Hundreds Give Back Across Chattanooga During Day of Caring

Chattanooga, Tenn. — From paint brushes to power tools, hundreds of volunteers spent the day giving back across the Scenic City as part of the annual Spring Day of Caring.

More than 450 volunteers participated in the event, which is led by the United Way of Greater Chattanooga and sponsored by Unum. Teams spread out across the city to complete more than 40 community projects at local nonprofits.

Projects ranged from yard work and painting to reorganizing spaces and general facility improvements—efforts organizers say help agencies save both time and money.

“With United Way, we’ve got over 40 different projects that are happening throughout the community,” said Terran Anderson. “Sometimes it’s simple things like helping with yard work or putting up a fresh coat of paint. Sometimes it’s reorganization. But the goal is to help save these nonprofits dollars—and we know it will save over $14,000 today.”

For corporate partners like Unum, the day is also about building long-term community engagement through employee involvement.

Rachel Hargis, Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at Unum, said the company encourages employees to understand and engage with local needs.

“A big part of my job is helping employees understand the issues facing our community, who the nonprofits are working to address those things, and how they can get involved,” Hargis said. “Whether it’s advocating, volunteering, or donating, we’re really lucky to work for a company that gives us this time to do this.”

She added that roughly 150 Unum employees took part in this year’s effort, stepping away from their desks to serve across Chattanooga.