The King County Parks Volunteer Program hosted six different United Way Day of Caring Events in our parks. More than 150 volunteers helped with weeding, planting, pruning, digging….the list goes on! HUGE thank you to everyone who was involved in making this day a success. Here’s some of what we accomplished:

White Center Heights Park

Starbucks employees returned to White Center Heights Park 10 years after the initial Starbucks Ultimate Park Makeover when the local coffee company worked with the community to add public art, a shelter, community garden beds, a pig roast pit, interpretive signs and a pathway around the field to the park. Here’s the kicker: they did it in one week.

10 years later, staff from Seattle Sounders FC joined Starbucks employees for the 2017 Day of Caring and we couldn’t help but feel some serious Seattle pride. The volunteers worked together to remove blackberry from over 40,000 square feet of parkland, completely filling a 5 cubic yard dump truck.

Preston Athletic Fields

Microsoft employees and a few community members helped prune back brush from the beds around the parking lot which improves lines of sight.  They were an incredible group, lots of energy and even wanted to continue working through break times!

King County Greenhouse and Nursery

Shout out to Microsoft! 38 more volunteers from the company did an amazing job weeding the native trees and shrubs at the nursery.  They were able to weed approximately 6,500 pots. This step is incredibly important for sending the trees and shrubs to their new homes starting in October – weed free.

Marymoor Park

Microsoft really came through! Another group from the company spread a total of 60 cubic yards of mulch around 240 trees – this allows trees to make it through dry summers.

Sky Country Trail Head at Cougar Mt. Forest

One final Microsoft group helped spruce up the parking lot and planted 400 native trees and shrubs. Shout out to Microsoft for investing time in local public space!

Black Diamond Open Space Parking Lot

They just kept giving! 15 more Microsoft employees volunteered to clean up the new parking lot by weeding the landscape.

Thank you Microsoft, Seattle Sounders FC and Starbucks for taking time to volunteer with King County Parks!