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Make A Difference Day
Make a Difference Day, the most encompassing volunteer day in America, endorses community service from individuals and organizations across the country.
The State University of New Paltz is among the organizations that will be servicing local communities on October 24 as they have for the past six years.
The annual event is sponsored by USA Weekend and according to their Website; 3 million volunteers participated in 2008.
Last year, students and staff at SUNY New Paltz collected food for Meals on Wheels, organized a crafting project for senior citizens and offered a free concert featuring student musical groups from a capella to jazz.
“Overall, we were very happy with our participation and out ability to do what we were able to achieve,” said Michael Patterson, director of student activities and union services at SUNY New Paltz. “We had a lot of participation… and students had a great time.”
This year, Patterson and SUNY New Paltz are planning a number of volunteer activities for students. Among them are a collection campaign leading up to Make A Difference Day and community service activities on the day of the event.
One group of students will be helping the Family of New Paltz stock food in their pantry while another group will be at the New Paltz Youth Center setting up a haunted house.
While Patterson is confident that the students’ collective efforts will do a great deal for the local community, he also hopes that this will not be the last time students participate in volunteer activities.
“Our hope is that we’re making connections for students so that they have an opportunity to go back again,” said Patterson.
Junior at SUNY New Paltz, Christ Thurston is optimistic about this year’s endeavors.
“All of the activities we have planned are going to increase the sense of community amongst our volunteers and provide a great service to the surrounding community,” said Thurston.
Patterson chooses to have the college participate in Make a Difference Day because he believes both students and community members alike will benefit from the experience.
“We think it’s a great opportunity for students to get involved in service,” said Patterson. “It’s a good way to send a message of being a good neighbor in terms of giving back...”
SUNY New Paltz is among the organizations that will notify USA Weekend of their participation on Make A Difference Day. Ten groups, organizations, or individuals will be selected as national honorees and will be featured in the April 2009 edition of USA Weekend.
Alongside the honorable mention, Newman’s Own will donate $10,000 to each of the 10 honorees’ favorite charities.
Volunteer services can be anything from collecting food for a local pantry to rebuilding natural disaster-effected buildings and homes. According to USA Weekend’s Website, being a part of Make A Difference day is inherently simple:
“If you want to participate, just help someone else on the next Make A Difference Day, Saturday, October 24, 2009.”
Make A Difference Day Follow-UP
Communities across the Hudson Valley are preparing for Make a Difference Day, USA Weekend magazine’s national volunteer day.
Individuals and organizations from Mahopac, Newburgh, Rosendale, and Stanfordville are among the communities planning volunteer activities this Saturday, Oct. 24.
According to USA Weekend’s Web site, volunteer projects can range from “collecting truckloads of clothing for the homeless, or… spending an afternoon helping an elderly neighbor or relative.”
Mahopac Central School District in Putnam County will host basketball games, activities and clinics for children of Green Chimneys. The Brewster-based organization is geared toward restoring possibilities for “children with emotional, behavioral, social and learning challenges.” Forty children from Green Chimneys will convene at Mahopac Middle School at 8:30 a.m. for a day of basketball-focused fun.
Sheila Diasparra, Secretary of the Mahopac Athletic Department and organizer of the Make a Difference Day project, maintains that making a difference does not have to be a large production.
“It’s very easy to make a difference,” she said. “It doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to do something tremendous.”
Like Mahopac school district, M, Clifford Miller School in Ulster County and Middle Hope Elementary School in Orange County have plans to give back to local communities.
At M, Clifford Miller School students will create “Art Bags” in the style of artist, Keith Haring. With donations from a local grocery store, students will paint paper bags with respect the portrayal of good deeds ways in which people can make a difference. Bags are then distributed to community members in hopes of facilitating public awareness and civic pride.
Middle Hope Elementary will involve kindergarten through second grade students in visiting a local hospital and animal shelters. Children will make cards and bring doughnuts and cookies to hospitalized veterans as well as collecting canned food to bring to a local animal shelter.
Although schools provide an outlet for volunteer involvement, individuals can also donate their time and effort toward improving community health. Barbara Carson, lifetime Dutchess County resident organized the Hunn’s Lake Food Pantry Run in Stanfordville with support from the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club, a Lagrangeville “non-profit organization dedicated to supporting running and racing in the Mid-Hudson Valley.”
Participants must donate a bag of non-perishable groceries to be given to local food pantries. This is the second year that Carson is organizing this event in attempt to give back to the community that helped during her time of need.
“It was a struggle between money for child care and bills. I worked 3 jobs and just couldn’t cut it,” she said. “It just feels good to help people when I’ve bee in that position.”
Non-perishable food donations will also be accepted at Fishkill Town Hall, Hopewell Hose Fire House, Stanfordville Town Hall, or directly through Carson.
According to Carson, giving back to the community “just feels like the right thing to do.”
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