Target of Burlington (199 Cascade Mall Drive) joined stores across the country to celebrate the season of giving by donating 2 decorated holiday trees to United Way of Skagit County as part of the Target Share-a-Tree Program. United Way distributed the trees and ornaments—worth an estimated $60 each—to a young mother at Northwest Youth Services; and to Community Action Agency’s  Family Development Center.

Left to right—Lucy Kesterson of United Way of Skagit County, Jaclyn Garuti of Northwest Youth Services, and Target employees Jessica Sample of Burlington, Caitlin Schemmer of Mt. Vernon, Krystal Cantrell of Bellingham, Kaitlyn Conforti and Cheryl Bates of Burlington

“Performing even a single act of kindness is an important step toward improving lives, and strengthening and supporting communities. The Target Share-a-Tree program does just this,” said Debra Lancaster, Executive Director of United Way of Skagit County. “United Way is proud to partner with Target to give a lift to this very special program and bring holiday cheer to families in Skagit County.”

“Thank you so much for helping me with the tree! It will be nice to decorate it with my  daughter,” said the Northwest Youth Services client who received one of the trees.

“Giving to others, especially those in need, is a part of the holidays at Target,” said Laysha Ward, President, Target Community Relations. “With our partners at United Way, Target is honored to continue our tradition of donating holiday trees to families to enjoy this
holiday season.”

United Way distributed several coats through partner agency, American Red Cross – Mount Baker Chapter to a Mount Vernon family who lost their home in a fire on December 2.

The remaining donations went to partner agency, Skagit County Community Action Agency, where 1,200 warm coats have been distributed in the last nine days.

A Girl Scout observed, “It’s good to know that my old coat can keep a young child warm.”

The need is still present – Community Action, American Red Cross, Sea-Mar Community Health Center, Catholic Community Services, and Brigid Collins all welcome donations of blankets, sleeping bags and especially warm coats for those in need this winter.

The Anacortes Girl Scout troops combined gifts purchased with money earned from selling Girl Scout Cookies and personal donations to make a difference to Skagitonians this Holiday Season.

“I like helping other people. It makes me feel good,” said a Girl Scout.

Photo Credits: Back Row (left-right): Elizabeth Koals, Ellie Harrison, Lieutenant Ryan (Salvation Army), Abby Lindberg, Claire Severin, Katie Dyer, Debra Lancaster (United Way) , Front Row (left-right): Kendall McCauley , Lillian Rue, Malea Linder, Jennifer Spurling, Meleah Fine. Girl Scout Leaders (not pictured): Tara Linder, Kate Koals, Laurel Harrison, Chris Wood, Rebecca Spurling, Photographer: Kathy Lindberg

The Salvation Army’s Holiday Gift Giving campaign, Adopt-a-Senior Citizen also received donations from the Girl Scout troops.

To find out how you can get involved with Girl Scouts of Western Washington, contact
Heidi Fish at (360) 658-8083.

This team of volunteers arrived at the Anacortes Senior Center on a beautiful
sunny friday morning, donning bright yellow Shell T-shirts.  A list of landscape
cleanup projects ranging from weed pulling, raking, shrub trimming, digging and
installing a new garden area awaited them. Once volunteers received a short
safety briefing, they put on their gloves, gathered their shovels, rakes, and
trimmers and began their work to beautify the Senior Center grounds.

“Projects like this are great for our local community and we have fun doing
them” said Jody Barnett, External Affairs Coordinator for Shell.  “Days of
Caring is a great way to bring volunteers together with leaders and clients at
United Way service agencies.”

Fundraising is also critical to the work accomplished each year by United
Way.  As a Pacesetter in this years’ fundraising campaign, Puget Sound Refinery
has set the bar high with its pledge of $200,000.00.  “Even with the current
economic climate I know we can do it,” said Barnett.  “Our employees have always
had a history of supporting the local community both by volunteer efforts and
financial contributions.”

