Volunteers come from all over to make their mark with YWCA, and their work shows! Our volunteers bring unique personalities and talents that make YWCA a great experience for our clients. If you need proof that YWCA volunteers are the greatest, here's our top five highlights of 2018.
1. Top team impact
Our top team impact goes to the Mill Creek Women's Club (MCWC). MCWC is a mighty group of women who, in 2018 alone, have given 1,622 hours of their to YWCA's Working Wardrobe program in Everett. But that's not all! This group regularly gives in-kind donations to the residents of YWCA's Pathways for Women shelter. Mill Creek Women's Club is a team unlike any other and we are glad to partner with them in 2019.
2. Top volunteer event
2018's YWCA Adopt-a-Family (AAF) event was our biggest service event, with about 266 volunteers serving over 1,064 hours of service to help us get ready for the holidays. AAF is a fun and meaningful way for the community to give back during the holiday season. YWCA families are adopted by generous donors, with gifts purchased for the children and grocery gift cards for the parents. We had a great turnout of donors and volunteers last year, and we can't wait to do it again in 2019!
3. Top volunteer service project
Service projects are ongoing opportunities for volunteers to make a lasting impact. This year we had two projects that stood out.
The first was the Front Desk Reception/Organizational Assistant position at YWCA's Pathways for Women. This project had 220 volunteer shifts covered, totaling 1,127 hours. These volunteers help our Housing Services Program Manager, Housing Support Specialist, and Evening Shelter Specialist with day-to-day operations.
The second position is Working Wardrobe in Everett with 158 volunteer shifts covered, totaling 2,125 hours. This program works to assist low-income individuals in selecting interview and work-appropriate clothing. Volunteers and donors are what keeps this crucial program running.
We appreciate everything the volunteers do in both of these programs. A continuous pledge to service makes an invaluable difference in the lives of our clients who are looking for stability. We cannot thank these volunteers enough.
4. Top volunteer hours
We are lucky to have volunteers who are so incredibly passionate about their service and dedicated to pursuing our mission. We could not provide the standard of service we do without the help of our community.
One volunteer in particular has earned their place in this list of 2018 highlights by donating over 1,000 hours to YWCA. We'd like to give a special shout out and THANK YOU to our volunteer Joseph for working with us so long. In fact, Joseph has held the "Top Volunteer Hours" record for the last three years. With approximately 4,930 hours over six years, Joseph has committed the most service hours in YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish history!
Thank you, Joseph, for last year and many to come.
5. Top photos of the year
One of the best parts about working with over four thousand volunteers last year was all the great photos. We can't be at every service event, but we love to see our volunteers in action! So, without further ado, here are our top photos from 2018:
We want to thank you all for such an amazing year! The work everyone puts in makes a huge impact in our community. 2019 will be better than ever and we are excited to see it through!
FOMO is our enemy, so if you have a story to share, we want to hear about it! Tell us about your experience volunteering with YWCA on Twitter @YWCAvolunteer.
Kendyl Hardy is the Volunteer Services Coordinator at YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish. As an avid volunteer herself, Kendyl finds volunteering is a way to grow personally and as a community. Kendyl graduated with a degree in Public Relations with a concentration in nonprofit management. Throughout her college career, she worked to highlight the importance of civic service to sustain society and feature dialogue about issues affecting our communities.
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