Celebrating our Volunteers during Volunteer Appreciation Month

In celebration of April as volunteer appreciation month, we want to send a huge thank-you to our Club Advisory Board (CAB) volunteers!

CAB volunteers are vital members to our Club teams, offering a wide range of support from fundraising and advocacy to staff appreciation to Club beautification projects and more.

Throughout the past year, our CAB members’ adaptability and willingness to step in to support our Club staff and families has been essential in our ability to remain open.

March & April 2020: When schools went remote and we transitioned to all day programming, CABs from across the county donated and procured PPE and snacks to support our work.

Summer 2020: As summer camp looked a little different this year, volunteers stepped up and ensured that all members had their own supplies. These essential donations helped us maintain a safe, fun, and engaging environment all summer long.

Fall 2020: As the school year approached, equity was at the forefront of our decision-making. We intentionally worked with families and schools to ensure we were the partners our communities needed. CABs supported us by sending hundreds of messages to school districts, encouraging them to partner with community-based organizations (including us!) with a successful schooling model in the spring. On one occasion, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) got so many messages that by Monday morning, SPS told us, we hear you all.

November & December 2020: We had to get creative in how to celebrate the holidays this year. CAB members from across the county stepped up to make it a special one, despite being physically distanced.  The Smilow Rainier Vista (SRV) CAB Provided turkeys for Club families; the North Seattle CAB did a Secret Santa with Club professionals; the Rotary CAB provided a catered lunch from Met Market before the holiday; and most CABs, notably Bainbridge Island, Eastside, and Wallingford held a Holiday Helper drive to organize and deliver gifts for Club members.

April 2021:  Spring is a great time for Club beautification projects! With sunny days and the ability work outside, masked, and distanced, CAB members took on a variety of outdoor maintenance projects.

At Rotary, CAB members raked leaves, trimmed trees, and mowed the lawn.

CAB members at our North Seattle Club worked in the garden, spread woodchips in the playground, and mowed the lawn.  Interim Operations Director Tim Batten-King was super excited that CAB members were able to gather on a beautiful day to connect and complete projects.

All year: Throughout the year, CABs across the region supported their Club teams by catering countless meals, snacks, and cups of coffee, all while they raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and rallied their networks to support, too! We are incredibly grateful for our community of volunteers — this month and every month. Thank you for your time, talent, and partnership!

Interested in joining a CAB? Contact Melissa Stuart at mstuart@positiveplace.org.