Community programs

Travel with impact: Transforming lives with a simple act of kindness

​​​Hygiene poverty isn’t as visible as hunger, but it’s very real. The simple act of donating a bar of soap can ​​have​​ a huge impact on another person’s life.​​​​​

​​AAA Washington started the Soap for Hope program in 2008 to encourage its members to donate unused toiletries acquired on vacation (those little hotel bottles, for example!) The program has expanded over the years to include hygiene products of all sizes.​​​​​ 

​​​Twelve years and 1.5 million toiletries later, Soap for Hope is ​​helping ​​communities in need across the PNW. 

​​“I wish to express our gratitude and appreciation to AAA Washington for always being supportive of our clients whom we serve through the Soap for Hope campaign,” said Anthony Ives, executive director of Kitsap Community Resources (KCR). “Every year, KCR has a Christmas Angel’s drive that directly helps 300 families in Kitsap County. The toiletries, soaps, and other supplies go directly to families in need.”  ​​​ 

​​​Established in 1922 at John Muir Elementary in Seattle, the AAA W​​ashington ​​School Safety Patrol ​program ​trains and supports students in 4th through 8th grades as crossing guards charged with keeping young pedestrians safe.​​ 

​​It’s also the first step toward a lifetime of leadership for some. Alumni include former presidents, astronauts, Olympic athletes, Washington’s superintendent of public instruction and AAA Washington’s own CEO, Heather Snavely.​​​ 

More than 750 schools across Washington participate in the program each year, with more than 20,000 student members helping to protect their fellow classmates. We also recognize patrollers who go above and beyond through a special annual Hall of Fame awards ceremony.  

Winter  H. Lanser and Ella Eun, who are both 10 and on the patrol at Echo Lake, say giving back to the community is an important value for them. ​ 

​​ “I wanted to be in the School Safety Patrol program because I really like helping people,” says Winter. Likewise, Ella adds: “I wanted to help others, serve my community and work with other students on patrol.”​​​ 

Introduced as a program to promote environmental sustainability through community engagement and battery recycling, AAA Washington’s Batteries to Branches initiative runs from May through summer.   

Members and the broader community are invited to recycle old car batteries at five AAA Washington stores, with each recycled battery resulting in a tree donation to the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust’s restoration efforts along the I-90 corridor. 

The "Batteries to Branches" campaign builds on a longstanding partnership between AAA Washington and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. This collaboration has already resulted in the planting of more than 6,000 trees, demonstrating a shared commitment to preserving Washington’s natural landscapes. The campaign addresses a significant environmental challenge: annually, one million car batteries across the U.S. are left unrecycled, posing various environmental, health, and safety risks. In 2023 alone, AAA Washington recycled more than 23,000 car batteries, preventing harmful materials like lead, acid, and plastic from contaminating landfills and water sources. 

At each "Batteries to Branches" event, AAA Washington automotive technicians will offer free battery testing, replacement, and recycling services. This effort not only prevents environmental hazards but also supports the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust’s mission of restoring Washington’s natural beauty. Jon Hoekstra, Executive Director of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, highlights the significance of this partnership: "By responsibly recycling car batteries and planting trees, we are not only preventing harmful materials from reaching our landfills but also actively restoring and revitalizing Washington’s natural landscapes."