Veterans Day is a bit of an anomaly of a holiday. Unlike its fellow Federal Holidays, Presidents Day and Columbus Day, that recognize people who have made important contributions to our country, Veterans Day is unique in that many of those being honored are still alive, and virtually all of us have some connection to them. That’s pretty neat if you think about it. Maybe it’s your uncle who served in Vietnam, or your little sister stationed overseas, or a parent of a child in your kid’s class.  On Veterans Day, we actually have the opportunity to personally thank those being honored. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never gotten to personally tell a past president how much I appreciate what they’ve done for our country.

With over 600,000 veterans in Washington State alone, there is plenty of opportunity to thank, honor, and support the men and women who have served our country. Below are just some of the ways you can honor our vets - on Veterans Day, and throughout the year:

• Volunteer – Support veterans in our community through service. Volunteer to help disabled vets with chores and housework or transport them to appointments, or help a recently returned veteran transition into the workforce. You can find a variety of volunteer opportunities supporting veterans at www.uwkc.org/volunteer
• Run a Supply-Drive – Collect items for Care Packages that will go to homeless veterans in our community. More info at http://www.uwkc.org/ways-to-volunteer/cre/
• Support military families – There are numerous opportunities to support military families, and veterans, during the holiday season by donating holiday meals and gifts. For a list of holiday opportunities, click here.
• Write a letter – Through programs like Operation Honor Cards and Operation Appreciation, you can easily tell active duty military, and military families, that you appreciate the sacrifices they’ve made, and even pledge to volunteer in their honor.
• For even more ideas on how to honor veterans, check out this great post on the HandsOn Network blog – Six Ways to Celebrate Veterans Day with Service

Volunteers from NPower sent 25 social media coaches out to work with 23 different non-profits to help them reach out to more people and maximize their use of social media channels, check out their write up here!

Goats, Gates and Reading Gains?! That’s right, here’s a project that sent Gates Foundation Employees out to help the Community School Colaboration learn about nature and yes there were goats involved!

Here’s one about volunteers from PeaceHealth, Aerojet and Mutual of Enumclaw gathering together to clean up and manicure the grounds at Providence Marianwood senior facilities.

How about Microsoft volunteers helping to grow food for local food banks, check out the Daisy Sonju Community Garden post here.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered at Day of Caring, and remember…you can volunteer year round!  There are hundreds of opportunities everyday, check out the volunteer section of United Way of King County’s website!

United Way celebrates the extraordinary volunteers who are doing more to make our community stronger. From preparing meals at a neighborhood food bank, to skipping lunch to read to kids at a pre-school, to organizing a beach cleanup, to contributing skills as a board member, graphic artist, or camp counselor, the range of voluntary efforts is immense. And so is the impact. A better community – it starts with you. And it often starts with volunteering.

Volunteer at Solid Ground’s Marra Farm

National Volunteer Week is not only about recognizing the contributions of volunteers, but also about inspiring people to get involved and volunteer in their communities. Join us for an afternoon of volunteering at Solid Ground’s Marra Farm on Tuesday, April 12th from 4-6 pm. Marra Farm is located at 9026 4th Ave. S in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood. We will be preparing beds for spring planting, planting veggie starts, and helping with various tasks around the farm, all while learning about urban agriculture and helping provide healthy, locally grown food to those in need.

Come to the Seattle Mariners “Salute to Volunteers Night” on April 12th

As a thank you to those who volunteer, tickets to the game can be purchased at a discount price of $8. Organize a group of volunteers of 25 or more and your organization’s name will be displayed on the score board after the 3rd inning.

Attend the Washington State Jefferson Awards

Join CityClub for a breakfast on April 13th celebrating volunteerism and the five Washington State Jefferson Award winners.

Nominate someone for a Point of Light Award

The Daily Point of Light Award honors individuals and volunteer groups who are helping to meet critical needs in their communities and creating change every day. Each weekday, one volunteer or volunteer effort in the country receives a Daily Point of Light Award.

 Find opportunities to volunteer all year round at www.ukwc.org/volunteer

AT&T Western Region President Fred Devereux and his team proudly show off their Spirit of Puget Sound Award.

The Spirit of Puget Sound Award honors outstanding community involvement, sustained campaign excellence, and the promotion of volunteerism.

