This past Saturday, Three Brothers Paintball hosted the first annual United Way Paintball Open. The weather was beautiful and we had a great turnout raising more than $2,000 dollars for our community.

A big thanks to Three Brothers Paintball and ND Information and Technology Department for making this event possible.    

If you've been a part of it, you'll understand. There's something special about Day of Caring. It carries an infectious, optimistic feeling.  

Businessmen and women, teenagers, mothers, grandparents, students, small businesses and large corporations come together. Children work alongside parents - learning the value of volunteerism and giving back to their community. Volunteers from all walks of life unite.  

"We know we can accomplish much more working together than we ever could on our own. Day of Caring is proof of that," remarked MSA United Way Executive Director Jena Gullo. "Volunteers from all walks of life, businesses who depend on the success of our community, and organizations with common goals unite to get things done."

At 7 a.m. on Aug. 13, volunteers began to arrive at Century High School. By 7:30 a.m. the bleachers were packed. A sea of red T-shirts listening as MSA United Way Board and Campaign Cabinet leadership discussed campaign goals, community needs and solutions. By 8:15 a.m., volunteers were on their way to their assigned project. By 4 p.m., volunteers were meeting up at Captain Freddy's to celebrate the day's accomplishments.     

In a single day:

• A record breaking 852 volunteers pitched in, investing nearly 7,000 hours in our community.
• 41 projects were completed throughout Bismarck-Mandan and surrounding communities helping local nonprofits catch up on maintenance and make much-needed improvements.
• More than 100 local businesses pitched in to support the event through sponsorships, in-kind donations and providing employees a paid volunteer day.
• Thousands of pieces of clothing were sorted, and have since been distributed to more than 350 children as part of Youthworks' Back-to-School Clothing Drive.
• Several buildings at Buckstop Junction received a fresh coat of paint.
• Garden boxes were built and will be distributed to residents who otherwise would not have access to a garden.
• Local schools got a jump start on school-year preparations.

If we can accomplish so much in one short day, can we not create solutions to our communities most pressing issues? Can we not keep Bismarck-Mandan great, and make it an even better place?  

Day of Caring is not new, this past event marked it's15th year. If you've been a part of Day of Caring, THANK YOU! If not, mark your calendar for Aug. 12, 2015. We promise that by the end of the day, you'll find out what it feels like to LIVE UNITED.  

Can't wait? Visit volunteerbisman.com to view current volunteer needs in our community. Become a fan of United Way to receive updates when new needs are posted.  

Cancer, it's a disease that affects us all. If we're lucky, we'll not be directly affected.  

According to the US National Cancer Institute, 44 percent of all males and 38 percent of all females in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and the American Cancer Society reports, nearly 1 in 20 North Dakota residents is a cancer survivor.    

With the support of MSA United Way, LIVESTRONG at the YMCA is helping cancer survivors get back on their feet -  literally.  

Check out this short video to see how your investments are changing lives in our community.   

For more information or to sign up for the program, call the
Missouri Valley Family YMCA at 255-1525.