This event is always one of the highlights of my year, and it’s always wonderful to see the impact that one day can have on our community. This year, though, I was especially touched by the way that volunteers from all walks of life and all sections of the community came together to make a difference. I really felt the desire of others to make a difference and work collectively as a community.

During the past couple of years, it has sometimes been easy to forget how much people want to work towards a common goal. It was heartwarming to see how important it was to the volunteers to have this experience, to serve together. This year, over 1,500 volunteers completed projects at 85 locations, including local nonprofits and elementary schools.

Volunteers from more than 30 local businesses came together to refurbish local agencies, spend time reading with elementary students and play child development games with parents and their young children. These companies have vastly different products, services and customers, but on Day of Caring none of those differences mattered.

As I visited projects across the valley, I was inspired to see how the volunteers interacted with each other and with the community members at each project site. The time they spent together, although it was short, was important to each of them. During my conversations with individual volunteers, I learned again how much we all need each other. I saw the pride in their eyes as they spoke about the work they were doing to help their neighbors. It was heartwarming to see the impact this experience had on the volunteers, not only on the recipients of their service.

Courtesy Nate Edwards, BYU

Kevin Worthen, president of Brigham Young University, shared some thoughts on how participating in Day of Caring is important at BYU.

“BYU employees take seriously the charge from President Henry B. Eyring to be a ‘vibrant and determined community of learners and lifters,'” he said. “Part of the effort to be lifters is to help serve community members in the areas that surround our campus, especially Provo and Utah County. We see it as both a responsibility and a joy to join in service with United Way each year for the Day of Caring.”

While Day of Caring may just come once a year, there are many opportunities to provide service all year round. Whether your interests lie in supporting education, making sure that families have resources to meet their needs or promoting healthy lifestyles, there is a volunteer opportunity for you. United Way of Utah County’s volunteer database can help you find an experience that is right for you.

In our world today, it can seem hard to find common ground with those around us. But as I witnessed this month, coming together in service of the community is a wonderful place to build those relationships, look past our regular daily life concerns and find ways to work for a common goal. As we do so, we can truly make a difference for our community today and for years to come.

For more information about volunteering and community impact, please visit http://unitedwayuc.org.

Courtesy Nate Edwards, BYU