CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – For 35 years, the United Way has brought together an army of area volunteers to tackle charitable projects from around the Albemarle County and Charlottesville area on the annual Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring, the region’s largest single-day volunteer event. And this year’s event, United Way officials said, might be the biggest to date.

As many as 2,300 local volunteers were expected to take part, donating their time and effort to support about 120 projects of area non-profit organizations over about 10 counties, United Way of Greater Charlottesville President and CEO Ravi Cooper said.

“We find out what their needs are,” Cooper said. “A lot of non-profits don’t have the resources to do the kinds of things that, in one day, a group of 20 or 30 volunteers can just come out and descend upon that organization and really make a significant difference. we coordinate the needs of those nonprofits with volunteers in the community.”

Sponsored by Sentara and UVA, the day is a coordinated effort to get the community involved and engaged in acts of service, connecting willing volunteers with worthy projects. Volunteers clean, build, and paint. They do yardwork and trail maintenance.

“For us it’s a day to really give back,” said the University of Virginia’s Kevin McDonald, a co-chair of the event’s host committee.

UVA alone expected to have 1,000 volunteers from its organization on hand.

Since 1992, the United Way has coordinated almost 50,000 volunteers completing over 5,000 projects to benefit local non-profits, schools and faith-based organizations, according to the organization’s website. The volunteer work has added up to an estimated $5.3 million in value.

In 2025 alone, the United Way hosted 2,100 volunteers working on 115 projects to benefit nearly 100 local organizations in the region, which includes Albemarle County, Charlottesville, Greene, Orange, Louisa, Fluvanna and Nelson.

“I think it’s about bringing the community together,” said Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital’s Bernie Boone, a co-chair of the event’s host committee. “And the engagement.”

Wednesday’s event began with the annual Day of Caring Kickoff Breakfast at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, a program that included the Caring for Community Awards. From there, volunteers fanned out to contribute their time all over the region.

“The Day of Caring is important to us because this community is our home. Our team is from here, we live here, and we’re raising our families here, so we want to do our part to help make this a great place to live, work, and visit,” Woodard Properties CEO Anthony Woodard, an event host committee member, told Cville Right Now. “On the Day of Caring, it’s incredibly motivating to see thousands of volunteers come together, roll up their sleeves, and work toward the shared goal of making our community stronger. It’s quite a feat that the United Way team continues to make this logistically challenging event more impactful each year, and we’re proud to play a small part in that effort.”