Think of your fellow man….
The theme that we chose for Month of Caring this year is ‘Put a Little Love in Your Heart’ by Jackie DeShannon.
Month of Caring is all about the strength of caring for ‘our fellow man’- our neighbors, our loved ones, and those we don’t know.
We saw this illustrated throughout the many volunteer projects throughout the Black Hills this last week.
Great Western Bank, Black Hills Regional Eye Institute and Moyle Petroleum all came together to volunteer at Storybook Island, a fun, safe and educational environment for youth to experience the power of imagination. There’s a lot of effort involved to maintain this magical environment, and we enjoy seeing different businesses coming together to help keep the spirit alive.
Moyle Petroleum has been a Day of Caring/Month of Caring participant since 2001.
“I am proud to work for a company that gives so much back to the communities we serve,” says Mike Deal, Human Resources Director at Moyle Petroleum Company. “We have a lot of great people who give of themselves unselfishly. That is an important part of our company culture. We all know that we are very fortunate. I am proud of our team for always being ready and willing to help others, especially those in need,” says Mike.
What’s inspiring about Month of Caring is that we sometimes see people helping others from different communities. Custer Chamber of Commerce went to Hot Springs to help landscape at Prairie Hills Transit, a public service dedicated to providing cost-effective, reliable transportation in the Black Hills area. “(We) appreciate the help from the Custer Chamber to clear up our dried weeds. This makes our landscaping look so much better. Thank you,” said Prairie Hills Transit. Serving your fellow neighbor knows no boundaries.
But who's to say that volunteering can’t have a little twist of fun? This was the case for a volunteer project completed at Meade County Senior Center. First Interstate Bank (Sturgis Branch) and Northern Hills Federal Credit Union had a friendly rivalry going on between ‘brushes vs rollers’. They wanted to see who could do the best paint job!
While it’s always great to see projects happening at organizations that are serving our communities, it is so touching when a homeowner benefits from a helping hand.
Coeur Wharf, Month of Caring Sponsor, volunteered at John’s residential home in Lead last year. John can no longer clean up his yard by himself.
“We did his yard for one of our projects last year. We have stayed in touch with him … providing food over the holidays last year, we did his yard again in June. We are happy to support him!”, says Kim Huber, of Coeur Wharf.
This is what Month of Caring is all about. Lending a helping hand to your fellow neighbor.
Still want to get involved with Month of Caring?
Consider the following options:
- Help pack food boxes at Feeding SD
- Write thoughtful cards to folks in local nursing homes
- Donate blood through Vitalant – there is currently a national blood shortage
- Chalk the walk with positive messages in your neighborhood! This one is a huge hit for children!
Unable to volunteer? Make a donation to United Way of the Black Hills. Your donation will help a variety of needs in your community. Organizations that we support are providing great resources like mental health services, food, affordable housing, affordable childcare, that depend on United Way of the Black Hills funding. You can donate by visiting www.unitedwayblackhills.org/donate. 100% of your donation stays here in the Black Hills.