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<< Previous   of   Next >> Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Bob Throckmorton, a United Way volunteer, winds up before throwing out the first pitch at Tuesday's AquaSox game.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, August 7, 2008 United Way volunteer pitches a good cause in Snohomish County Bob Throckmorton helps United Way connect to the community By Justin Arnold Herald Writer EVERETT -- Bob Throck­morton isn't your typical rookie. The 50-year-old Community Transit employee took the mound at Everett Memorial Stadium, putting one across the plate with as much heat as he could muster. Throckmorton was feeling pressure. He heard that his relief pitcher, 3-year-old Owen Leigh, could throw some heat of his own. Throckmorton is a volunteer with the United Way and was selected to throw a pitch in their honor. The United Way and Cascade Bank bought out an AquaSox home game for Snohomish County volunteers in appreciation for their hard work and dedication. Throckmorton's pitch felt like 100 miles an hour, but wound up being 40. "People cheered, it was a great feeling," Throckmorton said. "Those kids got up there and were awesome. Their pitches were better than mine. Unfortunately." A rookie pitch perhaps, but when it comes to volunteerism he's an all-star. As chairman of the community matters council of the United Way, Throckmorton helps create relationships between various nonprofit organizations and the people they are trying to reach. "What we're currently working on is just how to get people in touch with a nonprofit that could help them and express that need," he said. "We need to get out there, we need to ask people what they need and how we can help them." Throckmorton has been with the United Way for five years as a volunteer, working with the community and targeting needs for the United Way. Deborah Squires, vice- president of impact and marketing for the United Way, counts Throckmorton's services as invaluable. "Community involvement is the linchpin to the success of what we do, and that's what makes Bob's volunteer work so important," Squires said. "Bob and the rest of the Vision Council are a microcosm of what we are trying to do as an organization." Volunteerism runs deep in Washington. Rated No. 13 in volunteerism nationwide by the United Way, Squires said that a study two years ago by the United Way showed nearly half the citizens of Snohomish County volunteer more than 200 hours a year. "What we try to do is connect those people in the community, taking small steps, trying to make as much of an impact as we can," Throckmorton said. "One of those ways is through the Day of Caring." Throckmorton's involvement in the Day of Caring, a countywide day of service, is something that he tries to incorporate into his life daily. "Helping people is a good feeling and one of the funnest things we do. I've got to read to children, painted and decorated the rooms of senior citizens. When you get done you feel so good you wonder, 'Why not do this all the time?'" Days of Caring United Way's Days of Caring will be Sept. 12 and 13. To volunteer or register, call 425-374-5534 or go to www.uwsc.org.

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