Thanks to our loyal donors and volunteers, United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) has been able to improve lives and create meaningful change in Central Alabama for 100 years. So, in addition to our FREE public Centennial Celebration on June 24th from 3 to 8 p.m. at City Walk BHAM and our Forever United campaign that’s working toward an exciting goal for our endowment fund, we are continuing our tradition of service by embarking on commemorative community projects in each of the six counties we serve.
These projects will center on the construction of community parks, with the goal of long-term partnerships that go beyond installation. Annual cleanup and beautification, as well as potential expansions in the future, will create ongoing volunteer service opportunities within each community.
Each park will have a pavilion designed to function as an outdoor classroom. Picnic tables, some of which volunteers will construct on June 24th, will be placed in each park, commemorating the Centennial and contributing to an engaging learning environment for years to come. Beyond these two features, each park will be customized based on community needs. Franklin Park in Tarrant (Jefferson County) is set to be the first project to break ground, and the customized equipment will be soccer goals. Upcoming parks will be built at Stephens Park in Montevallo (Shelby County) and the Municipal Complex in Ragland (St. Clair County), with specific locations for Blount, Walker, and Chilton counties to come.
Rachael Upton, UWCA’s Director of Volunteer Engagement, said, “We are so thankful for our dedicated volunteers, donors and sponsors for their commitment to this project. We are excited to kick off the next 100 years of service with parks that will be true community assets and can be enjoyed for years to come.”
We will need volunteers for each park, so keep an eye out at www.uwca.org/100years/parks for dates and opportunities! A huge thank you to our park sponsors who have committed thus far: AmFirst, Brasfield & Gorrie LLC, Drummond Company, Ford Meter Box, Thompson Tractor Company and Vulcan Materials.