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A couple weeks back, a team of 11 people from the Royal Bank of Canada volunteered with the United Way of the Lower Mainland (UWLM) as part of the UWLM Day of Caring to help the DDA. Day of Caring is a community partnership between United Way and community agencies and organization employee groups to help out at a local non-profit. Waterside Child Development Centre was fortunate to have these volunteers to help clean up the play area out back for the children.

Thanks to the UWLM and the generous volunteers from RBC for doing such a fantastic job!

BB associates Jessica Scott, Jim Kurdy, Nick Vermeer, and Jeff Grieff participate in United Way's Day of Caring at El Centro de la Raza

Ben Bridge associates participated in United Way’s Day of Caring at El Centro de la Raza in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood.

They helped get ready for El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) by making and unpacking decorations and making sugar skulls for the kids to decorate.

Thanks to everyone who participated for helping contribute to the vibrancy of our communities!

-Marc

By the end of morning, 150 boxes of food filled the tables in the pavilion at Stewart Park. I volunteered for a couple of hours as part of my involvement with the Stone Soup Philanthropy Corps.

I volunteered at the Day of Caring, packaging food and lugging boxes of personal care items from car trunks to the pavilion, and throughout the day, I was overwhelmed by the number of volunteers who came out to support the kick-off. Workers from community institutions and stores, including Wegman’s and Tompkins Trust Company, were among the volunteers, and it was fantastic to see such a far-reaching movement to advocate for local poverty and hunger relief.

Karlem Sivira, a sophomore at Ithaca College, also pitched in, filling empty boxes with nonperishable items like cans and boxed dried goods.

I met tons of people at the event, introducing myself, finding out how they contribute to local aid organizations and talking up this blog. I quickly saw that the list of attendees read like a “who’s who” list of poverty relief workers and advocates in Tompkins County. Among the people who I recognized or was introduced to were:

- James Brown, president of the UWTC

- Other UWTC staff, including Meg Cole (director of community programs) and Ann Colt (director of campaign and community relations)

- Joan Barber, coordinator of Danby Food Pantry and Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard

- Deb Mohlenhoff, assistant director of community service and leadership development at Ithaca College

- John Spence, executive director of Better Housing for Tompkins County

- Chris Sanchirico, executive directotr and Michelle Brichacek, Samaritan Center coordinator for Catholic Charities of Tompkins-Tioga

- And dozens of other people who are leaders of organizations that have been fighting poverty or raising awareness about its effects for years

The UWTC’s goal this year is to raise $2,075,000…the Day of Caring was the first step in meeting this goal, exhibiting Tompkins County’s commitment to both direct service and fundraising administrative management in the name of helping others.

View pictures from this event on Pocket Full of Change’s Flickr Page!

BUFFALO, N.Y. -  Six Trocaire College employees recently joined thousands of community volunteers during the Annual United Way Day of Caring.

The group from Trocaire cleared brush from around the pond at Camp Seven Hills in Holland, NY – a Girl Scout Camp that encompasses approximately 620 acres of woodland paths, sunny meadows, ponds, streams and hills.

Trocaire College employees are pleased to volunteer their time each year to assist organizations within our community.

Trocaire Employees Participate in the Annual United Way Day of Caring

2009 Trocaire Volunteers included:  Jeremiah Grabowski, Coordinator of Technology; Claire Darstein, Career Center Director; Althea Porter, Director for the Center for Academic Success; Dick Linn, Dean of Planning & Research; Patrick Sullivan, Associate Director for the Center for Academic Success; and Jim Carlo, Hospitality Program Director.

What do you get when you take 270 local organizations and match them with nearly 9,000 volunteers? Over $1,000,000 worth of volunteer time and one HUGE day of service. On Friday, September 11th, United Way of King County held its 17th annual Day of Caring event, which coincided with the first annual 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, as declared by President Obama earlier this year. I had the opportunity to visit a handful of the hundreds of projects that took place on Friday, and it was truly inspiring to see so many people taking the day off work to volunteer. Whether they were deep cleaning a homeless shelter, pulling ivy or helping an organization with strategic planning, volunteers were out in full force with a common mission: to give back. Here’s what one volunteer had to say about his experience,

“I can see the big picture of how Day of Caring works – as each of us 8,000 volunteers spend our time with a non-profit – we get a glimpse of the benefit to the community the non-profits we visit provide.  We gain an appreciation for the service a specific non-profit provides as well as an appreciation for the matchmaking work of United Way – matching need with donors.”

