Escambia County Employees Volunteer in Support of United Way Day of Caring

Escambia County employees teamed up Friday, Oct. 18 to volunteer in support of United Way Day of Caring, an annual community service effort coordinated by United Way of West Florida.

Escambia County volunteers worked on a variety of projects at several locations throughout the county, including Bellview Elementary School, Boys and Girls Club, Furry Friends of the Panhandle Rescue, Health and Hope Clinic, and Valerie's House.

Each year, the one-day event gives participants an opportunity to learn about the needs of the community while helping a nonprofit agency or school. United Way of West Florida matches groups and individuals with agencies and local schools to spend the day volunteering on various projects.

The volunteer work completed by Escambia County employees during this year's United Way Day of Caring included yard work, landscaping, painting, cleaning and organizing, pressure washing, assembling furniture, walking dogs to help them get adopted, and more. Several employees also participated in the American Red Cross of Northwest Florida's "Bring a Smile to a Veteran's Face - Holiday for Heroes Card Program," spending time writing cards to be delivered to local veterans this Veterans Day.

Escambia County Natural Resources employee Felicia Knight-Marlow said she has volunteered for United Way Day of Caring for over 20 years as a county employee, which she said is always a rewarding experience.

"I like to give back to the community," said Knight-Marlow, who has helped coordinate the county's Day of Caring volunteer efforts for years. "I think it's important for us to do because we are public servants, so this gives us a chance to get out of our workplace, go into the community and help the community."

Several West Florida Public Libraries employees volunteered at Furry Friends of the Panhandle Rescue, a nonprofit dog rescue that helps abused, neglected and unwanted animals through fostering, adoption and transport. WFPL staff helped clean up the puppy play area, along with walking several dogs in high-visibility areas downtown to help promote adoptions. Additional county staff also collected donations for Furry Friends of the Panhandle Rescue, including linens, dog food, cleaning supplies and more.

Furry Friends of the Panhandle Rescue Director Michele McCloskey said this was her first year participating in United Way Day of Caring, and she emphasized the positive impact the donations and volunteer efforts from county employees will have on her nonprofit's mission to rescue and find homes for dogs.

"It's a huge help, because I do this by myself," McCloskey said. "It's a lot of work, so I'm grateful to get this help."

Escambia County Waste Services employees joined several other local agencies to volunteer at Valerie's House Pensacola, a nonprofit dedicated to helping children and families cope with grief and loss in a safe place. Valerie's House Pensacola Founder and Director Crista Brandt said the volunteer efforts are not only a huge help on Day of Caring, but it has also sparked additional volunteer efforts throughout the year from local agencies and small businesses that connected with Valerie's House through Day of Caring.

"2023 was the first year we got to participate in Day of Caring, and we were just absolutely blown away by the teams that showed up," Brandt said. "It's just incredible because not only did they do work like they've done today, just a lot of beautification of the property, but what they were able to do is learn more about Valerie's House."

According to United Way of West Florida, 728 volunteers completed over 68 projects last year through Day of Caring, totaling 3,108 hours of volunteer work. The volunteers' donated time is estimated to have a $98,834.40 impact.

Escambia County departments and divisions that participated in this year's United Way Day of Caring included the County Attorney's Office, Development Services, EMS, Escambia County Fire Rescue, Mosquito Control, Natural Resources Management, Pensacola Beach Lifeguards, Public Safety, Purchasing, Waste Services, and West Florida Public Libraries.

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