LINCOLN - Organizers for a communitywide day of service in Lincoln say the event will be bigger this year.

Together For Lincoln will be Sept. 27. Last year, it drew more than 1,000 volunteers, representing 14 local churches, to help at about 120 project sites.

"We're hoping to make it a little bit bigger this time around," said one of the lead organizers, Norman Newhouse, a retired lumber company owner. "What we accomplished last year was absolutely fantastic, and everyone was pleasantly surprised as to how much work we actually were able to complete in one day. We know we can do more this year."

The projects were at people's homes and in public spaces and included painting, cleaning up roadsides, building wheelchair ramps, visiting nursing home residents and doing yard work.

The event once again will end with an interdenominational worship service.

Volunteer Koni Lovett saw several examples last year where people went above and beyond the call of duty.

For example, she was waiting with volunteer Tanner Smith, a Lincoln teen, for supplies to get to one of the designated sites. Smith noticed an elderly couple across the street working on a deck on their house.

The teen introduced himself, helped finish the deck and dug up four bushes that were to be transplanted.

Later, Lovett struck up a conversation with the homeowners. "They both had open-heart surgery recently, and so they had to be careful and take things slow," she said. "She didn't know about the project, but said, 'That's what the churches need to be doing.' "

Applications for volunteers or those seeking help for a project are available at Action Rental, 101 S. Kickapoo St.; State Bank of Lincoln's Wal-Mart branch, 825 Malerich Drive; and all partner churches. The deadline for assistance applications is Aug. 15, and priority will be given in the order in which they are received.

Project leaders will be assigned on or before Aug. 29.

kbarlow@pantagraph.com