| Helping Our Neighbors |
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The images from the recent storm show the
devastation of our neighboring communities. Much of
Lewis and Thurston counties are under water. Pacific
and Grays Harbor counties are without power. But we
can help.
United Way of Pierce County has three ways you can
help those in need. Donations can be made directly
to Lewis County via mail or their web site. If you want
to contribute your time to help with clean up, contact
United Way of Pierce County 211 (simply dial 2-1-1) or
the American Red Cross (253-440-0700) to volunteer.
United Way of Pierce County has also set up a drop off
site at their offices to collect goods for displaced
families. The site will be open Monday through
Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. through Saturday,
December 22nd.
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| Youth Day of Caring Puts Teens to Work |
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October 27th marked another successful year of
Youth Day of Caring. More than 350 adult and youth
volunteers came together at Stadium High School to
kick off the day's events. The volunteers enjoyed
entertainment provided by Rogers Step Team, Reality
Check Dance Troop and a Jimmy Hendrix style
national anthem. After the kick off, volunteers headed
off to more than 20 sites throughout the county.
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| Education Expert Briefs Donors |
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Keeping friends informed about our work is at the
heart of our mission. To help us in that effort, we
called on Dr. Graciela Italiano-Thomas, who spoke
at our annual Tocqueville Society dinner Oct. 16 at
Pacific Grill in Tacoma.
Italiano-Thomas is Executive Director of Thrive by Five
Washington. In communities across the state, with
public-private partners, Thrive by Five will jointly fund
grants to support innovative school readiness
programs like those being developed by an Early
Learning Coalition in Pierce County.
She told guests United Way is not only on the right
path in making Early Learning a cornerstone of our
work in Pierce County. "We can do this, and we must
do this," she said. "The sooner we start supporting
children emotionally, the better."
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| UWPC Recognized for Community Support |
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United Way of Pierce County was honored for it's role
in the first annual Project Homeless Connect. United
Way was recognized with the Community Support
Award for its contribution of volunteers and a $10,000
grant toward this one-of-a-kind event.
The Tacoma Pierce County Coalition for the
Homeless held its first event this fall offering
homeless the chance to connect with an array of
medical and social services. Participants were able
to see a doctor, get a dental cleaning or mental-health
assessment, receive help for substance abuse
problems, sign up for social and veteran services, talk
to a lawyer, eat from a buffet or simply get a haircut.
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Impacting Our Community |
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United Way of Pierce County is partnering with others
in the community to help solve the toughest issues in
our area. One of those is Youth Development.
In Washington, 34% of children from working families
are latch-key kids. Young people engaged in
afterschool programs have higher academic
achievement, develop communication, leadership and
critical thinking skills, are more likely to handle conflict
by talking or negotiating instead of fighting and are
less likely to be obese.
United Way of Pierce County is working with the
community to increase the number of youth
participating in quality afterschool programming and
to increase the number of quality youth programs
available.
FULL STORY
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