More than 500 hours of volunteer work are available through this year’s United Way of Henry County and Martinsville Day of Action, and organizers are hoping at least 100 people will sign up to help.
The 28th annual Day of Action will be held Friday, Sept. 18, with volunteers working on projects throughout Martinsville and Henry County.
“We already have a generally good bunch of folks around here. So, we’re looking for more folks. There’s plenty of opportunity. We’re not feeling the group of lack of volunteers so much, but we do have over 500 hours of volunteer opportunity to fill in one day. So the more the merrier, we hope to have 100 folks at least come out,” said Rebecca Conter, workplace engagement and donor services coordinator for United Way of Henry County and Martinsville.
More than 150 volunteer opportunities are available through 12 projects and four item drives, according to the United Way.
This year marks the 28th Day of Action, which began locally in 1998.
“This will be our 28th annual Day of Action. So I guess that puts us at about 1998, is when we first started doing our Day of Action projects here locally. Our United Way has been serving the Martinsville Henry County community since 1937. So we’re on year 89 of serving our community,” Conter said.
Among the projects this year are work at a Fostering Champions transition home, a cleanup along the Dick & Willie Trail, improvements at the Harrison Home for Adults and cleanup work at the Pregnancy Center.
The Dick & Willie project has already reached capacity, but volunteers are still needed for other projects.
At the Harrison Home for Adults on Fayette Street, volunteers will help with interior painting to brighten the historic building.
The Pregnancy Center is seeking volunteers for basic housekeeping and is also collecting diapers, formula, baby wipes and other baby items for families needing additional support. That project is limited to about eight volunteers.
Day of Action also will include item drives supporting local organizations.
Volunteers who register for the Sept. 18 event will receive a free T-shirt and are invited to a complimentary breakfast from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the West Piedmont Higher Education Center, formerly New College Institute, at 191 Fayette St.
Registration is required and individuals or teams can sign up for available projects through EngageHCM.org.
The Day of Action also marks the kickoff of the United Way’s 2026-27 fundraising campaign, which has a goal of raising $500,000 to support more than 25 local partner agencies and programs focused on health, youth opportunity and financial stability.
Residents can support the campaign by donating online, participating in workplace payroll giving or mailing pledges to United Way of Henry County and Martinsville, P.O. Box 951, Martinsville, VA 24114.
For more information about the Day of Action or the fundraising campaign, contact Conter at 276-638-3946, ext. 110, or [email protected].
