Held on Friday, August 15, UWCHQ’s inaugural Day of Caring mobilized volunteers to complete projects at sites throughout Chautauqua County — resulting in close to 300 hours of service to benefit local nonprofits and schools.

From landscaping, painting and sorting donations to engaging with senior citizens as well as students at day camp, this year’s first ever Day of Caring had the help of 66 volunteers working alongside UWCHQ’s 6 staff members at 12 sites in Dunkirk, Fredonia and Jamestown.

“Day of Caring demonstrated the power of partnership,” said Eric Rinaldo, UWCHQ Community Impact Manager, who coordinated the effort. “Businesses sent their employees, community members showed up, and everyone came together to lend their time and talents.”

Day of Caring 2025 was sponsored by Live CHQ, Refresco and Wells — and was supported by volunteers from Purina, Refresco, Wegmans, Northwest Bank, Tim Hortons, the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, The Hartford, Edward Jones, Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, Cassadaga Job Corps, Rose & Grace Studio, Social Chariot, Creche, and Jamestown Young Professionals.

Volunteers facilitated activities and games with seniors as part of United Way of Chautauqua County’s first-ever Day of Caring on August 15. Chautauqua Adult Day Services was one of 11 agencies which participated in the countywide day of volunteering. Individuals from the community served as volunteers at both the Dunkirk and Jamestown CADS sites.

For more than 100 years, United Way has been the trusted nonprofit in Chautauqua County to mobilize the community and drive impact for lasting change. Day of Caring is just another example of how UWCHQ is uniquely poised to connect all sectors of the community (individuals, businesses, nonprofits and government), and leverage those connections to mobilize people to action.

The agencies and schools that benefited from this year’s Day of Caring included: Boys & Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County, CASA of Chautauqua, Chautauqua Adult Day Services in Jamestown & Dunkirk, Child Advocacy Program’s Dunkirk office, Community Helping Hands, Dunkirk-Fredonia Meals on Wheels, Jamestown Meals on Wheels, Prevention Works, United Way’s Dunkirk office, Winifred Crawford Dibert Boys & Girls Club, and Wheelock Primary School.

One great takeaway from the day was how volunteers were as equally impacted by Day of Caring as those they served.

“The experience went both ways,” said Katie Castro, UWCHQ Director of Advancement. “The agencies, their staff and clients benefited from the extra help, but our volunteers also walked away with something powerful — the knowledge that Day of Caring is about more than the tasks at hand. It’s about the people we meet, the joy we create, and the connections we build as a community.”

Thanks to the generosity of the sponsors, every volunteer received a United Way t-shirt as a symbol of their participation in the Day of Caring.

UWCHQ plans to continue building Day of Caring as an annual tradition, strengthening partnerships across sectors and deepening community impact for years to come.

For more information, visit UnitedWayCHQ.org — or to indicate your interest in volunteering next year, contact Eric Rinaldo by emailing erinaldo@uwayscc.org or calling 716-483-1561.