Bay County’s Day of Caring grows into largest community cleanup in local history

What began thirteen years ago as a small cleanup effort in Wenonah Park has grown into Bay County’s largest volunteer event, drawing more than 800 people to projects across the community. From planting flowers to painting buildings, Day of Caring continues to show how deeply local residents care about the place they call home.

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When Rob Clark helped organize the Wenonah Park Cleanup thirteen years ago, the goal was modest. Bring people together to help clean up the area and make a difference that you can see. Today, that cleanup effort has combined forces with United Way’s Day of Caring, as hundreds of volunteers gather each year in a growing tradition of service and community.

_{Rob Clark continues to join in the clean up every year. Photo: David Rose}

On Friday, April 24, volunteers gathered on a chilly morning in Wenonah Park before breaking off into groups and completing projects across thirty-nine different sites throughout Bay County. The event gathered over 800 participants, making it the largest cleanup in Bay County history, as volunteers worked together to plant flowers, rake leaves, and paint at sites across the area. But even as the event has evolved, Clark can still be found with a leaf blower strapped to his back, continuing his mission to clean up the park.

“It’s gratifying to know you live in a community where so many people care this much, that they’ll come and give up a whole day,” says Clark, “Businesses, employees at those businesses, school groups, civic groups, the chamber – you’ve got all these people who are like, ‘When is Day of Caring?’ Because we want to be there.’”

A lot has changed since the Wenonah Park Cleanup first began in 2014. In the early years of the cleanup, just forty volunteers got involved each year. In 2021, Nicole Luczak, President & CEO of United Way of Bay County, asked Clark if the cleanup effort could be combined with Day of Caring. Since then, the event has grown into a greater effort spanning numerous sites across the county.

_{Each spring volunteers gather for Day of Caring to clean up around Bay City. Photo: David Rose}

“This is my favorite day,” says Luczak. “There’s a lot of negativity in our world, and this is a day where everybody comes together, regardless of any other division, to show that they care about our community. It gives me a lot of hope. For 800 people to start their day at 7:30 in the morning, and come in with a smile on their face, to work and to do projects around our community – it just shows how much we care about our community, and I think sometimes that gets lost.”

In the five years since their partnership began, Day of Caring has expanded, with local businesses joining the effort and allowing employees to spend the workday volunteering across the county. The participation reflects a broader commitment from employers, as community involvement becomes part of their culture.

“Every person can jump in and make something like this happen. But I think that leadership being behind it, especially with some of the companies and employer groups that we have, that kind of support from their employer is huge. It shows that they understand corporate social responsibility. It shows that they care about their community and want their employees to be a part of giving back and being ingrained in the community.”

_{Day of Caring draws a wide range of volunteers from across the community. Photo: David Rose}

Day of Caring draws a wide range of volunteers from across the community, including younger volunteers looking to get involved. Many of them are getting their first experience helping out in their own backyard. Working alongside coworkers, classmates, and other longtime participants, they take on the spirit of service that has defined the event for years. For Bay City Mayor Christopher Girard, that kind of participation reflects how leadership is carried forward across generations.

“Well, I think if these things get passed on from generation to generation,” says Girard. “The more energy and time we commit to the community, it makes it a place that people want to see and enjoy. And so the more we show that to younger generations, they pass that along and pass it forward.”

Over the years, the event has grown and changed, but it all started when Clark asked what he could do to help make the park beautiful for the summer. His involvement in Wenonah Park comes full circle as organizers have honored him with a plaque at the Ring of Friendship, where the effort first began.

“That plaque is – I’m kind of blown away by it, but that’s not why you do this. You do it because you love people and you love your community, and you love being together. You love making a difference. When you just do it for love of each other and love of your community, again, that’s very special. That’s very magical.”