Victoria’s bicentennial is a celebration of our history and our heritage, but most importantly, it is a celebration of our neighbors and our community. To mark this day, our community service organizations are bringing us together for a special day of caring, unity, and connection to each other.
The Victoria Day of Caring event will be held 8-11 a.m. on Saturday, April 13. Volunteers can choose from many different opportunities hosted by organizations across Victoria, such as garden work at the Victoria County Public Health Department, pressure washing at Hope of South Texas, painting at the Texas Zoo, a roadway cleanup along Zac Lentz Parkway and more.
The Victoria Day of Caring is more than just a morning of volunteer projects; it is a way for the community to honor Victoria’s 200 years while feeling united and proud of where they live. Everybody is welcome to join in as we look to the future by giving back to the community and to each other.
As a thank you for lending a hand, all volunteers will receive a Victoria Day of Caring T-shirt. These shirts will be available for pick up at the Victoria Public Library Jams event 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, and at project sites on the day of the event. Be sure to wear them while you’re volunteering, then come to De Leon Plaza at noon for our big group photo!
As an added bonus, volunteers sporting their Bicentennial Day of Caring T-shirts will be treated to a ticket for free food from any of the food trucks at De Leon Plaza during the Home of the Six Flags Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, on the day of the event.
Be sure to stick around for the market, live music, the De Leon Plaza expansion ribbon cutting ceremony and the unveiling of the Martín de León and Patricia de la Garza statues from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
We would like to thank all the organizations who are providing the volunteer projects. By allowing us to help, you are giving our residents a chance to come together and foster a sense of community pride. A special thank you goes out to JustServe, United Way of the Crossroads, and the University of Houston-Victoria for helping organize the event.
We have many different projects that need volunteers, so we hope you’ll join us and help make this an event for the history books! To find a project and sign up, or to learn more about Victoria’s bicentennial, visit www.victoriatx200.com.
Christy Youker is the executive director of Keep Victoria Beautiful and the assistant director of Environmental Services for the City of Victoria.