The United Way of King County’s Volunteer Reader Program has been sending volunteers out into our community to read aloud to preschoolers since March of 2007, and what would these three years of hard work be without getting to throw a three year anniversary party for one of our most dedicated volunteers? Volunteer Reader May Shimbo has been reading at Grammis’ House in White Center since May of 2007, and when her reading anniversary day came up last month the director of the…

          As part of its celebration of National Volunteer Week, the Volunteer Reader Program asked the teachers and directors at its 39 child care and preschool sites what makes their readers so special. These caring and fun adults give an hour each week to read aloud to preschoolers, and the inspiring responses we got are extremely reflective of the great work that our volunteers do.  The words paint a picture of the enormous impact that our team is having throughout King County, and when we published them in our monthly newsletter, they were a really…

Two months ago, if you had asked me what my feelings were on the Disney Give a Day get a Day promotion, I would have been less than enthusiastic. I had the whole thing sprung on me the day after I returned from my holiday vacation, and from what I could tell at the time, the hundreds of emails that I received were from self-interested people that cared about Disney first, and the kids second. People would be so blunt as to tell me, “I…

Have you ever wanted to go back to the carefree days of preschool? Then volunteer with the United Way of King County’s Volunteer Reader Program! Chances are you won’t get to nap and eat cookies all day, but you’ll be doing something even better; making a difference in the lives of local children.

More than half of all kindergartners in our state are entering school without the social, emotional, physical and cognitive skills they need to be successful. In fact, research shows…