Day of Action volunteers make improvements around community

The following article first appeared in The Parkersburg News & Sentinel on June 22, 2022.

Teams of people were out throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley on Tuesday doing volunteer work to help various people and organizations through the United Way’s annual Day of Action.

Each June, communities around the world come together to harness the volunteer spirit and improve the conditions in which they live, said Stacy DeCicco, Executive Director of the United Way Alliance of the Mid-Ohio Valley. The Day of Action has been held annually in the MOV since 2016.

“United Way Day of Action is an invitation for people and organizations around the world to ‘Live United’ and take action to address a variety of challenges,” DeCicco said. “It is a day that we ask our communities to help us put our mission into action by volunteering to improve the building blocks for a good quality of life – education, financial stability and health.”

Community blood drives were held for people not on a team. Also, nine teams from local banks competed against one another in a food packing event hosted at West Virginia University at Parkersburg in conjunction with Mountaineer Food Bank where they packed over $15,000 in food product that will ultimately make its way into the MOV.

There were 23 volunteer teams representing 18 different workplaces, organizations and civic groups doing work around Parkersburg, Williamstown, Belmont, Mineral Wells, Marietta, Belpre, Fleming and more. More than 275 volunteers were expected to participate and contribute more than 2,000 hours of service to the MOV in a single day.

A team from WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center worked at the Belpre Senior Center doing some landscaping work around the building on Washington Boulevard. Team members trimmed bushes and replaced all the edging trim around the building.

“It means everything to us,” said Bonnie McGowan, Life Enrichment Manager of the center. “This hasn’t had a lot of attention in awhile (since the pandemic started).

“For them to come out here and donate their time on a hot day, my seniors are just thrilled. It is just an amazing thing we are having done.”

The team had lunch with the seniors and the Belpre Women’s Club brought out cookies and snacks for them.

“I am very happy and very grateful,” McGowan said.

A team from DuPont worked at the O’Neill Center in Marietta replacing ceiling tiles which were damaged by water and time in the center’s Daycare Room.

The O’Neill Center has been a United Way partner agency for many years and volunteerism is one of its focuses, said Connie Huntsman, Executive Director. The center doesn’t always have the manpower to be able to get some of this work done.

“This is not just a day about having work done here,” Huntsman said. “It is also a day when the volunteers come in and learn about the services the O’Neill Center offers.

“We are able to share back and forth and help them learn a little bit more about our organization while they are lending a huge helping hand. Having that done is just an amazing thing.”

Greg Westbrook, a Unit Manager of Operations, said the employees at DuPont love to help the local community.

“When we heard about the Day of Action and a chance to come and serve our community, we jumped on it,” he said. “We have five teams from DuPont who are at different venues throughout the area and pitching in and helping out.

“It helps us appreciate what we have and knowing we are helping others in our community is just really satisfying.”

Another team from WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center was at the old Williamstown Elementary School, now under the possession of the city of Williamstown, helping to organize the remaining contents in the building for an auction.

“We are cleaning, organizing and moving chairs,” said Jessica Huffman, VP of Clinical Services and Director of Nursing Program Development. “We have probably moved hundreds of chairs.”

Huffman said Camden Clark and the people who work there are service oriented and want to give back to the community. She put out the call and quickly filled up the six spots on her team.

“For many of us, this is a repeat as we participate in the Day of Action every year,” she said.

Their people get to go to many different organizations throughout the community each year to see what is going on locally with a lot of different people and organizations. She was thankful Camden Clark gives them the opportunity to get out in the community and do a work day to give back and volunteer.

“I have gotten to see different parts of the community that I wouldn’t have gotten exposure to otherwise,” Huffman said. “It is a fun day.”