From his perch atop a ladder, Rex Price is brushing paint onto a swingset.
All around him at Ooltewah Elementary School, hundreds of volunteers, most of whom are Unum employees wearing blue Unum T-shirts, are sanding, scrubbing and painting.
"It's a chance to give back to the community and build within our team," said Mr. Price, a 38-year-old Unum consultant.
On Friday, about 350 Unum employees volunteered their time for National Community Service Day. For them, that meant sprucing up Ooltewah Elementary.
The Community Service Day is something that Unum does in all its locations across the country, said Tom Thompson, Unum's vice president of client services. Unum's Chattanooga campus has been participating in Community Service Day for six years, he said.
Last year's work at Spring Creek Elementary School was the company's first year directing its service day efforts toward Hamilton County Schools, he said.
Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim Scales said the work of the Unum employees is a great boost for the school system.
"We wouldn't have the time, manpower or funding to do what the company is able to come out and do," said Dr. Scales, who was at Ooltewah Elementary on Friday morning.
Ooltewah Elementary principal Tom Arnold said that the school, built in the '50s, needed a makeover.
"To get a facelift like this from Unum is going to make a better education environment," Mr. Arnold said.
Making the school look better may improve the outlook of students at Ooltewah, Dr. Scales said.
"Teachers and students come in and see fresh coats of paint and realize that the community takes an interest in what's going on in our schools," he said.
The Unum employees were equally as enthusiastic about the work.
"This is awesome," said Krystal Birch, 29, as she painted new lines on the playground's four-square court.
A show of hands during Mr. Thompson's opening remarks indicated that many Unum employees have children enrolled in Ooltewah Elementary.
Mr. Thompson said it's important to get involved in the community because so many of Unum's employees are part of the community themselves.
"This is just the beginning," said Suzanne Payne, community relations worker with Unum and project coordinator for the Service Day event. "Unum plans to do its Community Service Day every year now, and we hope to reach every school in the area."
In addition to the national Service Day projects, Unum has been part of the system's technology project, putting interactive whiteboards in schools for the last three years, Dr. Scales said. Unum also contributes to teaching grants, offers its facilities for school events and contributes expertise to school system planning, he said.
But for Ron Durham, dragging a rake across a newly landscaped garden, the day provides something much simpler - satisfaction for a job well done.
"The most rewarding part is seeing things come together and the help we are able to provide," said Mr. Durham, 52, a tech analyst at Unum.