Written by interns Katelynn Chilson and Olivia Williams: State and Federal Communications has a strong commitment to helping our community. We believe we all have a responsibility to help our community, and we try to give back in whatever ways we can.

Every year we join Summit County United Way and participate in their Day of Action. In previous years, we’ve helped landscape the Lake Anna YMCA, sorted clothes and painted at Goodwill, and painted the gymnasium walls at the East Akron YMCA. On June 21, we helped to put on a carnival at the YMCA Family Enrichment Center in Akron, Ohio. It was a wonderful experience to help the kids with arts and crafts, officiate potato sack races, and run other carnival-inspired games.

We had a great day at the YMCA Family Enrichment Center. Seeing the excitement on the children’s faces made for a fun-filled and inspiring Day of Action.  Each year we are reminded why we love volunteering our time to the growth of our community, and each year we love to see the community coming together to make Akron the welcoming city it is.

Check out a few more of our favorite photos from this years Day of Action!

Employees and Interns of State and Federal Communications spent the day at the United Way Day of Action on June 19, 2015. Along with the team from Omnova Solutions, each volunteer had their hands in the dirt beginning at 9:00 am.

The flower beds around the Lake Anna YMCA building looked more beautiful by the minute, with new mulch surrounding each one. A handful of people planted flowers around the fence of the YMCA garden. Halfway through the day, the YMCA staff provided us with a delicious cookout lunch.

It was rewarding to help out an organization that does so much for the community.

Enjoy this video created by our intern Elizabeth Scozzaro.

A scraper, a sander and a paint brush. Not your typical office supplies. But Friday, June 15, 2012 was not your typical work day as State and Federal Communications, Inc. volunteered its time to lend a hand to Akron Public Schools for the United Way’s Day of Action.

State and Federal President and CEO Elizabeth Z. Bartz—an avid supporter of the United Way—sent 15 dedicated employees to be a part of this year’s event.  Day of Action functions to improve the good of the community in education, income and health by uniting local corporate sponsors, volunteers and non-profit organizations with a common agenda – to better the Akron area.  This year marks the 4^th year that State and Federal has participated.

Our assignment was scraping and painting football stadium bleachers. We split into two teams; one went to Kenmore High School and the other to Ellet. Team Kenmore scraped bleachers while team Ellet scraped, sanded and painted the handrails.

I was on team Ellet. We arrived and were put straight to work. I gathered my supplies; a scraper, gloves, a sander and a water bottle. With the sun beating down and sweat dripping from our faces, we spent the hottest hours of the day refurbishing the handrails surrounding the bleachers.

Over at Kenmore, for I.T. assistant Ken Kelewae, the task was more meaningful; he was back to his alma mater. Ken and the rest of his team stripped the faded bleachers that have served Kenmore High for at least 50 years.

What seemed like such a simple task proved to be much more. After many hours in the sun, a lot of sweat and a few sunburns later everyone walked away from their site with a sense of accomplishment. The United Way and Akron Public Schools were grateful for the hundreds of volunteers that committed their day to bettering the Akron community and the bleachers were ready to go for a new football season.

Out with the old, in with the new!

Day of Action video courtesy of Alexa Livadas.