Jess Wilk, Krystian Kinsey and Jaya Bonner, representing Virginia Athletics, paint a bear paw for the Burley Middle School Bears on a new four-square court. (Photo by Emily Faith Morgan, University Communications)
Hundreds of University of Virginia employees fanned out to 40 sites in Charlottesville and beyond to clean up, pick up and spruce up as part of an annual volunteer project to lend a hand to area nonprofits, schools and churches.
Officially known as the United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring, the yearly event is a chance for UVA faculty and staff members to give back to the community by wielding paint rollers, rakes, shovels and hammers. UVA amasses one of the largest volunteer contingents for the event that aligns with President Jim Ryan’s goals for the University to be a good neighbor. He began the day at the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont where volunteers cleared trails, culled weeds and hauled away brush.
The Wahoo volunteers joined more than a thousand others who tackled roughly 200 projects in Central Virginia. In 2021, the total value of the volunteer service was pegged at $300,000. Here are some photos of the UVA workforce making a difference in the community.
UVA President Jim Ryan, right, gets a look at the scope of the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont, where volunteers spent the morning helping clear trails. (Photo by Dan Addison, University Communications)
Kaleb James from University Communications wrangles vines at Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Community Garden. (Photo by Clara Castle, University Communications)
Members of University Communications staff joined colleagues from UVA Library and UVA Health to tend some of the plants at Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Community Garden. (Photo by Clara Castle, University Communications)
From left, Tess Ortega from the Darden School of Business, Anna Fife from the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, and Maya Stephens of Darden brighten up some of the public areas of Venable Elementary School. (Photo by Erin Edgerton, University Communications)
Miguel Eusse of UVA’s Information Technology Services cleans out cat carriers at the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA. (Photo by Erin Edgerton, University Communications)
Shaun Portlock of UVA’s Information Technology Services sweeps around cat cages as a curious feline eyes the photographer. (Photo by Erin Edgerton, University Communications)
Members of Facilities Management, including Brittany Olenslager, Mike Dillard and Adam Gragg, put a fresh coat of paint on a building at Camp Holiday Trails. (Photo by Dan Addison, University Communications)
With spray paint flowing, Virginia Athletics’ MacKenzie Nunes stencils a design at Burley Middle School. (Photo by Emily Faith Morgan, University Communications)
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May 4, 2024
