Monday marked the beginning of an annual tradition in Butler County: The United Way of Butler County’s Week of Caring — a six-day effort which shows organizations working for the greater good that their efforts do not go unnoticed.

Nonprofit and community organizations provide innumerable services. They clothe and shelter the homeless; they care for children and the elderly; they preserve and enrich communities’ history; they care for public resources like parks and recreation complexes. They are the behind-the-scenes helpers that we often don’t see or hear.

So Who’s helping the helpers? The answer, at least in Butler County, is: a whole lot of people, actually.

In 2014 nearly 150 people signed up to work on 25 different projects throughout Butler County. In 2013 more than 250 people turned out to lend a hand. Last year one project alone — upkeep and maintenance work at Preston Park in Butler Township — drew 50 volunteers. The entire Week of Caring event in 2015 put about 300 volunteers to work at 23 community projects throughout Butler County.

The United Way, on its web page, says the effort that year saved communities more than $40,000 in labor costs alone. That’s an average of more than $1,700 per project. Put that in context for yourself by considering if your household somehow made it onto the list.

What could you do with an extra $1,739? The impact to nonprofit charities and community organizations — which labor selflessly to aid the disadvantaged and enrich our boroughs and townships — is just as dramatic. The difference is that these projects affect more than one family. They’re a boon to entire communities and, by extension, the county at large.

The Week of Caring also gives us something money can’t possibly buy: an imitable symbol. This is an example of people taking ownership of the communities in which they live and work, taking pride in making those communities better, and coming together to make it happen. It’s also, it should be noted, a time when the businesses these people work for give back as well, by donating their time on the job.

The world needs more Weeks of Caring. Young people need more reminders of the importance of and benefits to altruism that don’t include advice on resume-building or ticking off boxes on college applications. We all need to remember — or perhaps learn for the first time — that community service isn’t simply a means to an end. It’s an enrichment in and of itself.

There’s no way to force unwilling young people (or old people, for that matter) to accept the fundamental importance of this notion. Not everyone has the time, passion or generosity to buy in. But there are legions of people who understand that all volunteerism — whatever you’re able and willing to do — has value. And Butler County is better for their efforts.