Live United by Volunteering
Volunteering your time and skills to help your community can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Your United Way of Mat-Su can help you find ways to give back to your community by connecting you with ways to volunteer with local nonprofit organizations.
Log in to our Volunteer Opportunities website to find ways you can help local agencies
National Day of Action
On Tuesday June 21, 2011, tens of thousands of individuals across the country participated in the fourth annual United Way Day of Action. More than 230 local United Ways in each of the 50 states either hosted a physical event or an e-event. United Way of Mat-Su participated by offering Valley residents the opportunity to sign up online to be a reader, tutor or mentor.
Reading is linked to high school success. That’s because children are learning to read for the first few years of school, but after 4th grade they’re reading to learn. Without strong reading skills, they fall behind, disengage and often drop out. Together, we can help more students succeed.
If you missed signing up on the Day of Action, it is not too late. Click on the link below to volunteer during the next school year to read to preschoolers, tutor third graders or mentor kids who need a caring adult in their lives. Just click here: http://liveunited.org/take-action/volunteer The zip code is important as this allows United Way of Mat-Su to notify participants about the volunteer opportunities at our local schools this fall. Thank you to everyone who signed up.
2011 Day of Caring a Success!
On Thursday, May 19, as part of the United Way Day of Caring local organizations and individuals helped those programs that help our community.
The Day of Caring is part of the United Way’s three part approach to community impact: Give. Advocate. Volunteer.
More than 200 people of all ages from 18 businesses and organizations volunteered at 13 non-profit groups across the Valley and completed 18 projects. This is twice as many volunteers as last year and an increase in projects over previous years.
To give their talent, businesses around the Valley allowed their employees to volunteer while still on the clock.
Aryne Randall left her desk along with others from Wells Fargo to beautify The Children’s Place.
The Children’s Place Administrative Coordinator, Beth Hopper, commented: "… The Children's Place had requested our windows to be cleaned and yard picked up. They went over and above by also bringing potted flowers and sprucing up the front of our building. … Not only can we enjoy it, but the families that visit our facility can also enjoy the bright array of colored flowers as they enter the building."
Students from Wasilla Middle School spent time washing shelves, windows and inside the refrigerator, as well as, cleaning the truck used to transport food at the Wasilla Food Pantry. Following their experience at the Wasilla Food Pantry students wrote: “…I felt appreciated and volunteering made me feel good.” “…help more because you don’t know if you are going to be one of the people in need one day” “A single person can make a difference and that is exactly what I did.” Another group from Wasilla Middle School landscaped at the Local VFW.
In Houston, the Gorilla Fireworks team painted the exterior of Mid-Valley Senior’s Center and in Palmer local Rotarians and Juvenile Justice staff washed and detailed Palmer Senior Citizen’s Center’s vans.
At the Wasilla Area Seniors campus, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center raked and cleaned the yard areas.
Matanuska Telephone Association, a group that regularly volunteers, helped paint and organize the American Red Cross connex where emergency supplies are kept.
First National Bank Alaska donated labor and materials to create a yard and repair the cement walk at Family Promise.
Big Brothers Big Sisters have two freshly painted walls thanks to a contingent from Target.
The other businesses and groups volunteering included Interiors by Mae, Alaska USA, Susitna Rotary, Mat-Su Health Foundation, Palmer Lions and Mat-Su Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. They were joined by many non affiliated individuals. Benefiting non-profits included Valley Charities (Turn-A-Leaf), CCS Early Learning, Co-Occurring Disorders Institute, Early Childhood Partnership of Mat-Su.
“The Day of Caring is just the beginning,” said Cherie LeBlanc-Shue, United Way of Mat-Su Resource Development Director. “ A person can enjoy that feeling of accomplishment and knowledge that they are making a difference any time by just visiting the United Way of Mat-Su website and finding a project that fits their passion and skills.”
Join us for Day of Caring May 19, 2011
It's nearly that time again, which means our real Spring is just around the corner! Come join the fun and help your community.
For those of you who participated in the Day of Caring 2010 a big thank you again and what a great day with wonderful volunteer
memories! We hope you will consider helping again and even recruiting other businesses, friends and family to join in too this year!
Many Mat-Su non-profits have submitted projects where we can assist them on Thursday, May 19th, 2011. You may also know of an
organization which needs some help or one you would specifically like to work with, so don't be shy and let us know.....let's get as many
non-profits and volunteers involved as we can!
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
1. Please put this date in your calendar! Thursday 5/19/2011
2. Please let me know if you or your organization want to be involved. It truly is a fantastic way to positively support your community and we can be very flexible with schedules and projects.
3. Spread the word about the need for projects and volunteers.
4. I will forward the projects and applicable information (location, hours, skills or tools needed etc.) starting mid April and you can let me know what might be a good fit.
If you have questions or need more information contact Cherie LeBlanc-Shue at (907) 373-5802 or by email cherie@unitedwaymatsu.org
Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon
& Dorothy A. Jones Volunteers of the Year Award
United Way of Mat-Su established the Dorothy A. Jones Volunteer of the Year Award in 1992 to honor the memory of Dorothy Jones, a foremost community leader whose dedicated service helped to improve the quality of life for Mat-Su residents. To the end of her life, Dorothy served on the United Way of Mat-Su Board of Directors in addition to her many other areas of service. Read more about the current recepient of the Dorothy A. Jones Volunteer of the Year.
