The United Way of Clallam County will kick off their annual fundraising campaign with a “Kick Off” event on September 17 at The Cedars at Dungeness. This year they took the term “kick-off” quite literally and are hosting the BIGGEST Seahawks game day watch party on the Peninsula to help celebrate the start of the campaign! Attendees will experience an exclusive opportunity for community connection, great food and drinks, and live entertainment.

Celebrate United tickets include watch party appetizers, a catered taco bar lunch, fun outdoor games, raffle prizes (including a signed Brian Bosworth jersey, Seahawks tickets and more), snacks, drinks, and exclusive live entertainment by Seahawks resident musician, Zechariah Valette.

Zachariah plays live at every Seahawks home game and has even sung the national anthem before a game. He will be using his vast knowledge of musical genres to take all requests. The cost for the event covers the meal, games and entertainments and tickets are available for $80 or $150 for two.

A direct link to the event webpage can be found at https://CelebrateUnited.givesmart.com . “This event is a chance for the community to come together, have fun, and enjoy entertainment while connecting for a common goal of making a real lasting impact in our community” says Jaycie Wakefield, Development Director for United Way.

The theme this year for United Way’s campaign is United in Purpose, and that message of coming together for the purpose will be on full display at the event. “Clallam County residents are living in poverty at a higher rate than the rest of our State and many people in our community are struggling to keep up.

Without additional support, members of our community face impossible choices, like whether to pay for utilities or quality childcare, rent or healthy food. It is our mission to stop that before it happens. Working together, we can build a stronger community. By donating or purchasing a ticket to our event, you can be a part of helping us make a difference” says CEO, Christy Smith.

Each year United Way of Clallam County identifies the community’s most critical needs and raises funds to implement collaborative, innovative solutions to improve the lives of people living in Clallam County. Working with local nonprofits, partners, and our community they work to serve over 46,600 people in our region. Last year, United Way of Clallam County raised over 2.8 million dollars to put back into the community.

Jaycie Wakefield explains that “last year was a great example of how we came together to build success. We allocated $286k to our 23 nonprofit partners and thanks to a generous bequest, we were able to gift a total of $300,000 of Impact Funding to five carefully chosen nonprofits for special projects directly connected with our mission. We set aside $21k for emergency preparedness, distributed $15k to support students pursuing careers in Early Childhood Education and provided 14k books to children from birth to age 5 through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. We have a lot to celebrate and are excited to see how much we can accomplish this year”.

Celebrate United is sponsored by Cedars at Dungeness, Sound Community Bank, DA Davidson, Jim’s Pharmacy, Irwin Dental, Olympic Peninsula Stone, Bibity Bobity Childcare, and Edward Jones financial advisor, Tyler Johnson. Event logistics are supported by several local businesses including Keith’s Frame of Mind, Sea Tsu Sauna, Athlete’s Choice, Seattle Seahawks, and more. “Highly distinguishable events such as Celebrate United would not be possible without the generosity of local sponsors and a caring community willing to help us make positive lasting changes in our community,” says Wakefield.

For more information about this event visit unitedwayclallam.org or contact Jaycie Wakefield: jaycie@unitedwayclallam.org (360)457-3011