Happy ServeOhio Day!

On June 21, nearly 400 youth volunteers will participate in a total of 13 service projects across the state to commemorate the first annual ServeOhio Day. In its inaugural year, ServeOhio Day exists to encourage and promote hands-on youth volunteer engagement while school is out for the summer.

ServeOhio awarded grants to 13 nonprofit organizations supporting community service projects that build or improve community assets or infrastructure. These include parks, schools, senior centers, community gardens and homes in low-income areas.

"There is a great need across the state for engaged volunteerism, and we continue to be inspired by youth who are eager to roll up their sleeves, help out where they can and have fun while doing it," said William Hall, executive director of ServeOhio. "Our hope is that ServeOhio Day continues to grow each year and inspires Ohioans in all pockets of the state to get involved at the local level."

ServeOhio Day intentionally takes place on summer solstice, the day in the year with the longest period of daylight, to maximize participation in a number of service projects ranging from educating at-risk youth about summer safety to community clean-ups. This year's projects include:

• Heart of the City Foundation (Columbus) - 80 youth volunteers will make blankets for patients at Nationwide Children's Hospital, assemble toiletry bags for local homeless organizations, and pack supplies to be sent to the Dayton area for the tornado relief effort.
• City of East Liverpool (East Liverpool) - 10 volunteers will sand, paint and repair decking and stairs at the Broadway Wharf.
• Lake County Council on Aging (Mentor) - 20 youth volunteers will make cards with seniors at the local senior center, which will be distributed to Meals on Wheels recipients in Lake County.
• Organic Connects (Shaker Heights) - 25 volunteers from the REIGN Environmental Youth Leadership Program will perform a stream cleanup, enjoy a nature hike, and engage in a social justice conversation over a family-style meal.
• Boys & Girls Club Wooster (Wooster) - 30 teens will learn how to perform basic maintenance and repairs on bikes and will provide repairs on used bikes to be donated to younger students in the community.
• Family & Community Services - RSVP Ashtabula (Ashtabula) - 40 volunteers will help to implement the Safe Summer Program, a community event designed to provide education on summer safety for at-risk families.
• The Urban Foundation, Inc. (Columbus) - 25 youth volunteers will participate in a neighborhood cleanup and perform improvements and maintenance on homes of veterans and elderly residents of the Walnut Heights community.
• Community Refugee & Immigration Services (Columbus) - Over 25 new American refugee and immigrant middle and high school students will develop and maintain community flower and vegetable gardens, paint murals, and beautify Columbus Global Academy.
• A Great Work Ministries (Portsmouth) - 30 volunteers will clean and beautify Mound Park in Portsmouth to make it safe for use by neighborhood children.
• Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation (Cincinnati) - 40 volunteers will harvest produce from the Walnut Hills community garden and prepare a community meal.
• Recovery and Wellness (Greenville) - 20 volunteers will pick up trash, weed flower beds, and provide beautification under the Main Street bridge in Greenville.
• Rebuilding Together Dayton (Dayton) - 25 volunteers will complete a neighborhood cleanup in the Edgemont community, collecting trash and clearing overgrowth along sidewalks and alleyways.
• Salem Lutheran Church (Toledo) - 15 volunteers will help to create a community space in a current vacant lot in the Vistula neighborhood of Toledo's North End. Volunteers will assemble and install two permanent charcoal grills for neighborhood residents and families to enjoy.

For more information about the service projects or about ServeOhio, visit www.serveohio.org.