Youth Board Applications Available

Do you know a local high school student that would like to gain valuable leadership experience, participate in community service activities with their peers from around the county and have a hand in improving conditions for children and teens? Fulfill their ambitions - United Way's Youth Board is now taking applications for the 2012-13 academic year. The Youth Board serves as a student-led Board of Directors. Members learn about and discuss community needs, volunteer within the county, and fundraise for their grant fund. Guest speakers who are leaders and knowledgeable about community needs are often asked to share their expertise at meetings. This experience also provides an opportunity for students to meet diverse contributors in the county and to partner with them on projects focused on awareness and fundraising. Only 35 members will be selected and the application deadline is September 14. Visit www.unitedwayslo.org for application instructions. For more information, contact us at youthboard@unitedwayslo.org or call (805) 541-1234.

Thank You for Helping Us Stuff the Bus!

From August 3-10, volunteers collected school supplies at all three San Luis Obispo County Office Max locations. The busses were stuffed with $12,000 worth of school supplies, including more than 450 boxes of crayons, 1,200 spiral notebooks, and 7,200 pencils! The supplies were divided among our school districts and will be distributed to students in need. Many thanks to all of our volunteers and donors, KSBY, Office Max, San Luis Paper Company and our workplace partners:

Coast Hills Federal Credit Union

Coast BMW/Nissan

Dignity Health

Kennedy Club Fitness

Lindamood-Bell

Rosetta

Santa Barbara Bank & Trust

Walgreens Atascadero

Check out photos from this year's event on Facebook.

Advocate for AmeriCorps

The House Appropriations Committee recently released a draft of their funding bill that once again calls for dramatic cuts to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).  While it preserves funding for Senior Corps programs, the bill directs agency staff to shut down CNCS and eliminates funding for vital programs such as AmeriCorps, the Volunteer Generation Fund, VISTA, the National Civilian Community Corps, and the Social Innovation Fund.

These programs have provided critical and countless benefits to communities nationwide, from education to nursing, infrastructure repair to disaster relief.  We need them now more than ever, and we need your voice to help protect their contributions. 

As Congress makes critical decisions about the Corporation for National Service, we need you to weigh in:

• Using our online advocacy alert, please send a message to your congressional representatives on preserving CNCS and AmeriCorps;
• Please tweet at your Member of Congress and tell them why #nationalservice is important in your community;
• Please tell them through Facebook what will be lost if the Corporation for National and Community Service is eliminated.

We need to put steady and consistent pressure on our legislators, urging them to take a stand for national service at a time when service organizations are more relied upon than ever.  Join us and spread the word to your partners and networks.

KidSpree

This year, nearly 200 children were supplied with much needed back-to-school clothes via generous donations from the community for KidSpree. Over 100 volunteers chaperoned the children at Kohl's as they selected items they truly needed and wanted. One thank you note from the mom of three grateful boys said they were "overwhelmed with the clothes, but more so with the kindness of the volunteers... I'm very thankful for [United Way's] generosity and hope you know the clothes and shoes will be worn always with your kindness in mind."

 The San Luis Obispo County YMCA screened volunteers to ensure the safety of the event and the shopping took place before the store was open to the public. Kohl's sales associates also volunteered for the event, and the stores sponsored five children a piece, charged no tax and offered additional sales and discounts. This year's Premier Sponsors were the Running Warehouse and Tennis Warehouse; Silver Sponsors included the Kiwanis Club of San Luis Obispo Morning, Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo Daybreak, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, and Zurn Wilkins. Those sponsoring five or more students included I Care International and Promega Biosciences. The Kiwanis Club of Bay-Osos very generously provided a delicious, free pancake breakfast in San Luis Obispo for all children, their families and the event volunteers. Check out photos from this year's event on Facebook.