We Day Seattle: A Really Big Deal for Kids

By Seattle Mag March 15, 2013

kpwe

An astounding 15,000 students from close to 400 middle and high schools are expected converge on Key Arena on Wednesday, March 27 for the first ever We Day in Washington State. We Day is a part of Free the Children, a Canadian organization founded in 1995 by international activist Craig Kielburger that encourages youth to become engaged global citizens through charity work and has provided things like clean water, health care and nutrition to one million people in need around the world. It’s a big deal, doing remarkable things for our world and our youth.

We Day is a daylong educational and inspirational extravaganza supported by Microsoft, Amway, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Ballmer Family Giving, the Seattle Seahawks and A Better Seattle. Students are inspired to come together as a community to improve the world on a local, national or international level. And just they inspired is by speakers and performances from a pantheon of superstars.

Just get a look at the list of celebs in town that day to get these kids all fired up: Jennifer Hudson, Magic Johnson, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and players Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, John Moffitt and Russell Okung, Martin Sheen, Mia Farrow, Martin Luther King III, former Sonic Gary Payton (holla!), J.R. Martinez, Nelly Furtado, The Tenors, MC Hammer (you know what time it is), Hedley, Liz Murray (author of Breaking Night: My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, very cool), Munro Chambers and Melinda Shankar, Free the Children founders Craig and Marc Kielburger, Spencer West (who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro on his hands in 2012. What! Amazing.), Molly Burke (a visually impaired motivational speaker), Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and my current favorite person who is not related to me: nine year-old YouTube sensation, you know him as KID PRESIDENT, Robby Novak.

And guess what? I’ll be working the red carpet, doing my best to get interviews with them all, especially Kid President. Who I love. Watch his videos. You will love him too. I promise. He’s amazing. And smart. And funny. And amazing.

Stay tuned for that, and if you or a kid you know will be at We Day, email me with your thoughts on the event and the organization. Eager to hear what you have to say.

 

Follow Us