For the City Times

The United Way Volunteer Center of Portage County will hold its annual Make a Difference Day Rake-a-thon on Saturday, Oct. 22. Registration for volunteers who wish to help and for people who may need help raking this fall or is now open.

More than 500 volunteers are needed for the Rake-a-thon. Members of the community will come together to rake yards for Portage County residents who need assistance due to physical barriers or cannot afford raking services.

“For many elderly or disabled residents who do not have family nearby to help out, the volunteer raking teams relieve their worries and make a significant difference in just a few short hours,” said Bleu Heindl, United Way of Portage County Make A Difference Day Coordinator.

Sign up by registering your volunteer team of two or more people at VolunteersRock.org. Create a team name, gather the names of the team participants and fill in the requested information.

If you would like to register your yard to be raked by community volunteers, you can sign up by dialing 2-1-1 (Cellular customers may need to dial 1-800-922-5590) on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or by contacting United Way of Portage County at 715-341-6740. One hundred fifty yards will be accepted on a first-come first-serve basis. Registration will end Friday, Oct. 14.

On Oct. 22, volunteers will gather at P.J. Jacobs Junior High School at 8 a.m. for team registration and a light breakfast. After receiving raking assignments, they will set out to rake yards between 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

For more information about this event, email [email protected], call United Way of Portage County at 715-341-6740, or visit www.unitedwaypoco.org or VolunteersRock.org.