Special Events
Volunteer NWMI hosts many special events and projects throughout the year. Special Events, such as National Days of Service raise awareness of volunteerism, connect individuals with opportunities to serve, and make an impact on critical local issues. Volunteer NWMI celebrates the following National Days of Service:
Each January we celebrate this national holiday by hosting volunteer readers in our local elementary schools. These readers provide information and discussion on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. As literacy is a prime focus for the United Way and our area schools these guest readers give an entertaining focus for the young children in our region.
National Volunteer Week
We kick off National Volunteer Week with our “One Day Without Shoes” annual event. This event was started by TOMS Shoes in which students, friends, parents, strangers, and co-workers host or join barefoot events. Some go barefoot for an hour, some for the whole day, but all become a part of a greater movement toward change. Every April we will lead by example by going barefoot, and help mobilize our community to be a part of “One Day Without Shoes”.
After this event we help our community by celebrating the many volunteers we have in the region by being involved in community events and providing media coverage.
United Way of Northwest Michigan Day of Action
Announcing the first annual Day of Action – June 21, 2012 – Mark your calendars. United Way is teaming up with the Great Start Collaborative to promote literacy and summer reading to school aged children. Please join us on from 10amuntil Noon at Birch Street Elementary in Kalkaska where we will have activities for children, free books, literacy kits and lunch! In conjunction United Way will be collecting new and gently used children’s books between June 4th and 15th at our office. These books will be distributed to families and children at the Day of Action literacy event. For more information, or to find out how you can be involved, please contact Amanda Hilt at Amanda@unitedwaynwmi.org or call 231-947-3200 x 206.
United Way of Northwest Michigan Day of Caring
September 6, 2012 – The 17th annual Day of Caring will bring over 1,000 volunteers matched with over 100 projects together to celebrate volunteerism here in northwest Michigan. Groups representing businesses, schools, families, neighborhoods and others will come forward and adopt a project for this annual community-wide celebration of volunteerism.