On Wednesday 300 volunteers on 41 teams took on more than 37 projects across the county, making this year’s Routt County United Way Day of Caring the biggest in its 25-year history.

“The number of volunteers is definitely a record,” said Kate Nowak, executive director of Routt County United Way. “I want to give a shout out to our community impact coordinator Jen Bruen. This was her first year coordinating it and she did a fantastic job.”

This year’s Day of Caring included projects all over the county, as volunteers helped out at the North Routt Community Charter School, the Hahns Peak Museum, the South Routt Community Center, the Yampa Library, as well as in Hayden at the Routt County Fairgrounds, the Hayden Heritage Center Museum, and The Haven Assisted Living Center.

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“Ever since I’ve been in this position, I have been really adamant that United Way is a Routt County nonprofit, and not just a Steamboat Springs nonprofit,” Nowak said. “We have asked those communities to participate, and they are absolutely thrilled.”

Nowak said she loved the Day of Caring because by having volunteers a nonprofit can save thousand of dollars in labor costs that those organizations could, instead, utilize for their mission.

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“One of our core values at United Way is volunteerism,” Nowak said. “We just feel that volunteering really strengthens the community … It’s a great way to meet others while helping your community.”

John F. Russell is the business reporter at the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach him, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.