On a beautiful sunny Saturday in August, more than a dozen United Way Emerging Leaders volunteered to support nonprofit Launch at Highland Elementary. Launch supports United Way’s goal of giving kids an equal chance by partnering with Seattle Public Schools to ensure that all children have equitable, affordable access to a brilliant start in learning and life through pre-school and after school programs for children 3-12 years old.

The Launch staff were so excited to see the bevy of volunteers beautifying the space. Their enthusiasm was infectious and we set to work taping, edging and painting the entire Launch space so when the kids return in the fall it will be bright and colorful. Our volunteers had a lot of walls to cover and worked diligently to ensure the majority of the work was finished by the end of the volunteer shift. It was amazing to see walls transformed from white to green, gray, yellow, and red in such a short amount of time. We loved working on the Launch space. When we were done, one of their board members even stopped by to thank us for our work. We left our volunteer shift feeling great about what we accomplished and the people we met through participating. Want to be part of a project like this one? Here’s how to join us!