FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 28, 2005

Contact: Adam S. Bashaw, APR Christina Wessell United Way of King County Youth Service America 206-461-3740 202-296-2992 x 28 abashaw@uwkc.org CWessell@ysa.orgUNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY MOBILIZES MORE THAN 400 YOUTH FOR 17TH ANNUAL NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY, APRIL 15-17SEATTLE – United Way of King County, one of fifty lead agencies nationwide, will mobilize more than 400 young people to participate in the 17th Annual National Youth Service Day, Friday, April 15 through Sunday, April 17. The Presenting Sponsor of National Youth Service Day is the State Farm Companies Foundation.King County youth are invited to the Seattle Center Mural Amphitheatre on Saturday, April 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The celebration event is open to the public and will include a mini-resource fair about youth volunteer opportunities, drop-in service activities for the family and a program including entertainment and local speakers. All National Youth Service Day volunteers will head to this event from their morning service projects for lunch and prizes. To see information on local National Youth Service Day activities, visit unitedwayofkingcounty.org “We don’t consider it service; just helping out our friends. Each of us is doing a little bit more to make the world a better place,” 16-year-old National Youth Service Day Youth Planning Coalition member Josh Lucas said.National Youth Service Day is coordinated by Youth Service America, in association with the National Youth Leadership Council and in partnership with PARADE Magazine. In addition to thousands of projects led by youth, schools, community and faith-based groups, 50 organizations across the country serve as lead agencies for National Youth Service Day. The lead agencies are local, regional, or statewide liaisons for National Youth Service Day, promoting projects and celebrations, coordinating volunteer recruitment, local media outreach, and hands-on participation by elected officials. For more information about National Youth Service Day and to see a comprehensive project list, visit unitedwayofkingcounty.org/nysd or www.YSA.org/NYSD.The King County National Youth Service Day celebration is sponsored by State Farm(r), Seattle Center, Angel Soft, Washington Mutual, Starbucks and TalkingRain. United Way of King County is joined by a planning coalition including local youth representing schools throughout King County and agencies including Seattle Parks and Recreation, Campfire’s Youth Volunteer Corps, New Start, City Year of Seattle-King County, Service for Peace, Fremont Public Association, EarthCorps and others. State Farm Companies Foundation is the Presenting Sponsor for National Youth Service Day. Other sponsors include the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, DisneyHand, U.S. Department of Justice, Verizon, AT&T, Motorola, and Bridgestone. Youth Service America is joined by a consortium that includes 115 of the nation’s largest nonprofit and youth development organizations, including: March of Dimes, U.S. Department of Justice (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention), YMCA, Camp Fire USA, National Education Association, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and many more.United Way of King County is a nonprofit community-impact organization supporting King County since 1921. Through the Community Safety Net Fund, United Way of King County assesses needs through data-driven research to address the community’s most pressing priorities, which include ending homelessness and ensuring all children are prepared for success when entering kindergarten. An all-volunteer board of directors governs United Way of King County, and several hundred other community volunteers provide direction for programs and activities. A professional staff supports all efforts. For more information, please visit unitedwayofkingcounty.org.Youth Service America is a national nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of other organizations committed to growing the youth service movement. Youth Service America’s programs and services increase the effectiveness, sustainability, and scale of the youth service and service-learning fields on a local, national, and global level. In addition to National Youth Service Day and Global Youth Service Day, happening April 15-17, 2005, YSA also hosts SERVEnet (www.SERVEnet.org), providing the largest database of volunteer opportunities in America. For more information about grant opportunities for National Youth Service Day, please visit www.YSA.org/NYSD.