Skip to Navigation
University of Pittsburgh
Print This Page Print this pages

August 30, 2001

Some Day of Caring projects still in need of Pitt volunteers

Pitt staff and faculty volunteers again will be lending a hand in the community for the 11th annual Day of Caring Sept. 21.

More than 500 Pitt volunteers, including family members and friends, are expected to work in surrounding neighborhoods and at local and regional agencies as part of this year's Pitt-United Way campaign.

In addition to work release time (with the approval of their supervisors), Day of Caring volunteers get a T-shirt; lunch; transportation to and from the site, and the opportunity to win prizes during this fall's Pitt-United Way effort.

Day of Caring activities, which are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 21 except where noted, range from renovating local homes and helping to clean up Oakland, to visiting the elderly and packaging donated food.

Some schools have adopted specific Day of Caring projects. For instance, a group of students, faculty and staff from the School of Pharmacy will be spending Sept. 21 at Global Links, preparing surplus medical supplies for shipment to needy clinics world-wide.

To register for the Day of Caring, go to the web address: www.pitt.edu/~united. Pre-registration is required. Some events, such as those scheduled for Global Links, Ronald McDonald House, Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and Family House, already have a full complement of Pitt volunteers.

According to Day of Caring coordinator Steve Zupcic, projects have been chosen either for their importance to neighborhoods adjacent to the University or for their importance to social service organizations of regional significance.

"Also, this year for the first time, for those staff and faculty who just can't get away from the office for the day we are offering yet another way to participate in the Day of Caring: a special Day of Caring blood drive," Zupcic said. "It will take just one hour of their time."

All blood donors will receive a Day of Caring T-shirt, an invitation to an end-of-day party and a chance to win prizes, he said.

To register for the Day of Caring blood drive, call Gwen Watkins at 4-7702 to schedule an on-campus appointment.

Day of Caring projects that are still in need of volunteers include:

* Hazelwood beautification Pitt volunteers will work along side volunteers from the Hazelwood Initiative, preparing a wall for a public art mural and improving nearby outdoor spaces.

* Central Oakland clean-sweep Under the sponsorship of Oakland Planning and Development Corporation, Pitt volunteers will be extending the reach of the Oakland Business Improvement District into the residential areas of Central Oakland for a seasonal neighborhood "clean sweep."

* Community human services Volunteers will assist clients of this South Oakland social services agency with improvements to their on-site apartments and with several craft projects.

* Anderson Street playground Volunteers will be doing repairs and improvements at the Anderson Street playground in Schenley Park. Volunteers will be working in cooperation with the Oakland Community Council and Partners in Parks.

* Neighbors Under the sponsorship of Neighbors, a project of the Jewish Association on Aging, volunteers will work in pairs to visit elderly living in North Oakland and assist with a variety of housekeeping tasks. The day will end with a volunteer/tenant party.

* Stephen Foster Community Center Pitt volunteers will do interior painting at this Law-renceville community center that serves both its immediate neighborhood and North Oakland.

* Program for Female Offenders Volunteers will work in the Uptown area with the Program for Female Offenders in a variety of projects. These will include assistance with flower arrangements, GED preparation for clients, mock job interviews and bulb planting.

* West Oakland interior restoration In a project sponsored by Breachmenders, a group of volunteers will do interior restoration on West Oakland homes adjacent to the Pitt campus and destined for resale.

* Pittsburgh Aids Task Force, Sept. 6, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Volunteers will assist staff with client services and distributions from the task force's food pantry or work at the East End offices helping with in-house projects ranging from painting to bulk-mail preparation to preparing packages of holiday gifts.

* Paint your heart out Volunteers will assist elderly homeowners of Oakland with exterior painting of their homes. Professional painters of Paint Your Heart Out Pittsburgh will supervise the volunteers.

For more information, call Steve Zupcic at 4-7709; or e-mail him at stz@pitt.edu. n

Filed under: Feature,Volume 34 Issue 1

Leave a Reply