United Way of King County

🚨 News alert🚨 United Way of King County’s newest board member is King 5 News Director Julie Wolfe.

Wolfe has built a reputation within the media industry as an empathetic and innovative leader and is a 14-time Emmy recipient.

“I am a relentless optimist when it comes to addressing the issues facing our communities, and I am inspired by United Way’s vision to create communities where we all thrive,” said Wolfe.

We scored a goal ⚽ by adding Felipe Mendez, Chief Legal & Administrative Officer of FIFA World Cup 2026 Seattle, as one of our new board members.

Mendez previously served as the General Counsel at Seattle Sounders and Bellevue School District.

“I choose to support United Way of King County through volunteerism because of its outstanding dedication to serving communities of color by improving outreach and reducing barriers to access resources,” said Mendez.

Project Lead graduate ➡ United Way of King County board member Cortnee Blayton 👏👏👏

Blayton is the Head of Social Media and Influencers with eBay and a recent graduate of our nonprofit board training program.

“United Way is my top choice for serving the community and ensuring everyone has access to resources, quality education, food, and shelter,” said Blayton.

Please join us in welcoming Marianne Bichsel as our new board member!

Bichsel is the VP of External Affairs at Comcast and has worked for and advised Congress, governors, legislators, mayors, and business executives on effective communications strategies.

“I choose United Way because everyone deserves a chance to be lifted up if needed and live in a caring community. That’s what United Way does every day,” said Bichsel.

Do you like to express yourself in the art form of music? Rhapsody Project gives people the platform to be creative and celebrate both music and heritage through an anti-racist lens. Check out our podcast to learn more. https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

It’s so important for adolescents and young adults to have a person to talk to and receive knowledge on how to navigate through life. Check out our podcast with mentorship program directors Don and Hazel Cameron as they discussed how imperative it is for people of color to have mentors in today’s society. https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

In this podcast, James Lovell tells us how he spends his time serving communities as Chief Community Development Officer of the Chief Seattle Club and as a newly elected member of the SeaTac City Council. https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Creating a safe space to teach youth about the importance of their culture and heritage can have a monumental effect on kids’ identity and them being comfortable in their own skin.

Hear from Jane Randolph and Patricia Valle from the Filipino Community of Seattle’s youth program. https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

We chatted it up with our very own Regina Malveaux who shared how United Way spends time making a difference in communities through service and advocacy in this episode of Hourglass. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Hourglass chats with Sarah Walzer of ParentChild+, a New York-based, national organization that ensures all children regardless of race, socio-economic status, or zip code have equal possibilities from the start. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Hear about Cultivate South Park, a nonprofit organization in Seattle's South Park neighborhood that provides fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains to a community with limited food options nearby. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

It's all about giving! Our very own Lindsay Harper talks about the ever-changing philanthropic landscape and explains how we at United Way spend our time making the best use of contributions from people like you. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

April 15 is the deadline for people to get their taxes done. Our tax credits and financial stability team explains why it’s an easy process for folks to let United Way handle their taxes. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Empowering our youth to find purpose and achieve stability is something United Way proudly supports! Tune in and listen to our conversation with Pro Se Potential Executive Director De’Vonte Parson. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Have you heard of Rainier Avenue Radio? This Black-owned company is a 24-hour radio station that amplifies diverse narratives and voices of South Seattle communities. We chatted it up with the founder and station manager Tony Benton on this episode of the Hourglass. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

At United Way, we believe in an inclusive world where all people can thrive and be themselves no matter their neurodiversity. We sat down with Nicole Barker of Open Doors for Multicultural Families and talked about how they support communities through programs, training, and advocacy. 🎧https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Did you know that Technology Access Foundation provides STEM education for underserved students and support for educators of color? Tune in and hear our conversation with executive director Sherry Williams. 🎧https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

For five decades, many folks around King County have greatly been impacted by the programs and services provided by Asian Counseling and Referral Service.

Tune in to our conversation with youth development director Leslie Stone to learn how they continue to be a pillar in our region. 🎧https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

United Way and Urban Native Education Alliance link up on this episode of the Hourglass where the topic of conversation is centered around youth development.

