Today, 475 Calhoun County teenagers played hooky from school. It wasn’t a mass protest; rather, it was a powerful example of young people making a difference through volunteerism. 

Students from nine Calhoun County area schools took part in the eigth annual Youth Day of Caring. Volunteer groups, ranging in size from five to 75 high schoolers, spent the day on a variety of projects benefitting nonprofit agencies and improving community conditions. Youth Day of Caring is coordinated by United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region (UWBCKR), HandsOn Battle Creek and students from participating schools.

A Youth Day of Caring advisory committee, which consisted of staff and student leaders from area schools, has been working hard since January to plan this event, according to Ben Nyoff, Volunteer Engagement Associate at UWBCKR/HandsOn Battle Creek.

“Our student leaders have been very engaged and are looking forward to the event,” he said. “Many of them enjoyed their first Youth Day of Caring last year and wanted to return, be more involved and continue to make the event even better.”

Student volunteers gathered at Full Blast then departed in teams to tackle 25 projects across the community. Projects included sorting food and clothing donations, painting, reading with children, and creating blankets for refugees.

One of the destinations was the Food Bank of South Central Michigan. Interim Executive Director Patty Parker said they welcome students and appreciate their hard work.

“Youth Day of Caring is a great opportunity for young people to get their first taste of volunteering at the Food Bank,” said Parker. “What we find is once they visit here, they come back every chance they get. We’er proud to help nurture that joy in volunteering and giving back to their community. They really make a big difference. We couldn’t do what we do without our amazing volunteers.”