others in need.

Such funding would be impossible without supporters such as those gathered for Day of Caring,

After filling up with breakfast, hearing about the impact they’ll have on their community and doing some light stretching, the volunteers headed out to their assignments.

Volunteers from Cummins and Milwaukee Tool banded together at HeavenEarth Spaces to repair and clean its handicap-accessible ramp, trim branches, paint a fence and do a myriad other jobs.

Indiana American Water was assigned to Greenwood Public Library, where employees cleaned up the parking lot, completed some tidying inside the building and stuffed program bags for upcoming library activities. Centra Credit Union had gone to the Nineveh Area Senior Citizens Center to powerwash the building and strip then re-polish the dining room floor.

A variety of volunteers, from Uplift Johnson County, Homeview Health & Rehab, First Merchants Bank and the White River Township Fire Department, spread out to the homes of Johnson County Senior Services clients to help with chores.

Duke Energy spent time at Interchurch Food Pantry, cleaning up around the Franklin facility, while also helping Turning Point Domestic Violence Services at its new outreach center.

“We know that our customers continue to struggle with life’s expenses — including food. And, unfortunately, we also know that domestic violence incidences are on the rise. These two organizations are a lifeline for many residents,” said Jean Renk, government and community relations manager for Duke Energy.

At Firefly Children & Family Alliance in New Whiteland, volunteers from Jones & Anderson CPA Group and Mutual Savings Bank worked together to reinvigorate the organization’s offices. Some people helped deep-clean the children’s playroom, while others cleaned the facility’s kitchen.

Workers waded through bags of donations and other items, organizing them in a storeroom. In a small closet, a pair of volunteers set up a shelving unit for more storage.

The centerpiece was the construction of a wooden box, which would be installed in front of the office as a little free library for people to take and donate books.

Being able to take the day to help Firefly was as rewarding for the volunteers as it hopefully was for the organization, said Lisa Jones, operations and marketing director for Jones & Anderson CPA.

“Jones & Anderson is a great company for community service. It gets our employees out of the office and lets them participate in an event joining more than 450 other volunteers,” she said. “It gives us a chance to not only feel like we’re serving the community but building camaraderie outside the office with each other while doing something for a good cause.”