Provide your help with three outdoor projects

Published 11:21 pm Thursday, April 22, 2010

If you enjoy the outdoors and don’t mind adding a little work into that experience, United Way of Snohomish County has three events Saturday that may be of interest.

The organization is looking for people who enjoy gardening, such as planting trees or spreading mulch, to participate in beautification projects at Jennings Park in Marysville.

Volunteers also are needed for wetland restoration work at Union Slough in north Everett.

There’s room for up to 150 volunteers at each of these projects. Families are welcome to join in, said Deborah Squires, United Way of Snohomish County spokeswoman.

About 25 teens are needed for a third project, to improve salmon streams. The event will kick off at Creekside Stables in Bothell.

Volunteers must register for the projects by 5 p.m. today.

The events are being held as part of National Volunteer Week, an opportunity for people who like hands-on projects, Squires said.

Philips Healthcare is kicking off the volunteer efforts today. About 80 employees have signed up for cleaning, building and wiring projects at Sherwood Community Services in Lake Stevens.

Sherwood assists people with disabilities and offers early learning programs for children and career development programs for those 18 and up.

This is the first time that a springtime volunteer week has been scheduled in Snohomish County. In previous years, United Way has sponsored a Volunteer Expo to expose people to a variety of volunteer opportunities, Squires said.

United Way has a website that lists both short- and long-term volunteer projects. The organization hopes that Saturday’s events will help bring attention to the variety of volunteer opportunities that are available in Snohomish County, Squires said.

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486, salyer@heraldnet.com.