Nearly 1,200 Volunteers Answer the Dare to Care, Participate in United Way’s Day of Caring

by Nicole Milbradt, Sr Marketing Manager

Numerous companies are spending the day showing they care about their community as part of United Way of Pierce County’s Day of Caring, including the entire staff and student body at Tacoma’s School of the Arts. Additionally, people throughout Pierce County are dared to show they care by doing something – anything – that shows how they LIVE UNITED.

In total, nearly 1,200 volunteers are spending the day assisting nonprofit organizations all over Pierce County through Day of Caring. This year’s annual volunteer event features 50 projects and 32 teams. Projects include harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables for local food banks, hosting a carnival for adults with disabilities, weeding rain gardens, preparing and serving food to those in need and designing a mural for a local garden.

The estimated value of the hours that will be donated on September 18th is nearly $161,000 dollars.

Participating Organizations

Albers & Company

APA Engineered Wood Assoc.

BNY Mellon

Brown & Brown of Washington

Carlisle Transportation

City of Lakewood

Cole Graphics Solutions

Columbia Bank

Community Youth Services

DaVita

Divas2Die4

Evergreen Personal Injury Counsel

Global Metal Works & Erectors/McSweeney  Steel

Harborstone Credit Union (photo at right)

Heritage Bank

Korum Motors

McConkey

McGladrey

McGranahan Architects

Multicare Health System

Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance Co.

NuStar Energy

Providence

Regence Blue Shield

Rally Point 6

Tacoma School of the Arts

The Modified Dolls

Tacoma Public Utilities

TrueBlue, Inc.

Umpqua Bank

Unico Properties

US Bank

University of Washington Tacoma

Wells Fargo Bank

Weyerhaeuser

WSECU

However, if people can’t join a Day of Caring project, they can still participate in the Dare to Care. Mow an elderly neighbor's lawn, volunteer at a local agency, hold a food drive, write a letter to your congressman, donate to charity, advocate for an issue you care about, sign up to help out in your child's classroom, practice random acts of kindness... just show you care about the community! Participants are encouraged to post a photo or video on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UnitedWayofPierceCounty. People are also encouraged to include the hashtag #DareToCare and then dare their family and friends to do the same.

Show us you care about your community. We dare you!

#DareToCare… What’s It All About?

by Nicole Milbradt, Sr Marketing Manager

1. Dare To Care is a movement to help people see how easy it is to make a difference in someone’s life.
2. By sharing it on social media, we have the chance to inspire others to look for ways they can impact our community.
3. Encouraging people to do the Dare during the month of September combines all those little things to make a big difference.
4. Including a trendy hashtag makes you look cool and brands all the different efforts going on to support the movement.
5. Challenging your friends, family and co-workers to take the Dare means more good things will happen!
6. And it gives you a chance to pay them back for that ice bucket thing!
7. You get to share in the joy of giving back.
8. People who really need your help, get it!
9. Looking for ways to help people might just become a habit.
10. It shows how powerful we can be when we come together!

So get out there, do some good and challenge others to get on board!! #DareToCare