What is United Way Day of Caring?

Day of Caring is United Way’s annual, hands-on demonstration of Community Impact. In one-day, volunteers illustrate how United Way mobilizes the community to work together to solve problems. United Way Day of Caring, an annual tradition since 1992, joins companies, employers, employees, students, teachers, cities, towns and average citizens with area agencies to offer support and to help build better communities.

Over the years, United Way of Eastern Fairfield County’s Day of Caring projects have engaged nearly 9,000 volunteers with local nonprofit health and human service agencies. Since our first local Day of Caring in 1992, volunteers have provided a total of nearly 40,000 hours of service in our six-town region of Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull.

In 2005, approximately 900 volunteers, employees of 23 regional companies, were matched with 16 community organizations in need of volunteer work. Volunteers completed 45 projects - painting, landscaping, making repairs, serving meals to the needy, and completing a multitude of other tasks. By its very definition, Day of Caring demonstrates what people are capable of doing, the differences they can make in just one day, when they work together.

Eleven companies and organizations served as sponsors for our 2005 Day of Caring: General Electric; Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, P.C.; Millward Brown; Sikorsky Aircraft; Beardsley, Brown & Bassett; Bowties; Bridgeport Housing Authority; Cadbury Schweppes; Fairfield University; Hampford Research, Inc. and Somerset Capital. These companies made generous gifts that contributed to the success of this year’s event. In addition, Ganim’s Garden Center in Fairfield provided seasonal plants to beautify the Pine Tree Lane Senior Housing.

If the Day of Caring photos inspire you to help us make our community a better place in which to live, work, and raise our families, you can check out volunteer opportunities at our Virtual Volunteer Center.

Board Members

Left to right: Audra Homes from Casey Family Services, Frank Carbone
from Bridge House, Inc., and Board Member Anne McCrory.


Left to right: Campaign Chair Bryan Huebner, Sandra Juarbe,
Joan Pollack from Girl Scouts, Mona Rodriquez, Shevonne Dawson,
and Anna Carrasquillo from Bridgeport Housing Authority.


2005 Day of Caring Honorary Chair Adrienne Farrar Houel being
interviewed by Ch 12 News at Burroughs Community Center.


United Way Board Affairs Chair Mark Fries and his Beardsley,
Brown & Bassett co-workers cooking for clients at Goodwill Industries.


Chair Adrienne Farrar Houel taking a brief respite with Habitat for Humanity Chairman of the Board Dave Conway and Future Homeowner Karina Tejeda.


United Way Board Member Steve Jakab working with
People’s employees at the Trumbull Lakewood YMCA.


Front to back: Lila Grimas, Sister Janet Lewis,
and Board Member Mark Barhardt.