Week of Action ends with enthusiasm
Seven days and seven nights of service ended late Saturday with volunteers for the United Way of Central Arkansas completing 22 projects throughout the community.
The final count isn’t in yet, but Jennifer Bickers, Resource Development Director of UWCA, believes the number of volunteers will exceed last year’s total of 375.
She is certain, however, that the number of individual participants — those not affiliated with a company or other group — will double over last year.
“They were just members of the community who read about Week of Action in the newspaper and wanted to get involved however they could,” Bickers said. “I believe this week, more than ever before, has transformed people and places.”
The greatest transformation, however, will be for those who volunteered, Bickers said.
The newlywed class from Second Baptist Church helped a long-married elderly couple, Bill and Dora Anna Fill, with projects around their home.
Paul and Stacy Hart teach the class.
“We do a lot of things as a class, but it was nice to do something for others,” Paul Hart said. “One of the things Bill said was neat. He said he and his wife used to enjoy doing this kind of things for others. So it was like a circle. It was a blessing for us, too.”
Conway Corp. employees built a “Born Learning Trail” on the Tucker Creek Walking Trail.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters and employees of JJ’s Grill combined to build another Born Learning Trail at Gatlin Park.
Employees from HP, Acxiom, Kimberly-Clark took on major projects.
Volunteers from HP and Kimberly-Clark teamed up to renovate a house on College Avenue into an office for Community Connections, an affiliate of Pediatrics Plus.
“At the beginning of the week, it was just a house,” Bickers said. “There was quite a bit of debris inside, and it was difficult to see the vision of what it could become.
“Now it’s clean, refreshed with new paint and flower beds. It looks like a business now.”
Along the way, Bickers said, folks would call the United Way office to ask “What’s going on? We see people in those shirts.”
Many others called to ask where they could help.
“Two people finished one assignment and called back. They said they had so much fun, where could they go next?” Bickers said. “It was gratifying to see the enthusiasm for helping throughout the community.”
The helping will continue.
The Conway Interfaith Clinic is accepting clinic supplies such as peroxide, rubbing alcohol, antibacterial hand soap, Bandaids, gauze and facial tissue. Donations can be made during business hours next week at 830 North Creek Drive.
(Staff writer Becky Harris can be reached at becky.harris@thecabin.net at 505-1234. Editor Philip Lamb contributed to this report.)
To see more photos from this event, visit www.spotted.thecabin.net/galleries/index.php?id=332248