Here are just a few reasons why we presented AT&T with this prestigious honor:

• When it comes to consistently stepping up to sponsor United Way of King County events, AT&T is at the top of the list—sponsoring United Way’s annual Breakfast, Day of Caring and the Spirit of Caring Celebration.
• They also get actively involved in our events. For the last three years, AT&T company has provided free long-distance phone calls for people experiencing homelessness at the Community Resource Exchange. In addition, nearly 200 AT&T employees volunteered at the last Day of Caring.
• AT&T’s western region president, Fred Devereux, serves on United Way of King County’s board of directors, and several other AT&T staff members lend their time and expertise on other United Way committees.

Congratulations to AT&T for taking home the Spirit of Puget Sound Award—and for leading the way in doing more for our community.

Click here for a full list of Spirit of Caring Award winners.

Help us connect more people to the great volunteer opportunities in the community!

Every day, the United Way website has hundreds of ways to get involved, including:

reading to refugee kids in daycare

stocking up a neighborhood foodbank with local produce

helping an arts group make smarter use of Facebook

cooking the evening meal at women’s homeless shelter

restoring bird habitat along the Duwamish River

• …and more!

There’s a powerful way you can help us spread the word:

Put our Volunteer Search Widget on your website, blog, or FaceBook page!

It will literally take you thirty seconds. Choose the size widget that’s best for you, press “Get Widget” beneath it, then copy the code and paste it in your page.

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The following article is from Talk about Kids, a monthly newsletter that focuses on early learning. To subscribe to Talk about Kids or view past issues click here.

The Washington state legislature is back in session and our representatives have been charged with approving a plan to balance the current state budget and approving a budget for the next biennium (2011-2013). In both cases, there will be devastating cuts to health and human services that will deeply affect the most vulnerable people in our community, including our young children.

United Way of King County will be in Olympia throughout the session advocating on behalf of low-income, young children and their families. Here’s what we will be most vocal about:

• Maintaining funding for, and decreasing barriers to, child care subsidies for low-income families so they can work to support their families and, at the same time, get quality, affordable care for their children.
• Maintaining support for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, the state-funded early childhood education program for low-income 3- and 4-year-olds.
• Maintaining the state’s commitment to fund home visiting programs as a cost-effective strategy that prepares children for success in school.

Here’s what you can do to help protect children:

1. Register for United Way’s Public Policy Updates and Alerts to stay up-to-date on the issues, and get instructions on when and how to take action.

2. Participate in upcoming lobby days:

• January 31: Washington Education Association Lobby Day
• February 10: United Ways of Washington Lobby Day
• February 22: Have a Heart for Kids Lobby Day
• February 25: 2011 Hunger Action Day

3. Visit Olympia, call, e-mail or write to your legislator. They want and need to hear from you! Click here to find your legislator. 

Learn more:

• Take a look at United Way’s 2011 Legislative Agenda for a full rundown on all of the issues at the top of our priority list.
• Get insights and opinions on what’s going on in the Public Policy section of our blog.

Last September, over 2,400 people experiencing homelessness came to the Community Resource Exchange at Qwest Field for a day of hope and help.

View a KOMO 4 News video about the event here.

The demand far exceeded our supplies, and many had to leave empty-handed. We don’t want that to happen again—and with your help, it won’t.

Our next Community Resource Exchange will take place at Qwest Field this April. 

Each year, we ask community groups, businesses, schools and volunteers to help collect supplies for care packages that are distributed at the event.  We need your help to make sure we have enough care packages for everyone who attends. 

You can help by organizing a supply drive at your company, school or community group.

We’ll send you materials to help get the word out about your drive.

You can also donate supplies online here.

For more information, visit unitedwayofkingcounty.org/cre or e-mail cre@uwkc.org.

Other Ways to Get Involved in Ending Homelessness:

• Find out more about our work to end homelessness
• Subscribe to our Out of the Rain bi-weekly e-mail
• Volunteer throughout the year

While most people are aware that MLK Day is a Federal holiday in the U.S. and have enjoyed a day off from school or work, what many don’t realize is that in 1994 Congress designated the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service. Each January, people across the country “make it a day on, not a day off” by participating in service activities in their communities. Last year in Philadelphia, more than 70,000 volunteers served on MLK Day! So, why the day of service? What does this have to do with Martin Luther King Jr.?  

