Stillwater, OKLA. - More than 400 Stillwater volunteers traded ties for t-shirts today to help out the United Way agencies who helped 55-thousand local residents last year. Stillwater’s 10th Annual Day of Caring launched a $740,000 local United Way campaign.
This year Stillwater residents could also “care” while eating out. A dozen local restaurants were passing out United Way envelopes with their menus. 2006 Campaign Chair Richard Dermer, who owns the Hideaway, has promised free pizza for the staff of the restaurant that collects the most donations. Participating restaurants include: Freddie Paul’s, McAlisters, Red Lobster, Rib Crib, Hideaway, Charlie’s Chicken, Bill’s Fish House and Sirloin Stockade. In addition, Payne County employees hosted a cookout on the Courthouse lawn and will donate all proceeds to United Way.
Thirty four project teams hit the street this morning representing Cooper’s Cycle Shop, the City of Stillwater, Esker, FedEx, Frontier Electronic Systems, Habitat for Humanity, MerCruiser, Mission of Hope, National Standard, Oklahoma CareerTech, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Oklahoma Natural Gas, Old Navy, the OSU Division of Agriculture, the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, the OSU Foundation, the Payne County Bank, the Payne County Democrats, the Payne County Drug Court, the Perkins Lions Club, the Perkins-Tryon Schools, Quebecor World, Shorts’s Tile, Stan Clark Companies, the Stillwater Apartment Association, the Stillwater Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, Stillwater Designs, the Stillwater Girl Scouts, the Stillwater Homebuilders Association, Stillwater Medical Center, Stillwater National Bank, Strode Funeral Home and The Bank, NA.
Projects included painting bedrooms and repairing basketball goals at Stillwater Group Homes, replacing attic insulation at the Saville Center, fixing the parking lot fence and painting the pool deck at the YMCA, as well as cutting down trees and installing a new storage tub system at the Salvation Army.
Thanks to local corporations, even more was accomplished at some agencies. For instance, Armstrong donated the materials for a new floor for the Sheltered Workshop. Volunteers planted flowers at the Stillwater Senior Center, installed handrails at Big Brothers, Big Sisters, built a storage shed at the Edwin Fair Mental Health Center and repaired windows at the Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency.
The Mission of Hope got a new gazebo in the play yard. Local Girl Scouts got an old window air conditioner removed plus caulking and painting at the lodge in addition to projects such as clearing a bike trail and repairing a bridge and the archery range at their camp site. Bicycles were repaired for the Payne County Youth Center. Site prep work was completed for the new playground being installed at Will Rogers School. Teams repaired the fence and the exterior of the Domestic Violence Shelter and painted offices at the Family Services Center. Fence repair and water sealing was done at Starting Point II.
Workers were outfitted in "Fly the United Way" t-shirts courtesy of Stillwater National Bank, MerCruiser, BancFirst and the OSU Foundation. Stillwater Medical Center served the major corporate sponsor of Stillwater's Day of Caring providing funds for the paint, shovels, fence pickets, cleaning supplies and rakes needed for this year’s projects.
Since 1952, the Stillwater Area United Way has raised $13 million to help local citizens.
