Sixty ways to celebrate United Way’s 60th anniversary

2023 is United Way’s 60th birthday, and we’re celebrating all year long! We’re inviting our community to celebrate alongside us by taking action in large and small ways.

Below is a list of ways you can help us commemorate this occasion by spreading cheer, kindness, and generosity. We’ll be sharing ways you can give back in celebration of our 60th throughout 2023, so check back often as this list grows!

1. Help others celebrate their birthdays! Make birthday kits for those who may not have the resources to plan a celebration themselves. Birthday kits, which include items like cake mix and balloons, can be assembled individually at home or with a larger group (like a church, workplace, etc). Take it to the next level and aim to assemble 60 birthday kits!
2. Raise support through a Facebook fundraiser! Host a Facebook fundraiser for United Way on your birthday, or anytime throughout the year. Need tips? We’ve got a few.
3. Volunteer! Find the volunteer role for you on Bonfire, the Itasca area’s online volunteer portal.
4. Donate $60 (or any amount) to our Stuff the Bus program to help local students access learning tools.
5. Get connected! Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see what we’re up to.
6. Sign up a team for The Itascamazing Race, the epic scavenger hunt that kicks off our annual campaign! You’ll have fun racing around celebrating what makes our region great.
7. Join the Round-Up app to give a little at a time, adding up to a lot of impact!
8. Read one of our stories to learn about the challenges facing our region, the people taking action to address those challenges, and the resilience of our community.
   
9. Clean up the community: take a walk and challenge yourself to pick up at least 60 pieces of litter.
10. Donate highly-needed school supply items (like dry-erase markers, folders, or headphones) to our school supply drive. 
11. Make a gift to our endowment to help ensure a strong network of community support for the next 60 years. 
12. Write Kindness Cards to encourage students as they start another school year.
    
13. Donate to an Itascamazing Race team’s Head Start Challenge to support United Way and help your favorite team get a leg up on the competition! 
14. Pack a backpack for a student in need through our Stuff the Bus program! 
15. Sign up to run, walk, or jog in the Lumberjack Mile & 5K on September 9th. 
16. Donate $60 to our annual campaign!
    
17. Sign up for Igniting Change, our email newsletter, to receive monthly updates on our work, impact, and upcoming events. 
18. Host a pop-up volunteer opportunity at your workplace, home, or church.
    
19. Dine at or pick up takeout from a Dining United restaurant. 
20. Apply for a Kindness Grant to support your own community project. 
21. Join a giving community.
    
22. Make Kindness Cards for older adults. 
23. Collect 60 personal care items, such as shampoo, laundry detergent, and baby wipes, to donate to our Health & Hygiene Drive in November. 
24. Become a monthly donor to give us consistent, sustained support throughout the year. 
25. Team up to make Health & Hygiene care packages for Itasca-area families and individuals.
26. Join November’s Acts of Kindness Challenge.
27. Make a gift to our Be the Light campaign.

28. Sign up to receive our quarterly volunteer newsletter, which highlights opportunities to give back in Itasca County.

Are you taking the 60-for-60 challenge for United Way? Share your actions with #60for60 and #60YearsOfImpact and invite others to join you!