There is an awful lot of big giving that comes out of that big building in south Everett
(Everett, WA) – United Way of Snohomish County announced today that it had received a $725,000 grant from Boeing Commercial Airplanes to support work in education, financial stability and lean for nonprofits.
“Boeing’s is the largest corporate contribution we receive,” said Dennis G. Smith, president and CEO of United Way of Snohomish County. “Their commitment to our community is strong,” he added.
More than half of the money, $450,000, will be used to support a United Way initiative that helps working families meet their basic needs. A core piece of this financial stability initiative is the free tax preparation program, which helped 3,376 working taxpayers get $5.8 million in refunds last year, for free.
This year’s program will have sites in Everett, Lynnwood, Marysville and Monroe. If you are interested in being trained as a volunteer to work at sites in Monroe or Marysville, there are volunteer positions that still need to be filled. Visit United Way’s website here for more information.
“We are proud to get such significant support from Boeing,” said Katrina Ondracek, executive vice president of United Way of Snohomish County. “This partnership has been an important part of our success.”
Almost a quarter of the grant, $200,000, will be used to support United Way’s work ensuring that kids are ready for and prepared to thrive in school. The education initiative includes Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which distributes age-appropriate books to kids zero to five years of age, as well as programs that help prepare young children and families for kindergarten.
United Way will receive $75,000 to infuse lean principles in the nonprofit community, as well. Lean for nonprofits is a project to help other nonprofit organizations streamline their operations by adopting the principles of lean—pioneered in the manufacturing sector and used locally by Boeing, The Everett Clinic, Premera Blue Cross and Workforce Snohomish. United Way has been lean management principles for more than 5 years.
United Way is a community impact organization serving Snohomish County for almost 75 years. In addition to funding 107 programs through 40 agencies with a special focus on local health and human services, United Way of Snohomish County supports a number of initiatives focusing on early learning and education, financial stability for families, a youth program, North Sound 211 and an emerging initiative in survival English.
December 21, 2014
Everett