NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Sept. 18.
More than 100 volunteers will fan out across East Jefferson County today to complete major projects for the United Good Neighbors Day of Caring.
The Day of Caring is a day set aside for community projects — and for community members to sample organizations’ efforts and learn more about nonprofit organizations serving North Olympic Peninsula communities and neighbors.
The Day of Caring in Jefferson County is in its fifth year, giving local nonprofits access to large groups of volunteers to complete projects that are too large for the organization’s staff to handle, or have been “on the back burner” but need to get done, said Nikki Russell, director of community engagement for United Good Neighbors (UGN).
Team-building
Holding the event on a Friday allows schools and workplaces to put together teams to make the volunteer project a team-building asset, Russell said.
Five businesses, several schools, a sailing club and service clubs each have put together teams, she said.
The kickoff for Clallam County United Way’s Day of Caring projects will be in early October, said Cory Delikat, vice president of the United Way of Clallam County board of directors and organizer for the Day of Caring events.
Dates and times for the upcoming Clallam County projects are not yet available, Delikat said, adding they will be announced in the near future.
The Jefferson County UGN will kick off the Day of Caring from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. today at Mountain View Commons at 1919 Blaine St. in Port Townsend.
The day also begins the UGN fall fundraising campaign.
The opening ceremony will include an awards ceremony to award the UGN award to three Jefferson County volunteers, Russell said.
The names of the recipients will be revealed at the ceremony — one youth and two adults, she said.
Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Stanko will be introduced as the UGN campaign chairman.
Projects will be reviewed, and volunteers then will head to their respective volunteer assignments after the morning ceremony.
When the work is done, Boeing Blue Bills will host “A Hole in One” Dove House Benefit Golf Tournament beginning at noon today at the Port Ludlow Golf Course, 120 Spinnaker Place.
Entry to the tournament is $100.
Community members can sign up as individuals or team up with co-workers, neighbors or friends to assist a local nonprofit to complete a three-hour project.
Openings are limited. Some events are full.
Unregistered volunteers who show up at the 8:30 a.m. opening ceremony will be assigned to locations that still need volunteers, Russell said.
Most projects begin at 9 a.m. and end at noon.
Open projects
Projects that still had openings for volunteers as of Wednesday afternoon were:
■ Support team — Take snacks and drinks to volunteers in the field, check in on their progress and send in reports of progress to the Day of Caring logistics coordinator.
■ Story Corps — Take photos, interview volunteers and record the stories of the day to be posted to Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.
■ Habitat for Humanity of Jefferson County — Prime and paint the interior of a newly built Habitat for Humanity home at 148 Brookside Street in Chimacum.
■ Horse Partners — Paint mounting platforms with artistic designs at Horse Partners facility at 141 Nelson’s Landing Road in Port Townsend.
The platforms assist disabled riders in mounting the horses.
■ Port Townsend High School Food Bank Farm and Garden — Help build garden beds to expand the gardens to produce more vegetables for the Port Townsend Food Bank.
■ The Boiler Room — Weeding, whacking back, thorough pulling up and a judicious application of new hearty plants in The Boiler Room’s garden, 711 Water St. in Port Townsend
■ Fort Worden — Power-wash and paint historic officers’ row housing, 200 Battery Way in Port Townsend.
■ COAST blanket collection booth, Mountain View Commons — Collect blankets at a booth at Mountain View Commons for the Community Outreach Association Shelter Team men’s and women’s winter shelter or bring a blanket to the booth to donate to replace and refresh the shelter’s blanket supply.
■ Jefferson County Fairgrounds — Paint the visitor information booth with oil to preserve it for future years of fairs.
Full projects
As of Wednesday, several projects no longer had openings for volunteers:
■ Gardening at the Port Townsend Library.
■ Sprucing up Working Image.
■ Beautifying Camp Beausite.
■ Exercise yard cleaning at Humane Society of Jefferson County.
■ Backpack for Kids food bags for kids.
■ The ReCyclery improvements.
■ Working in YMCA courtyard gardens.
■ Quimper Food Bank Farm and Garden work.
■ Olympic Community Action Programs work at South Seven Senior Village.
More information is available at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-Caring or phone UGN at 360-385-3797.
For assistance in registering for projects, email Russell at nikki@weareugn.org.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
