The 35th Annual United Way Laurence E. Richardson Day of Caring empowered more than 2,300 community members to volunteer across 100 different project sites–totaling *$376,000 in service poured right back into the Greater Charlottesville community! Click here to read more about the event.
Last year, we announced the inaugural Day of Caring MVP award to highlight the incredible stories we hear about the volunteers and volunteer teams who go above and beyond at the Day of Caring. Now in it’s second year, we are pleased to share that Troy Morris of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia volunteer team is the 2026 Day of Caring MVP!
Troy volunteered at the Belmont Baptist Church project site, where his volunteer was asked to paint a small building on its property. The church uses the building to provide clothing and a laundromat free of charge to families who have no washer or dryer or cannot afford the laundromat. Troy was nominated by seven separate teammates not only for his work ahead of time, preparing and organizing the necessary materials to bring, but also for safely leading and delegating tasks on the day of. “He was the person who got all the supplies… had his work truck full of tools,” said nominator Beth Noffsinger. “He took all safety precautions to ensure no one got hurt. When everyone else was done he was the last one still painting.”
Another teammate, Will Watson, said that Troy “was a real project leader who made sure everyone had a job that felt comfortable to do.” Troy’s team noted that he even took it upon himself to paint the tallest sections of the building, ensuring the project was completed to a high standard for his fellow community members. “He took care of painting all the super high areas that most were not willing to attempt. While our whole team put in 100%, I feel like Troy went above and beyond,” shared fellow volunteer Keri Canfield.
We want to thank Troy for being a shining example of giving back to his community! United Way staff and members of the 2026 Day of Caring Host Committee hosted Troy and his team at Three Notch’d Brewery to celebrate his work and give him the MVP award. Congratulations to Troy on this well-deserved recognition!
And of course, thank you to each person who volunteered, lead a team, and hosted or organized a project at the 2026 Day of Caring. Each one of you played an important role in making this year’s event so impactful. We are inspired by what our community can do when we all join together and humbled to play a small role in it!