Dr. King once said “Life’s most persistent and nagging question, he said, is `what are you doing for others?’” and envisioned a country where people worked together to solve community problems and making the world a better place – the Beloved Community. While we have come a long way since the days of Martin Luther King, there is still much work to be done. By serving on the King Holiday and throughout the year, we can realize King’s dream of equality and opportunity for all and build upon our community’s foundation. Check out http://www.uwkc.org/ways-to-volunteer/mlkday/ to find out how you can honor Dr. King’s legacy on January 17^th and all year long.

It’s that time. . . time to start making promises to better ourselves in the coming year. We set lofty goals like “I’m going to get up and go jogging everyday at 5 am, rain or shine” (unlikely) or “I am going to quit consuming all of the things that are potentially harmful to my health” (what is left to eat?). Alas, only about 46% of resolutions make it past the 6 month mark. When resolutions don’t pan out, we feel like we’ve failed and resolve to stick to our resolutions next year. Well, United Way is here to help. Below are a few simple resolutions that will benefit your community AND are easy to keep.

1. Spend a buck: Or more! Buy a Real Change newspaper from one of the 400 local vendors and help end homelessness in King County. Use this handy map to find a vendor in your area http://www.realchangenews.org/index.php/site/vendor-map/   
2. Volunteer. . . at least once: You’re busy. We know. But surely you can commit to volunteer at least once in 2011. Who knows, you just might find yourself coming back for more. Hundreds of local organizations could benefit from your unique skills and talents. Volunteer on MLK Day. Check out SeattleWorks’ one day Hot Projects. Peruse the Volunteer Calendar to see what volunteer projects are coming up. Make a commitment and find a place to volunteer year round. What are you waiting for?
3. Meet your neighbors: We’ve all heard the term “Seattle Freeze.” Why not take steps to combat our city’s unsavory stereotype? You might have a neighbor who needs your help, or you might need theirs someday. Build your support network while having someone to say hi to. Down with The Freeze!
4. Buy a little extra: Next time you see someone holding a food drive outside your grocery store, add a few items to your shopping list and donate them, or better yet, donate directly to a food bank in your area.
5. Advocate!: Are you passionate about a particular issue? Let your elected officials know that you want them to take action by writing a letter. It’s fast and effective. Check out these tips from the ACLU on writing elected officials. To find out who the elected officials are for your district, visit http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/default.aspx
6. Get social: Social media is a powerful tool, and can do a lot to raise awareness. While you’re killing time on the bus, why not share information about the causes, organizations, and issues that matter to you. Follow @VolunteerKC and @UnitedWayKC for current issues affecting our community and ways to help.
7. Grow a book worm: When kids are read to at an early age, they are more likely to become readers themselves and do well in school. By contrast, children without reading skills by third grade are unlikely to graduate. Give a book to the kids in your life.  . . better yet, read it with them. .  . even better, sign up to be a Volunteer Reader and help prepare a local preschooler for success in school and life.
8. Give props: People all around us are giving back to the community in amazing ways, and more likely than not, someone you know is deserving of some accolades. You could just say “good job” OR you could nominate them for a Washington State Jefferson Award  by February 10th. The winners will be judged by a panel of community leaders and their stories will be told on Evening Magazine the week of March 28th. One winner will represent our state in Washington D.C.
9. Take the lead: Alright, so you understand the importance of community involvement, but do your friends? Rally a group of friends, family or coworkers to participate in a volunteer project – just ask them, they can’t say no. For current group volunteer project listings, visit http://www.uwkc.org/ways-to-volunteer/ and click the orange “Group” icon.
10. Do More: Maybe you already donate, volunteer, advocate, help your neighbors and are generally engaged with your community. You rock! *High Fives* We like you. Why not resolve to do just a little more in 2011? Just a little more can go a long way

The software donation will help our Free Tax Preparation Campaign. The campaign helps hard-working low-income families to keep more of their money and avoid paying unneccessary fees for commerical tax preparation and “rapid refund” loans.

During the 2010 tax season, we helped return $19.7 million in federal refunds to the community–invluding $6.3 million in Earned Income Tax Credits.

These incredible results were made possible by 600 community volunteers who helped people file their taxes, signed up eligible families for public benefits and served as interpreters. We invite you to join our mighty 2011 volunteer team! Go to unitedwayofkingcounty.org/taxhelp for more info and to sign up to volunteer.