National Volunteer Week is this month (April 16 -22). We didn’t want to miss the chance to thank our valued circle members, Bellevue community members, neighbors, and businesses who go above and beyond to support Bellevue kids. Your dedication, care, and gift of time continue to make a significant and lasting impact on local children.
2023 has been full of inspiring moments so far, thanks to our volunteers!
The Bellevue LifeSpring Fairweather Circle hosted a “Pop-Up, It’s Spring” Sale this past weekend. Circle members carefully curated and hosted a sale of new and gently used clothing, accessories, home goods, and more — all with the purpose of raising funds to help provide food and housing support to local children and their families. They did just that and raised more than $10,000 for Bellevue kids!
Last week, a dedicated team of volunteers from T-Mobile joined us at the Bellevue Family Hub resource center and assembled more than 100 hygiene kits. These kits included full sizes of everything from shampoo and conditioner to toothpaste. The kits will be donated to unaccompanied high school students who often arrive in our community without personal supplies.
T-Mobile Volunteers also helped sort and prep our grocery store food vouchers for distribution to students and families ahead of spring break. All this support is on top of an incredible investment of $20,000 from the T-Mobile Foundation. Thank you, T-Mobile, for taking leadership in supporting our community’s most vulnerable children.
Back in February, our friends at W Bellevue hosted a “Coats and Cocktails” Happy Hour that brought community members together to collect warm winter coats for Bellevue students.
Also in February, our thoughtful friends at the Bellevue Kiwanis Club donated, prepped in boxes, and delivered 676 individual snacks to the Bellevue School District Family Connection Centers. These snacks are available for students who miss breakfast and get hungry during the school day. Snacks give them the nutrition they need to stay focused.
We are now running our snack donation program in a new way that makes it easier and more accessible for the Family Engagement Specialists from the school district to get donated snacks into the hands of the students who need them. Check out the new process!
And we can’t forget the Bellevue LifeSpring One Circle, who spent countless hours organizing an incredibly successful One Heart/One Community auction. They raised $176,105 to help fight hunger and homelessness for local kids.
All these donations came at a crucial time when the number of children in need here in Bellevue is the highest in a decade, with 4,125 Bellevue children experiencing food insecurity and 478 children experiencing homelessness.
A big thank you to all the community members and businesses mentioned above and the many more individuals who continue to show up and take action for Bellevue kids. We are grateful for your partnership and look forward to continuing to work alongside you and seeing the positive changes we can make together.
If you’re reading this and inspired to start your volunteer journey, we invite you to join us in making a difference. Whether it’s giving your time, skills, or resources, every contribution counts. Let’s work together to build a better Bellevue!