For more information about the United Way or to make a donation, go to: http://www.unitedwayskagit.org/

November 2011 was declared United Way Month by Skagit County Commissioners Ron Wesen, Ken Dahlstedt and Sharon Dillon.  All three Commissioners are Leadership Givers to United Way; Ken Dahlstedt is a member of the United Way of Skagit County Board of Directors.

The proclamation states that the “United Way Campaign is an effective and efficient way to raise funds to support the very important work“  of their thirty partner agencies providing much needed services for health, housing, hunger and life skills development.

The proclamation further encourages all citizens to support United Way of Skagit County either financially or through volunteering.

Skagit County Administrator Tim Holloran and Skagit County Public Works Manager Dan Berentson spoke in support of the proclamation.

2011 United Way Fundraising Chair, Maureen Lama and United Way of Skagit County Executive Director, Debra Lancaster received the proclamation.

Play the video below to watch the proclamation!

United Way of Skagit County focuses community investment to create sustainable, positive change in people’s lives.

Thank you to all the donors and volunteers who have contributed so far.

If you haven’t contribued yet, it’s not too late!

GIVE to support Skagit County’s Local Community Fund.

The Mount Baker Chapter of the American Red Cross deployed me to Birmingham, Alabama on May 18^th, 2011. It was my first assignment, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d never visited Alabama before, nor been in a tornado destruction area. I packed my bag for anything and everything I might need.

Arriving in Birmingham, I spotted another Red Cross Volunteer right away. He was a seasoned volunteer who’d been deployed over 40 times so he took me under his wing and laid out what I should expect, what I should do when we got to headquarters and most importantly to always remember, to BE FLEXIBLE.

At first sight, headquarters was a little overwhelming. Every department was clearly labeled, but hearing the low roar of over 100 people in one area, along with 35 runners constantly darting from place to place was a lot to take in. Once I Finally found the Mass Care/Shelter department, I was assigned to a shelter at Faith Chapel Christian Church (FCCC).

Upon arriving at the shelter, I was quickly introduced to the other shelter workers and given a tour. The church was an absolutely beautiful building. The shelter residents were located in an amphitheater, with a large area that encompassed the cots, and a canteen area along the wall, which kept snacks, drinks and food during mealtimes.

I quickly learned to BE FLEXIBLE. Volunteer’s deployment dates were off-set so there was a constant influx and change of personnel. In the midst of the chaos and confusion, we Were left without a shelter supervisor. The shelter manager, realizing my leadership skills and attention to detail, unofficially promoted me to the position of shelter supervisor.

Because of the classes I’d taken at the Mt. Baker Chapter I felt comfortable being assigned the position.  Another lesson I learned quickly was that the manuals from class give you a basic outline in a theoretical world, whereas in reality, you have to be quick on your toes and wait for it … BE FLEXIBLE.

The quality of most of the other volunteers was absolutely outstanding. Without the Shelter team at FCCC, we would not have been able to accomplish as much as we did. Coming from the Mt Baker Chapter, I was used to working shoulder to shoulder with some of the best, most dedicated, hardworking volunteers. It was relieving to meet others of the same caliber. Occasionally I did meet some volunteers that were not meant for such a high stress assignment, but luckily they were far and few between.

There is one memory that will always stay with me from this eye opening experience. A family from Birmingham decided to contribute what they could for the tornado survivors. They had decided to donate their home to a survivor that really needed and deserved it. The shelter team at FCCC decided to nominate a family out of the shelter residents that were down on their luck and really needed this amazing gift. The selected family included a single mother, her adult son and daughter, and her daughters’ son of 2 years old. When
we told the mother of the donated gift, she could not believe it. She was jumping up and down and crying out of pure happiness and joy and she still could not show the extent of what she was feeling inside. Her reaction will stay with me forever.  It’s because of these moments that I volunteer for such an amazing organization. I Volunteer to help people in times of need, and to make a difference in someone’s life.

