More than 50 workers took the day off on Friday to make the Alpine House in Provo look more like a home.

The brown, brick house, which boards 12 residents with mental disabilities who are trying to become self-sufficient, was inside-out that morning.Volunteers moved the furniture outside so they could paint the walls inside. Other volunteers planted bulbs, weeded, trimmed bushes and cleaned windows.

It was just one of the 15 locations in the valley to get a makeover through United Way's annual Day of Caring. About 600 workers from local businesses met at Lavell Edwards Stadium for breakfast before spreading out with truckloads of paintbrushes, squeegees and rakes to projects they would work on until lunch time.

"We can't wait to see it all done and how good it will look," said Kelli Galovich, 24, who was repainting the Alpine House's back-door banister with her co-workers from Utah Community Credit Union.

While serving, community workers were able to get to know places where they can serve in the future.

"This helps companies in Utah County see the nonprofit world," said Rachel Bryson, coordinator for the UVSC Center for Service and Learning. "It puts two good sides of the community together, the business side and the nonprofit side. Without the Day of Caring, I would have never known there was an Alpine House."

Places like the Alpine house, a nonprofit organization, run on a tight budget, making the yearly help from the Day of Caring invaluable.

"We're a place that can use a lot of help," said Lon Bowen, director of the Alpine House, while volunteers painted the wall behind and around him. "It would take me a few days to do this alone. This always helps us stretch our budget."

A little farther south, some volunteers waded through white insulation as they cleaned out what used to be the old Bamboo Hut restaurant on Freedom Boulevard.

Eventually it will be converted into a community center with office space for Sub for Santa and possibly Habitat for Humanity.

Volunteers also visited three homes of seniors who can't do their yard work alone, said Amanda Stott, United Way of Utah County's campaign manager. Groups also worked on projects in Orem, Payson and Pleasant Grove.

"You get out of doing your regular job for a day, and you get to do feel-good service," said Diane Breitling, a Power Quest employee, while raking near the Bamboo Hut. "I plan to do this every year now."