(Shreveport, LA) – United Way of Northwest Louisiana (UWNWLA) kicks off 2023 announcing dates for its signature events. Returning events include Tails & Ales: A Celebration of Impact, Day of Caring, and Fill the Bus.
Tails and Ales: A Celebration of Impact takes place Thursday, February 23, from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm at Great Raft Brewing. This event honors and recognizes all companies and donors who partnered with UWNWLA to make 2022 a success. It also shares the organization’s fundraising and impact results from the previous year and recognizes those whose support made it possible. Guests are invited to join UWNWLA for a seafood boil, including shrimp and crawfish provided by Louisiana Seafood, beverages from Great Raft Brewing, live entertainment, and games and raffle prizes, allowing guests to walk away winners for the night.
UWNWLA’s largest, community-wide volunteer event of the year, Day of Caring, returns May 24 with more than 600 volunteers from local businesses in attendance who are committed to making a difference in the communities in which they live and work. After adapting to COVID-19 for three years, the event is returning to its original format with a kickoff breakfast, community projects, and an afterparty. During Day of Caring, volunteer teams of 5-15 people coordinated by UWNWLA are partnered with nonprofit agencies to complete a project that the organization may not have the manpower or financial resources to hire outside help to complete. UWNWLA is coordinating several projects of its own as well, including the creation or maintenance of community gardens, the installation of Born Learning Trails at local schools and parks, community clean-ups, and an emergency hygiene kit packing project.
Fill the Bus will return during back-to-school season and take place over several weekends at local Walmart Supercenters. This initiative calls on the public to shop at participating Walmart locations to purchase and donate school supplies to fill multiple buses for students in Bossier and Caddo Parishes. Fill the Bus benefits more than 4,000 elementary, middle, and high school students each year by providing those in need with the tools necessary to be successful in the classroom.
In 2022, UWNWLA yielded more than $76,000 in sponsorship and special events revenue. UWNWLA hopes to achieve similar success in 2023. “We are excited to bring our most beloved events back in full force for 2023,” said UWNWLA President & CEO LaToria Thomas. “Not only do our events keep our organization afloat, but more importantly, they allow us to continue the essential programs and services so many depend on. In addition, events have the power to produce the largest impact in the shortest amount of time. We look forward to another year of giving back to our community while having a blast doing it.”
To stay informed on United Way of Northwest Louisiana’s upcoming events, please visit www.unitedwaynwla.org to sign-up for their e-newsletter at the bottom of the homepage.
2023 Save the Dates
Tails & Ales: A Celebration of Impact – February 23
Day of Caring – May 24
Fill the Bus – July/August
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