Volunteer George Henrichsmeyer fixes a window during last year's Together for Lincoln community service day. This year's project day is scheduled for Sept. 22.

Organizers gearing up for 6th annual Together for Lincoln [June 13, 2013]  Together for Lincoln Community Service Project Day will be on Sunday, Sept. 22, with a community worship service that evening. Applications are currently being accepted for community projects. Organizers are also asking volunteers to sign up early so they can be placed in an area where they are best fit to serve.

"The core of Together for Lincoln has always been its volunteers," said Dustin Fulton, preaching minister at Jefferson Street Christian Church and public relations coordinator for Together for Lincoln. "This year we are committed to creating a better environment for them," he said.

Fulton says that after trying Saturday last year, they are moving the project day back to a Sunday because it seems to fit the community better. Organizers are also investing more efforts in communication and team building.

"A day with so much happening will always have a certain amount of chaos, but we think we will cut it down dramatically this year. Especially if we can get volunteers to sign up early in order to place them in projects that will fit their abilities and desires," Fulton said.

During last year's Together for Lincoln, about 500 volunteers invested a total of approximately 2,500 working hours in the community. In addition, more than $22,000 in locally purchased products was put into the nearly 100 service projects.

This year's TFL will include two main types of projects -- general projects and weatherization projects. The general projects involve helping around the community with interior painting, gutter cleaning, window washing, etc. Fulton says one of the best aspects of these projects is that families are able to serve together.

"It is a great picture of intergenerational blessings really flowing in our community," Fulton said.

The second area of work will be weatherization projects. This year, volunteers will focus on replacing all windows in a few houses, rather than three to four windows in several houses, like they did last year. The weatherization projects are funded through donations that were matched by a grant from the Woods Foundation of Lincoln and a grant from the Energy Assistance Foundation of Decatur. Homeowners applying for a weatherization project will go through an interview process.

Applications for both types of projects and volunteer applications are available at State Bank of Lincoln's Wal-Mart branch, Oasis Senior Center and all partner churches. The deadline to apply for weatherization projects is July 15. General project applications are due on Aug. 1. The volunteer application deadline is Aug. 19.