O n Friday, when the high temperature reached 95, scores of volunteers descended on a plot of ground on Hazel Street in Pine Bluff to beautify the section of land.
They worked for hours, clearing and cleaning out beds and grown up areas and then worked more hours planting many dozens of flowering trees, shrubs and plants.
It was the Day of Caring, an annual event led by the United Way of Southeast Arkansas, which picks a site that could use some improvements and then gets busy.
The day is a microcosm of the United Way operation. The agency, itself a nonprofit, mothers 21 other nonprofit agencies that help the poor, the hungry and the vulnerable in ways that make Pine Bluff better.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Left up to an individual, Friday’s event would likely never happen. A single person would be overwhelmed, both by the magnitude of the work involved and by the expense of what was necessary.
But people acting individually is not the magic of the United Way. Add two or three people, though, and it’s a start. Add 10 or 15, and headway is starting to be noticed. Add 150 volunteers, as happened on Friday, and the dirt was literally flying, and in a matter of hours, the unkempt, overgrown, unsightly area was transformed into a hmm, isn’t that pretty? area.
One person can’t help battered wives, at-risk youngsters and hungry families. But as a group, acting through the United Way, people can and do move the needle. Suddenly, big problems don’t seem so big. The unmanageable suddenly seems manageable. Think of it as a good mob.
The United Way has now started its fundraising campaign for the new year. For decades, the agency amazed everyone by reaching a goal of a million dollars. But that hasn’t happened in recent years. First, there was covid, which interrupted everything, including the local agency’s efforts to get in front of area employees and raise money.
But there is also the Pine Bluff area’s dramatic loss in population and businesses that no doubt hit the agency’s bottom line.
All that said, the United Way is once again shooting for $1 million. As director Jason Duren put it, the United Way is leaving the goal in place because that number is what is needed. No doubt, he is correct, and considering inflation, the figure should likely be higher.
So don’t think of this as one person having to carry the weight of addressing the critical needs in Pine Bluff. Think of it as a team of good folks who, little by little, answers the call for fixing what ails the city. As the group did on Friday, we encourage you to get busy by giving and make something good happen.