State College, time and time again, has proven itself as a place where people care deeply about their neighbors and their community.
Perhaps this is best demonstrated during the Col. Gerald Russell Day of Caring, the Centre County United Way’s annual event in which nearly 2,000 people volunteer to help non-profits, historical sites, and parks maintain their facilities all across Centre County.
The Day of Caring — now named after its founder, a World War II veteran who passed away in 2014 — has been a staple of the area for 22 years, benefitting numerous organizations.
Area resident Roxanne Hockenberry spent her Thursday morning tending flower beds outside the Centre County Women’s Resource Center, pulling weeds and laying down fresh soil for new foliage.
“They’ve helped me out at one point in my life, so it’s very fulfilling to be able to help them,” she said. “It’s all about giving back. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you care about you community: Give back.”
Dee Hall, director of volunteer programming for the Women’s Resource Center, said the United Way’s Day of Caring is an invaluable resource for the organization. Even something as simple as tending flower beds makes a world of difference to the clients who stay at the center for extended periods of time by giving them a secure, beautiful place to reflect and spend time.
“A lot of our funding pool is directed for specific programs, so we don’t really have the money for this kind of work,” Hall said. “Volunteers have repaired our fence, done work inside, painted rooms, all sorts of things. It’s been really great for us.”
Over at the State College YMCA, a team of volunteers from Keller Williams Real Estate (one of the many area businesses taking part in the Day of Caring) were hard at work doing some landscaping around the grounds. Their team leader, Lorraine Spock, said over 70 members of the business descend on the Centre Region for the Day of Caring, doing everything painting to planting to building and more.
For Spock, the reason behind her involvement is simple: She lives here, she loves the area, and she wants to help make it a better place. Her coworker Carol Packard, who has friends at many nonprofits and whose daughter works at the Youth Service Bureau, knows how valuable these agencies are and is glad to have the chance to help them out.
“We’re here because we care,” Spock said.
