United Way partnership to enhance infant/toddler development

Thanks to you, United Way is changing the way. Here's the latest information about how United Way and our partners are making a difference in the lives of kids, families and communities in Snohomish County.

United Way

Employers invited to summit on affordable homeownership for employees

Workforce housing benefits lead to increased recruiting abilities, higher employee retention and increased employee morale. Learn how at the Workforce Housing Summit on Jan. 15, 2008, at the Lynnwood Convention Center. The summit is free and sponsored by: Freddie Mac, Snohomish County, BECU, United Way of Snohomish County and HomeSight. Registration deadline is Jan. 9 and seating is limited, so register today!

United Way partnership to enhance infant/toddler development

Thanks to the Verizon Foundation and Tulalip Tribes for grants to United Way's Success By 6�. The Verizon Foundation gave $15,000 to expand this highly successful early learning initiative to children ages birth to 3 at the Tulalip Early Beginnings Childcare Center. The Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund donated $4,000 to this pilot program. Other childcare sites will include Gingerbread House in Everett, Josephine Intergenerational Child Care in Stanwood, Our Savior's Lutheran Child Care Center in Arlington and YMCA Heatherwood in Mill Creek. Little Red Schoolhouse will help identify and support children who need more individual attention.

Campain Executive team departs on high note

Before they returned to their regular jobs on Dec. 7, United Way Campaign Executives delivered 730 presentations and secured 26 new businesses for the United Way Campaign. Other notable successes:

The Fluke campaign is up by more than $40,000 and employees have given more than $200,000.
Frontier Bank's campaign has increased by more than $15,000.
The campaign at Perteet Engineering is up by $12,000.

Thank you to all of our donors and the hard-working CE team for a fabulous fall campaign. A total will be announced after 18 companies run their United Way campaigns this coming spring.

Premera Blue Cross announces gift to capital campaign

Premera Blue Cross has donated $25,000 to United Way's "Going Places" capital campaign. United Way moved into its new offices in April, thanks to generous capital campaign gifts that now total $1,079,511. Ongoing gifts to the capital campaign help reduce United Way's operating costs and increase resources that go directly to improving the lives of kids, families and our whole community.

Share your stuff: GiftMatch is a click away

Have a couch you'd like to donate, but not sure where to take it or who needs it? Use the new GiftMatch feature on United Way's web site. A virtual clearinghouse, GiftMatch connects donors of new and gently used items to nonprofit organizations serving those in need.

Give in two ways:

Browse a list of agency needs and contact information to find the group that needs the specific item(s) you have to donate.
Post the item(s) you would like to donate for agencies to view so they can contact you directly.

For more information, contact Sara Ballard, Senior Manager at The Volunteer Center at United Way of Snohomish County, at 425.374.5534 or sara.ballard@uwsc.org.

Share your wealth: Reduce your tax bill

Thousands of donors in Snohomish County will see lower tax bills thanks to charitable contributions to United Way this year. If you have yet to make your contribution for 2007, don't procrastinate. You have just 12 days left to make a gift in order to reduce your 2007 tax bill. You can give online or by calling 425.374.5500. Gifts charged by phone must be in by the end of business on Dec. 31. Checks mailed must be postmarked by Dec. 31.

MLK Jr. Community Celebration: There's still time to register!

It's not too late to reserve your place for this year's slate of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration events, taking place Jan. 16. The 2008 schedule will include:

7 - 8:30 a.m. - Diversity Breakfast, Holiday Inn, 3105 Pine St., Everett
10:45 a.m. - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March, Snohomish County Plaza, 3000 Wall St., Everett
Noon - 1 p.m. - Community Celebration with Julian Bond, Edward D. Hansen Conference Center, 2000 Hewitt Ave., Everett

All events are free and open to the public. Reservations are required for the breakfast: call Kate Reardon at 425.257.8687. For more information, visit www.ci.everett.wa.us.

Team Up with Tully's: The results are jolting!

Turning a cup of coffee into a cupful of caring proved a worthy challenge for Tully's locations statewide Sept. 21. Fifteen percent of all purchases made that Friday were given to United Way-with the Snohomish County stores raising a donation of $3,000.

2-1-1 and storm response

December was an incredibly busy month for 2-1-1 in Washington in light of the recent storms and flooding. Invited to take a part in the state's emergency response team, 2-1-1 centers fielded more than 1,000 phone calls by noon on Dec. 3, far exceeding their usual their tally of 800 calls per day.

North Sound 2-1-1 is a community partnership serving a five-county area, led by Volunteers of America Western Washington and United Way of Snohomish County with data support from Senior Information & Assistance.

A story of Hope... Duncan

United Way recipient Hope Duncan sends this thanks to donors and a personal update. She completed her RN degree and graduated from Everett Community College this month with the help of an Individual Development Account. This young single mom plans to further her education at the University of Washington in the summer of 2008.

Right: Hope and daughter Ezra in the nurse training lab at Everett Community College.

New United Way staff member

Welcome to Stacy Vance, Communications and Events Manager. Stacy comes to United Way after working for the South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce and has experience in publication design, communications strategy, broadcast production and special event planning. She joins the Marketing Dept. and the Kids Matter Vision Council.

Change your world one penny at a time

United Way of America's new philanthropic initiative, "Pennies for Change," provides the opportunity for customers of participating financial institutions to automatically donate one penny for each credit or debit card transaction. These donations will help fund United Way programs in local communities. According to the Nilson Report, more than 40 billion card purchases were made nationwide by Americans per year. "Pennies for Change" serves as a simple, but revolutionary way for consumers to donate to their local United Way every time they make a purchase. Ask your financial institution about participating.