Sarah Sense-Wilson and Kayla Harstad of Urban Native Education Alliance talk about how their youth programs foster health and wellness and social justice. 🎧https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

It’s been one year since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hourglass looks back at how COVID-19 impacted local students in and out of the classroom and how a United Way-funded coalition of nonprofits aided young people, families, and communities during the pandemic. 🎧https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Have you ever heard the term “it takes a village to raise a child?” A community plays a huge part in preparing youth to be successful in life 💯

We spoke with Regina Elmi of Supporting Partnerships in Education and Beyond (SPEB) on how her Renton-based org impacts families in South King County. 🎧https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Hazel Cameron of 4C Coalition received the Sound Generations 2024 Inspire Positive Aging Award last month for her service to the community. She tells us why having a mentor is so important to have in life. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

On this episode of the Hourglass, we have a conversation with Jessica Juarez-Wagner of Potlatch Fund and Wyking Garrett of Africatown Community Land Trust around the city’s Equitable Development Initiative that recently became scrutinize due to recent city council legislation. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Summertime is the season for internships!

Teens in Public Service gives paid community service internships to young leaders and pairs them with some of our partnered orgs. Interim executive director Meghan Barnes tells United Way about the impact the program has made on its interns. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

King County Council Member Teresa Mosqueda joins Hourglass where we talk about the strong shared common interests between her and United Way - amplifying the voices of marginalized communities and addressing the needs of working families. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446 #liveunited

When school is out for the summer, some children unfortunately don’t have steady access to nutritious meals. United Way of King County leads the statewide Free Summer Meals program to help combat food insecurity by serving thousands of kids each day. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446 #liveunited

On this episode of the Hourglass, we answer 10 of the most frequently asked questions we get from donors and donor prospects. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446 #liveunited

Our Emerging Leaders 365 community is all about impact!

🟠 2,700 volunteer hours served at over 100 events in a single year

🟠 6,000 families receiving culturally appropriate meals each week

🟠 7,000 households avoiding eviction in a single year

🟠 561,218 meals served to children in our community

Hear our conversation with Emerging Leaders 365 member Cristina Luevano-Santos about what it’s like to volunteer with United Way and the reason why she gives back to her community. https://bit.ly/3Tm9446 #leadunited

United Way is all about community building!

In this episode, we talk about how we’ve spent our time helping people launch or grow nonprofit organizations that serve the needs of our communities. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Have you always considered yourself to be a good friend?

On this episode, we sat down with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who has been traveling around the country urging people to see loneliness and isolation as a health crisis. He tells us how you can better show up for people who may be feeling down or a bit lonely. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Classrooms are now in session! We had a conversation with Gregory Davis of Rainier Beach Action Coalition about the important connection between education and community. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Did you know more than 1/3 of people experiencing homelessness in the US live on the West Coast?

Hear how United Way of King County and other United Ways in this region spend time addressing the homelessness crisis. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

New CEO of King County Regional Homelessness Authority Dr. Kelly Kinnison tells us her plans on addressing the homelessness crises in our region. Tune in to hear the full conversation 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446.

On this episode of the Hourglass, we chat it up with United Way Worldwide President & CEO Angela Williams! Hear about her journey to being the leader of 1,100 organizations and the current state of the nonprofit sector. 🎧 https://bit.ly/3Tm9446

Today is #EITCAwareness day! Did you know you can get a cash boost in WA when you do your taxes?

The Working Families Tax Credit has already put $114 million back into the pockets of families across Washington state. Now, it’s time to #ExpandtheWFTC so more seniors and young adults can get a cash boost. Take action today and support HB1075: https://bit.ly/4bcCf0E

The Working Families Tax Credit has already put over $114 million back in the pockets of people across Washington. It's time to make sure young adults and working seniors without kids can claim their credit, too. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3UcJjUD

Monique Blockman, a former Project LEAD class participant, was involved in ParentChild+ as a parent and is currently serving AmeriCorps as the ParentChild+ Data Coordinator. When she is off the clock, she is working towards completing her associate degree in small business at North Seattle College.

Monique, thank you so much for your commitment to serving King County. You are awesome!

Read our blog to learn more about Monique: https://bit.ly/42JQpBL

Jake Janesch began his involvement with AmeriCorps in college and continued it with United Way of King County serving on the volunteer engagement team. Now, Jake is United Way’s program manager for rental assistance and homeless prevention.

Read our blog to learn more about Jake: https://bit.ly/3ByP18P

After graduating from the University of Nevada, Sara Seelmeyer specifically moved to Seattle to work at United Way of King County’s AmeriCorps program to help middle school students and their families have access to good food resources. Now, Sara is United Way’s senior manager of food security & benefits access.

Check out our blog to learn more about Sara’s journey: https://bit.ly/3MBdl08