Every Monday Matters: Hope

Posted on by Kerri Everly. This entry was posted in Volunteerism. Bookmark the permalink.

The UW Combined Fund Drive is partnering with Every Monday Matters, a nonprofit committed to inspiring a new normal where people understand how and why they matter — to themselves, to the community, and to the world. And that starts with you!

We are excited to offer you tools to make it happen. Each month, we’ll focus on a different topic with action items you can do to let others know how much they matter, and to remind yourself how much you matter. This month, the focus is on offering hope.

Hope is an awesome word. There’s no way to say the word “hope” and not feel a sense of excitement. But hope can also conjure up tougher thoughts. Maybe you know someone who is going through a rough patch in life and can use some words of encouragement. Or maybe you are someone who just likes to think about how the future could look and wants to do something about it. As you make your hopes known, you will give hope to those around you…which is another way of offering hope. Offering hope matters.

Here are three different activities you can choose from to get involved.  We hope you try one out!

Low. What do you think of when you think of hope? Write yourself a little inspirational message and post it where you’ll see it every day. Life without hope is, well…hopeless.

Medium. Take a minute to think of someone who could use a little or big dose of hope right about now. What can you do to reach out to them? Listen? Express your belief in them? Tell them you’re here to help?

High. Are there people in your immediate community you see regularly who could use some hope? Maybe it’s in the form of a hot cup of tea, a meal, an intentional and caring conversation, a note of encouragement, a smile and hug or handshake. Organize a team to offer hope to those in need who are right around the corner.

And to help you get involved, United Way of King County, one of the more than 5,000 nonprofits in the UW Combined Fund Drive campaign, invites you to volunteer for Day of Caring on Friday, September 23. Thousands of people unite to do great things for nonprofits that need extra hands. It’s a day when your work will transform our community.

Here’s how you get in on the goodness:

  1. Register for a project. (Hundreds to pick from!)
  2. Put a volunteer team together. Your coffee crew, workout buddies…you get it.
  3. Kick off the goodness at the volunteer kickoff party Sept. 20 at Seattle Center, 5-7 p.m.
  4. Spend Day of Caring on September 23 feeling like the champion do-gooder you are.

Friday doesn’t work? Look for a volunteer opportunity on the weekend!

Next month’s topic: Consider Them