Special Events

In addition to our annual Community Impact Fund grants and programs in education, income and health, United Way of SLO County is pleased to offer the following ongoing programs, supporting nonprofits, youth, families, donors and volunteers.

Flavor of SLO – On May 15, 2011, guests were treated to an afternoon of tasting, sipping, and mingling at our third annual tasting event showcasing the very best food, wine and beer that the San Luis Obispo region has to offer. This year’s event was at the beautiful and historic Jack House & Gardens in downtown San Luis Obispo and the 2011 event sponsor was The Mortgage House.  Proceeds went to United Way’s Community Impact Fund, providing support to local programs focused on education, income and health. United way would like to thank the energetic and dedicated Cal Poly students who made Flavor of SLO possible: Sarah Hedayati (team leader), Maryn Anderson, Kendra Jorde, Mike Leibovich, Dana Wacks and Kendall Young.  For more details and to see photos of this year’s event, click here. Mark your calendar for the next Flavor of SLO on Sunday, May 6, 2012.

Annual Recognition Event – Our annual reception and awards ceremony was held on Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at The Monday Club in San Luis Obispo. We honored several individuals and businesses who have worked with United Way this past year and were vital to making 2010-11 a success. Special presentations were also made to the 2011 Innovation Award recipient, the 2011-12 Community Impact Fund grant recipients, and outgoing members of United Way’s Youth Board and Board of Directors.  We would like to thank this year’s event sponsor, Mission Community Bank as well as Frolicking Frog Cellars. For a list of this year’s honorees, click here. Save the date for the 2012 event on Wednesday, June 6.

Fireworks Night with SLO Blues Baseball – Our organization continues its work in promoting healthy lives and physical activity which is why we were proud to celebrate our nation’s independence with SLO Blues Baseball on July 2, 2011.  Record numbers came out to enjoy America’s favorite pastime and there were giveaways for the first fans to arrive, raffle drawings, fun games on the field for the kids and a spectacular fireworks finale.  A wave of thanks goes out to the SLO Blues and Wells Fargo for living united and contributing to our Community Impact Fund.

KidSpree – One of United Way of San Luis Obispo County’s key areas of focus is on education – helping children and youth achieve their potential and increasing high school graduation rates.  In our county, many families cannot afford new clothes for their school-aged children, which can hinder both attendance and successful learning.  Through our 12th annual KidSpree event on July 24, 2011, over 200 children were supplied with much needed back-to-school clothes via generous donations from the community.  K-12 students were provided with a $100 gift card and shopped with a volunteer at Kohl’s in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo, followed by a breakfast provided by local Kiwanis Clubs.  We wish to thank the Kiwanis Club of SLO Morning, Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes and Santa Barbara Bank & Trust for each sponsoring 10 children, Running/Tennis Warehouse for sponsoring 30 kids and to Zurn Wilkins for their sponsorship of 40 children.   View this year’s commercial for KidSpree and click here to view local coverage of the event.

Stuff the Bus - From August 12-19, 2011, our 3rd annual Stuff the Bus event was held at all three Office Max locations throughout the county.  Volunteers handed out lists with items needed to shoppers and collected new school supplies, stuffing three big, yellow buses in Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo.  Donations were distributed with the help of Paso Robles School District, Lucia Mar Unified School District and San Luis Obispo Unified School District, and went towards helping support local teachers and students as they readied for the new school year.   KSBY was again our partner as was San Luis Paper Co. which provided collection boxes for all the supplies.

Hit & Giggle Golf Tournament – On Saturday, September 10, 2011, United Way hosted this well established event benefitting local nonprofit programs. Hit & Giggle was founded by Women for Community as its single fundraiser, which over the past seven years has provided nearly $167,000 in donations to local charities. 100% of the money raised goes back to nonprofit programs serving SLO County in the areas of education, income and health. This one of a kind event features costume contests, great food and drink at every hole, as well as an after game cocktail reception and the drawing for a winner of 100 bottles of wine along with other great prizes. You can view this year’s photos here, courtesy of Lance Kinney, and save the date for next year’s tournament, scheduled for Sunday, September 9, 2012.

Make a Difference Day – Make a Difference Day is a national day of service, organized locally by the Community CENTER at Cal Poly and United Way of SLO County. This past fall over 700 volunteers come out to support our local nonprofits by helping with hands-on projects such as painting, gardening, light maintenance, cleaning or just visiting with clients. The day began with a free breakfast and kickoff at Chumash Auditorium on the Cal Poly campus, and the service projects were completed from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Make a Difference Day is on the fourth Saturday of every October; next year’s event will be on Saturday, October 27, 2012. Go to Volunteer SLO to learn about other upcoming community service events in our county.

Share A Tree – Each December, United Way works with our local Target store, community groups, volunteers and donors to bring some extra seasonal cheer to families in need. Participating families receive an artificial, pre-decorated holiday tree, presents and gift cards to enjoy, while volunteers receive the joy, smiles and warm hugs from families when the goodies are delivered. For questions or to donate or volunteer, please contact the United Way office.

For photos of these events and other United Way activities, please click here.