In 2021, Lindsay and Ben Baran created the Vincent William Baran Day of Service in memory of their son who had died in a tragic accident in November 2020. More than 300 people participated in that first day of service, and it turned into an annual event. Three more years and three more annual service events later, and the Vincent William Baran Day of Service had resulted in a combined total of 1,978 volunteers providing 4,556 hours of in-person community service to 31 nonprofit organizations while raising more than $90,000 to support the poor and vulnerable including those served by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. Clearly, people wanted to serve those in need and the structure Lindsay and Ben provided gave them an easy way to make that happen. 

Yet Lindsay and Ben saw a bigger opportunity, one that could position the annual day of service as something enduring, something that would reach far beyond their immediate circles. That opportunity involved taking the day of service and focusing it even more on the work of service itself. In keeping with the wise words of Saint Vincent de Paul, the patron saint of the poor, this sharpened focus would address "first the heart, then the work." Namely, awareness of those in need is important. Actually doing something for them is essential.

In 2025, Lindsay and Ben introduced The Mighty Vincent Project—a week of in-person volunteer service opportunities every September.

The 2026 Mighty Vincent Project is set for Sept. 19-27, starting with a series of volunteer service project opportunities each day and culminating with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul's Friends of the Poor Walk. We hope you'll join us.