Last year Microsoft licensing specialist Forrest Marshall participated in United Way of King County’s Day of Caring to give back to his community and to have fun with his co-workers.

He never dreamed a day of volunteering would lead to a free Holland America cruise.

Marshall won the cruise during a prize drawing at the Day of Caring after party. He was enjoying “amazing food, drink and great people” at the event when he heard his named called as the cruise winner.

“I have never…

Microsoft employees are always a big presence at our annual Day of Caring, and many of them volunteer year after year.

Leslie Nichols, an administrative assistant in Microsoft’s Global Foundation Services division, has participated for the past four years.

Last year, Leslie’s Day of Caring team packaged donations at Food Lifeline in Shoreline. The project provided a lot of fun moments, but one stood out.  “One of the wonderful things about Food Lifeline is that they track every ounce of food that you are…

For Microsoft employee Jill Shrader, volunteering with United Way’s Free Tax Preparation Campaign pays tremendous dividends.

“Before I became a tax volunteer I did a lot of one-time volunteer projects for various nonprofit organizations,” she said. “While that feels good, you get a different level of satisfaction when you find volunteer work you really like and focus your efforts. Doing taxes is intellectually challenging and a great opportunity to connect with clients. It is more fun and fulfilling than any other volunteer work…

United Way of King County’s Spirit of Caring Celebration is a special evening dedicated to recognizing and thanking the extraordinary people in our community who are stepping up, standing out and giving back—including you!

Please join us March 3 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue for drinks, hors d’oeuvres and raucous rounds of applause for the winners of the Spirit of Caring Awards, United Way’s highest form of community recognition.

Notable nominees:

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Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 7, was officially released yesterday.  And in order to generate buzz around it, Microsoft is pulling all the stops.

In Japan, they are selling “Windows 7 Whoppers” which is a Burger King Whopper that is stuffed with 7 — yes, I said 7 — beef patties (You can watch a video of someone attempting to take a bite out of the burger at the end of this post).  Here in the US, Microsoft is working with Family Guy…

If you like photography and great causes, then I have a great deal for you.

As part of their giving campaign, over 200 Microsoft employees came together to create a fine art photography book where all the profits go to United Way of King County.  The book is offered for purchase at the cost of printing plus $25.00. This additional amount is contributed directly to United Way in your name and is fully tax deductible as a charitable contribution.

I highly recommend that you…