Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Darren Breen / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Everett Community College student and United Way volunteer Megan Walters, 19, works in her Stanwood home's office to update the United Way of Snohomish County's Web site.   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Seems Like Yesterday 4/24/08 • The community is Cascade High School leadership students' classroom 4/24/08 • Service is a way of life for Everett woman 4/24/08 • Everett woman creates volunteer network for families 4/24/08 • Want to volunteer in your community? Get ideas at expo Saturday 4/24/08 • Volunteering is Brier retiree's new job 4/24/08 • Audio slideshow: Why they volunteer 4/24/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, April 24, 2008 Stanwood student puts her Web skills to use for United Way By Justin Arnold Herald Writer STANWOOD -- As the Internet's virtual frontier grows, so do opportunities to volunteer. Megan Walters, 19, has found a way to volunteer online for United Way of Snohomish County. How? By updating the agency's numerous Web sites with new information and keeping them as up-to-date as possible. Walters, who attends Everett Community College, considers online volunteerism a step in the right direction for a computer-savvy generation. "I started volunteering the summer I graduated from high school and it has never conflicted with college," Walters said. "That's what has really appealed to me." Walters heard about the opportunity from her mother, who works for Snohomish County United Way. There had been difficulty in keeping information current on the Web sites and United Way needed someone to update them with current information. She said that her typical day of volunteering can be from 45 minutes to two hours, depending on the Web site or the information that needs to be gathered. "Talking to people and gathering the relevant information is time consuming, because everyone has their own schedule," Walters said. "Updates can be difficult, but most of the time it's easy enough." Walters said volunteering online has given her a way to help that not only matches her lifestyle as a student, but gives her friends opportunities to do volunteer as well. "It's really cool helping with the Web sites because I find more things for me and my friends to help out with," Walters said. "I have gotten to realize that by doing these things, it's helped me understand that I can and want to do this for a living."

1. Principal of Christian school in Arlington charged with child rape 2. 5 moms battle Lakewood Elementary School fire 3. Couple fight back against armed home invader 4. Traffic detoured around motorcycle accident in Lake Stevens 5. Teen burglar's own snapshot may help police catch him 6. Mill Creek teens robbed at gunpoint 7. More glory for former Snohomish High basketball coach 8. Local Briefly: Search-and-rescue teams look for hiker 9. Boeing stock plummets on analyst's downgrade 10. Transit driver has dangerous attitude 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Tour de Jour • Racing to help the helpless • It's coming: Make way for the new City Hall • They won't take it anymore • Meet the new Gateway principal • School activity buses could be restored • Mountlake Terrace hires new police chief • Council prefers a back seat in green movement • Students of the month • Arlington Fly-In marks 40th anniversary this year • Melody Biringer a wide-ranging entrepreneur • County home market offers low rates, lower prices, wide variety of prope ... • Good investments may be boring but profitable • Fryelands industrial park growing in Monroe • Out of the Blue Aviation expands flight training • Paul Allen’s rare Flying Heritage Collection becomes latest aviation att ... • Warbird's history keeper