United Way kicks off Week of Caring
Volunteers in blue jeans and matching company shirts coated fences in fresh white paint at St. Stephen’s Academy on Friday morning, Sept. 9. The school, which Glade Run Lutheran Services operates, uses the fence to provide equine therapy for its students.
The excursion marks the start of several service projects organized by United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and its partners, which will continue from Sept. 9 through 16. In this case, the outreach team came out from NexTier Bank.
“We’re so grateful for our volunteers because, like with anything, no one person can do it alone,” said Sherrie Dunlap Gallagher, who manages corporate engagement for United Way. “No one person can address community issues alone, (or) fund the programs and projects to help our neighbors in need.”
The annual event, which will ultimately include 500 volunteers and more than 50 similar projects, connects teams of volunteers with nonprofit organizations across the Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties. Other efforts include landscaping, mentoring and work with seniors.
“It’s nice to spend time with our employees off site, doing these collaborative events, to get to know our employees,” said Darla Livermore, who serves as senior vice president for NexTier Bank’s human resources department. “We all share that sense of giving back and community, so it makes for a nice day.”
A short distance away, other team members tugged weeds that had sprouted from the estate’s gardens, where long grass and flowers teetered.
“Building success in school and life, we want to set up our young people for success in school and then beyond school,” said Dunlap Gallagher. “And United Way really looks too at making sure the work we do, the programs we support, the partners we have really help to address equity across gender, race and ability to make sure everyone has that access to have a brighter future, a more financially sound future and a safer and healthier future.”
