The United Way Day of Caring is coming up this Wednesday, September 17!  

The Thomas Jefferson United Way Day of Caring, also known as the Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring, is an annual event hosted by the United Way of Greater Charlottesville that brings volunteers together to complete projects for local non-profits, schools, and faith-based organizations in the Charlottesville and surrounding area. The event provides an opportunity for community members and businesses to connect with local agencies, support youth and education, health and human services, and environmental efforts, and to promote civic responsibility through volunteerism.

This year, we are pleased to welcome 5 teams to help us complete several projects that we can’t complete on our own.

If you would like to participate, please let us know! In particular, we still need extra hands for the landscaping cleanup and the playground mulch-fluffing.

Project #1- Creekside Trail Cleanup
The creek-side cleanup crew will work again this year with B&G volunteer Gifford Childs to identify and eliminate some invasive species of plants on the creek-side path, replenish some mulch and trim back overgrowth of native plants for the fall & winter.  Although no particular skills are needed, an interest in horticulture and nature will be useful for our volunteers, and hats, gloves, long pants, a re-fillable water bottle and insect repellent would make a good uniform.  Pruning shears/loppers would also be very useful if you have them!

Registered Team: Blue Ridge Graphics
Rain Date:  Thursday 9/18/25

Project #2 – Autumn Landscape Spruce-Up
Our volunteer crew will again work with our RVCC team leader to get the Rock ready for fall.  Some shrub-trimming, weeding, lifting, dividing & replanting perennials, mulching, edging, and tidying up will be involved, but no special skills other than a love for plants are needed.  Gloves, hats, bug spray, sun screen & long-sleeves and a re-fillable water bottle are recommended, and if you have gardening hand tools, pruners/loppers, fan rakes, flat spades, and/or a manual or electric shrub trimmer, we could certainly use them!

Volunteers Requested/Committed:  20/7
Registered Teams:   TJ Health Planning Commission (TJHPC) & UVA School of Continuing & Professional Studies (SCPS)
Rain Date:  Thursday 9/18/25

Project #3-  Update Our “Rock Hall of Frames”
Over the past couple of years, we have created our “Rock Hall of Frames” – a pictorial history of the first 25 years of RVCC –  in our West hallway. These collages of pictures from our many major projects and events over the years are arranged in repurposed historic window frames that date from the building of this old school in 1938!  This year, we’ll add a frame for our recently-completed Path to Pickleball and Electric Vehicle Charging Station projects and update the old frames to make room for the new.  No particular skills are needed for this rain-or-shine project, but we will be using very sharp X-Acto knives to cut cardboard mounting pieces, and a creative eye will help in arranging the pictures to tell the story of “The Rock.”  
 
RVCC Volunteers: none needed
Volunteers Requested/Committed:  4/4
Registered Team: UVA – SCPS (School of Continuing & Professional Studies)
Rain Date:  Rain or Shine
 
Project #4 – Perk Up the Playground
Our beautiful and fun new playground opened just last year, and needs a little cleaning, some safety checking, some wood water-sealing and some mulch-fluffing!  If you have a pitchfork and a garden rake, please bring them along – but we’ll have the rest of the tools & supplies needed to make sure the playground is clean & safe for our kids.  Please note that this is outdoor work, so hats, gloves & sunscreen are a good idea.
 
Volunteers Requested/Committed:  6/5
Registered Team: LABrador Retrievers
Rain Date:  Thursday 9/18/25
 
Project #5 – Paint the Front Stoop
It’s been years since our front entrance has had an upgrade, and we’d like to start with repainting the six steps and landing of our welcoming staircase.  No particular skills are needed for this hands-and-knees work, but if you have some “cutting-in” experience, that would be a big plus!  We’ll provide the paint, drop cloths and the brushes/rollers, and suggest that you wear clothes that you don’t mind getting a little messy. 
RVCC Volunteers: (none needed)
Volunteers Requested/Committed:  3/3
Registered Team: UVA – SCPS (School of Continuing & Professional Studies)
Rain Date:  Thursday 9/18/25