Volunteers at Ecolab Plaza. Click to view more photos from the Action Day.
Volunteers from the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation’s Labor Studies and Resource Center helped make United Way Action Day a great success, with more than 40 East Metro union members taking action in support of their community during the Aug. 22 events.
More than 30 St. Paul RLF members participated in speed volunteering activities at Ecolab Plaza during their lunch hour on Action Day. Later in the day, 10 RLF members formed two teams for the Team Challenge Volunteer event at the Mall of America. Together, they helped make United Way Action Day a success. Overall results of the volunteer event include:
- • Doing 14,000 loads of laundry for families who don’t have the option by making 7,000 laundry kits.
- • Keeping 88 children warm at night by creating blankets.
- • Giving 4,000 hungry kids a healthy snack pack.
- • Encouraging good dental hygiene by creating 5,200 dental kits for children and adults.
- • Supporting 220 seniors’ independence by producing safety kits.
- • Making a house a home for 100 families in transition by forming kitchen kits.
- • Supporting 10 local nonprofits doing great work in the community with $7,500 in donations.
Part of the fun for the five-person teams at the Mall of America was the chance to give a local nonprofit a gift in their team’s name and bragging rights as one of United Way’s top volunteer groups. To win a team had to be the first to complete its speed volunteering activity.
One of the RLF’s two teams, East Metro Labor, won first place in two separate competitions. Team members chose to give their $700 prizes to the West 7th Community Center in St. Paul and to the YWCA of Minneapolis.
“The United Way Action Day brought union members and retirees together to help our local United Way agency partners and had a good time too!” said Bobby Kasper, president of the 50,000-member St. Paul Regional Labor Federation.
Find additional pictures of RLF volunteers in this photo album.
Union Advocate 