The Livingston County United Way’s annual Day of Caring — a way for neighbors to help neighbors and for families and companies to instill the values of giving back and making a difference — has been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After great discussion and in consideration of Gov. Whitmer’s shelter in place orders, the current business climate, and the immediate overall safety, health and well-being of our community, the decision was made to cancel the Day of Caring event for June 17, 2020,” said the Rev. Jeff Blagg, the United Way’s board vice president and co-chairperson of Day of Caring.
“I cannot tell you how hard that decision was, but all of the facts were just staring us in the face. While we know that the Day of Caring Steering Committee members are an amazing group, and that if anyone could pull this off in this type of environment, it would be this committee,” Blagg said. “The bottom line is, all the logistics and coordination for the event require a great deal of person-to-person contact in the next 10 weeks leading up to the event, which creates a safety risk for the community.”
LCUW is committed to this event and the value it brings to our community. The Day of Caring Steering Committee and the United Way staff has committed and looks forward to reconvening in the future to plan for the 2021 Day of Caring.
In the meantime, LCUW recognizes in the months ahead the needs of our community will be shifting due to this crisis, but it is not clear today as to what those specific needs will be, or the timeline for which it will be safe for residents and volunteers to be free of social distancing guidelines.
LCUW is creating a plan to meet the needs that already exist, and will look for ways to help support future needs, whether through volunteer opportunities, neighborhood connections or individual efforts.