If you participated in United Way’s Day of Caring this year, we would love to hear from you! Tell us about your experience in the comment section below and make sure to check out the volunteer photos here!

…a Day of Caring story.

Charlie was an amazing woman to work with. Several years ago, she opened a soup kitchen for those in the area who needed some help. Then, when her own home burned down, she moved into the soup kitchen. That was the only place left she had to go.

The building was made mostly of recycled materials. Old newspaper articles, recipes, even Happy Meal bags served as her wallpaper. She used discarded pieces of wood, glass jars… anything she could find.

While we were there, we touched up some of the paint, fixed a broken window, cleaned up the yard, and replaced some of the flooring. But the coolest part of the day was hearing her story. She has done so much for this community, and will continue to do so as long as she can. Her love for God and her love for others was so obvious, and such an encouragement to us.

Charlie was able to attend the Celebration at Grace College on Wednesday night and shared what our help had meant to her. And then she proclaimed that God is still providing for her… even after all these years, He is there. And she’s trusting Him to provide everything she needs…

Pink will perform at Key Arena Tuesday, September 15.

Day of Caring volunteers not only get to enjoy free food, drinks, Sea Gals and the fresh grooves of DJ Tecumseh at the Day of Caring After Party, they have the chance to win some really cool prizes. Two tickets to the September 15 Pink concert at Key Arena, a Microsoft Zune, a Holland America cruise for two and more are up for grabs.

Volunteers: be sure to wear your Day of Caring t-shirt. It’s your ticket to the After Party. If you want to partake in the free beer and wine, please bring your ID. Free parking is available in the North Lot at Qwest Field.

Thank you to the Seattle Seahawks for generously hosting the Day of Caring After Party! And thank you to the nearly 9,000 Day of Caring volunteers who will be out in the community tomorrow.

Wow, that headline is really corny. Did I actually write that?! Well, it ties into the post. I will be tweeting all day tomorrow from United Way of King County’s Community Resource Exchange and the Day of Caring After Party.

I am a Twitter newbie so we’ll see how this goes, but I thought it would be a great way to give people an inside look these two events. Follow me tomorrow at @HomelessKC and @VolunteerKC. I’ll be using the hashtag #uwkc.

On a side note, Kristi Heim gave the Community Resource Exchange a nice mention in the Seattle Times Business of Giving blog yesterday. Read her post.

…a Day of Caring story.

From the moment I stepped onto the grounds of the First United Methodist Church to serve in the free lunch kitchen, I was blessed beyond belief. People came in, some eyes downcast at first, but the godly, caring smiles and help from all the volunteers caused smiles to come forth.

One particular lady came to the window. She looked so depressed and humiliated. I began a short conversation. She told me she felt awkward being there. I said, “Just a minute,” went around the counter, and gave her a hug. She collapsed into tears as she hugged back with a sigh for the welcoming show of God’s love. I said a short quiet prayer only she could hear, then said, “God bless you.” Her response… “He already has.”

What a day.

Kathy Snell

I have been pondering what to write in this post and the first thing that I need to say is Thank You. Thank you to all of you who came out to serve our community during the Day of Caring on August 26th.  More than 700 volunteers and 100 projects were spread throughout the county. It was awesome to drive through the different areas of Warsaw and Winona Lake and see people from local churches and businesses serving in our community. Projects ranged from serving food at the downtown community kitchen, to cleaning yards and the insides of homes, all the way to small and large construction projects.

The day came to a close with a Reflection Service at McClain Auditorium (Grace College), where volunteers and recipients of the work shared their experiences from the day. There were both laughter and tears during this time. It is amazing what God can do when we set aside our differences and come together as one body in Christ. God gives us opportunities just like this one to be His light in our community.

Matthew 5:15-16
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

We have opportunities all around us. Opportunities to help our families, friends, coworkers, neighbors… that person you passed on the street and when you did, something inside said to “turn around.” That doesn’t happen by coincidence. God has called us to serve others. We have all the resources and power in Him to do what He has called us to do.

Our call to service is not just for the Church as a body, but for each one of us as Christ-followers. I am constantly reminded of this in James 2:15-17: Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Again, thanks for your hearts and your willingness to step out and give of yourself for our community.

Grace and Peace,
Eric Lane
Project Manager, Day of Caring

Check back soon as we share pictures and stories from Day of Caring!