Mt. Baker Red Cross Responder

A local Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) responded to the fire. DATs are made up exclusively of volunteers. These dedicated individuals respond to those in need at all hours of the day or night and in the most adverse conditions. The help that they provide to the client is free and the compassion that they show is profound but always professional. DAT volunteer caseworkers are among the more than 400 volunteers who serve the families and businesses of Skagit Valley and Whatcom County.

Red Cross Volunteer Comforts Client

David immediately received extensive help from the Disaster Action Team. This included hotel accommodations, money to buy clothes, food and essentials, and referrals to other organizations for additional services. The team also helped him locate a trailer similar to the one that he had lost. Stacy Rice, the Chapter’s Emergency Services Director, met with David on the last day of his recovery as he was buying his new trailer. “He was exhausted, excited, and ready to rebuild his home,” Rice recalls. “During our meeting I asked him how his service from the Red Cross had been.” Rice clearly remembers David’s response.

With tears in his eyes, he began to express his incredible gratitude for the generosity of our organization and the kindness and professionalism of our volunteers. This was his first contact with the Red Cross and he was amazed. He had no idea the extent of our services and was extremely grateful. David went on to describe how he had become a “hermit” of late and had basically lost faith in humanity. After the fire and the  outpouring of support from the Red Cross and others, he had come back to life. He was interacting with society again, socializing with friends, and had a new outlook on life in general. Once he was back on his feet, he vowed to volunteer with the Red Cross as a way to give back.

Stacy Rice, Emergency Services Director

David’s story is just one out of many and is an example of the work that the Mt. Baker Chapter of the American Red Cross does every day. “I love my job,” Rice concluded. “We do amazing work and accomplish amazing things. We see the best of people in the worst of times, and clients like David make it all worthwhile.”

After losing a good-paying management job in 2008, Sara (not her real name), a
mother of 6, and her husband struggled to make ends meet.

They moved into affordable housing east of Sedro-Woolley, where her husband got a
job as a dishwasher while Sara stayed home with her children and searched for better
jobs for each of them. She remembers feeling isolated and disconnected in her
community, and missed her former co-workers, and the stability and pride that her
former job had given her.

After her unemployment assistance ran out in 2010, Sara realized she needed help,
and she reached out to Community Action.

She and her family moved to Mount Vernon to be closer to job opportunities, as they
could no longer afford driving far distances with their limited income and because of
high gas prices. She also enrolled in Community Action’s Community Jobs program.
Because of her persistence and skills, her Community Jobs placement soon turned
into full-time employment.

Sara now works with a human service organization, helping others access resources and gain stability, while providing them with her own special form of compassion that has been tempered by experience.

Take back the Night Rally and March in April 2010 in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Karla, A 33-year old mother of 4 came to our shelter after exhausting every possible option for emergency shelters in the state. Her oldest child was a 14-year old boy and we are one of only a few shelters in the entire state who will take boys over the age of 13. She had been sleeping in her car for a week because being in the car with her children was safer than being at home with the violence they had been suffering through for years.

Karla entered the shelter extremely overwhelmed and feeling like she was never going
to make it. She had come with the children only wearing what they had on their backs and what they could carry and they ran out. They had to leave so many of their important belongings at home because they needed to escape to safety during a small window of time while her husband was at work. Because her husband had been worried about them leaving, he had her ID and the children’s birth certificates hidden so that they could not go anywhere. Karla knew that she would not be alive to take care of her children if she didn’t leave so they left, even without any of their important documents. She knew she had to start over.

At the shelter Karla and her children were able to finally feel safe. The children switched to a new school, got enrolled in counseling and were able to make new friends. Karla, with a lot of hard work and determination, found a job and enrolled in classes at the community college to pursue her dream of owning her own business one day.  She was able to
pull together the resources to actually find a home for herself and her children to live here in Skagit County where they could start their lives over
and no longer live in fear. She continues to get support through our advocacy
center on an ongoing basis through support groups and the various programs we
offer here at our agency and talks to us regularly about the day when she will
come back and volunteer so that she can give back to the agency that helped her
have hope again.