United Community Action Program

–  Mary Gilford, family and community engagement manager, Pawnee, OK

UCAP staff

I want to share the story of United Community Action Program's annual event, Tend-To-You Day-on this day we connect with the community. On the first Friday of June, our family support advocates select a local community service organization to serve volunteers from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Our program is big and widespread over nine counties, so this is going on in several community locations. Family support staff are encouraged to include other staff members to go along with them. This summer will be our fourth Tend-To-You Day. Some of the things we have volunteered doing is meals-on-wheels; putting flags on veterans graves for Memorial Day; Salvation Army clothes donations; dancing with Alzheimer patients at the senior day care; walking dogs at the pound; baking sweet treats for care workers, food banks, and nursing homes; and serving free meals, just to name a few. It was a worthwhile experience for them and for us, as we refer our parents to these community organizations.