Today is the United Way Day of Caring. The YWCA was lucky to have a group of volunteers from Lowe’s, Lowe’s Heroes, spend the day here. They worked in the Child Care Center playground and in the YWCA’s organic garden. They installed new benches and flowers in the playground to the specifications of our Preventing Obesity by Design grant. The volunteers also built raised beds for the garden. Lowe’s donated all of the supplies. The difference before and after is notable (see the photo gallery below). And even more volunteers from Lowe’s will be here tomorrow, working inside the building painting our After-School. It’s so wonderful! Many thanks to everyone involved!

On Friday, September 11, take part in a day of hope and unity—a day of change and action. Sign up now to be part of United Way of King County’s Day of Caring!

Day of Caring is the largest single day of volunteering in Washington state. Last year, we connected over 8,600 volunteers from 109 companies with 417 service projects throughout King County.

Your team might build affordable housing, add a fresh coat of paint to a daycare center or clear a path on a hiking trail.

And after a satisfying day helping to transform the community, volunteers will head to Qwest Field for the Day of Caring After Party for food, music and prizes galore.

President Obama has designated September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, so citizens throughout the country will be volunteering in their communities, too. Sign up for Day of Caring now!

United Way of King County’s success can be attributed to the tremendous efforts of our 2008-2009 campaign chair, Tod Leiweke, CEO of the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC.

Tod has worked hard to bring attention to the needs in our community, and to raise money in support of real solutions. He has made a vast array of resources available to United Way of King County, and he has shown us what it means to be a strong and visionary campaign chair.

He’s also going to scale Mount Rainier for United Way’s Climb for the Community. Now that’s commitment!

Tod is nearing the end of his tenure as campaign chair, but we know he will always be a dedicated and enthusiastic supporter of United Way of King County. Thanks, Tod!

Here’s a video of Tod on “Comcast Newsmakers” talking about the challenges facing our community and United Way’s role in creating solutions.

So, we’ve had a number of people ask why we are holding Day of Caring on September 11th this year. The short answer is, because it’s the second Friday in September and Day of Caring always takes place on the second Friday in September. So, technically, it is a coincidence. However, this year volunteering on 9/11 is especially significant. Why? Because on April 21st, President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which for the first time includes federal authorization to establish September 11 as an annually recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance. Does this mean everyone will get the day off of work? Sadly, no. Though the anniversary of 9/11 will be observed annually in ways somewhat similar to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it intentionally will not be a federal holiday. The hope is that individuals, businesses and organizations will be inspired to engage in some form of community service in remembrance of the events of 9/11. And guess what? United Way of King County has made it extra easy (even if it was a coincidence) for you to participate in the first official National Day of Service and Remembrance by holding our annual Day of Caring event on 9/11/2009. Day of Caring is the largest single day use of volunteers in King County with over 8,000 volunteers heading out last year from companies all over the region to help nearly 300 local non-profits with projects ranging from planting bulbs to painting playground equipment to sorting clothes for foster kids. Unfortunately, Day of Caring and 9/11 won’t be falling on the same day again for a long time, so this year really is unique. If you are interested in participating in Day of Caring as a non-profit or as a volunteer, email us at DayofCaring@uwkc.org

The United Way’s Spring Day of Caring event always brings out the crowds, and the most recent on April 24 was no different. This time, though, it also brought out the mayoral candidates.

Candidates addressed the crowd of volunteers, encouraging them and mostly staying away from any campaign talk. It was nice to have their support. Brewster McCracken talked a bit about Austin’s great spirit of giving; JD Gins, who showed up for an ill Lee Leffingwell, made similar comments to the crowd; and Carole Strayhorn threw some energetic one-liners that sounded like they truly came from the heart. (I heard she stayed for the whole morning, working on a volunteer project.)

After the pep rally, we spoke to McCracken, Leffingwell, and Strayhorn, though an equipment malfunction totally ruined the interview with Carole. Sorry, Mrs. Strayhorn. (Thanks to the Leffingwell team, who let me borrow the rechargeable batteries from their own Flip.)

We chatted with them about volunteering and asked for their thoughts on how Austin could do philanthropy better. See the videos below.

A couple of things here intrigue me, mostly J.D.’s reference to a “Mayor’s Corp.” I wonder how this will turn out?

Thanks for the invitation, United Way. And thanks for letting me bring my son along. He took some … interesting photos. Might post those later.