By Matt Ernst, 2019 Loaned Executive Chair
One of the most exciting days of United Way’s Annual Campaign each year, at least for me, is the Loaned Executive Day of Caring. Our group works with United Way’s Community Partners who serve children to plan literacy-focused events. But if you ask the young ones, they’ll probably tell you it’s all focused on fun!
Day of Caring is one of the first things we do as Loaned Executives. Working with agencies like the Boys & Girls Club, Literacy Lubbock, the Parenting Cottage Guadalupe-Parkway Neighborhood Centers, and Early Learning Centers, each Loaned Executive team plans a day of events centered around a book or educational topic. This year included painting, crafts, live bugs, police cars with sirens, snow cones, reading aloud and so much more. Each team did a great job creating engaging activities for children from elementary school age all the way down to less than a year old. Plus, the children got to take home books to read and share at home.
Spending weeks preparing for Day of Caring shows us the effort it takes to make just one day happen. Meanwhile, these Partner Agencies are providing safe, educational and fun activities almost every day of the year.
But Day of Caring isn’t just a day of learning for the kids. Our group learns the importance of reading skills. If a child cannot read at the same level as his or her peers by the third grade, we know the chance of long-term success is significantly lower. And we know there are many challenges facing parents. Day of Caring provides our group a significant “why”, fostering our motivation to raise as much as we can for these agencies and the rest of United Way’s Community Partners.
We have plenty more training ahead, then we will kick off the Annual Campaign and the months of work it entails. But Day of Caring is a critical step to the dozens in the Loaned Executive group. Plus, it’s a whole lot of fun!