Last year, New Jersey high school students collected books for the initiation of a hospital library, while Rhode Island students beautified their school grounds and an elementary school stockpiled pennies to help a financially pressed family just blessed with quadruplets. These varied efforts, spanning the country from Mississippi to Wyoming, taking place in schools, shelters, kitchens and hospitals, all are part of Make A Difference Day. The annual national event, sponsored by the USA Weekend Magazine and Points of Light, is "the national day of doing good."
University students have united to mount an expansive service program for this year's Make a Difference Day, which starts tomorrow.
Third-year College student Brad Harrison, chairman of the University's effort for Make A Difference Day, said the ingenuity of the event is that it's only for one day.
"People can't make that commitment," to a year-round volunteer programs, Harrison said. "So I felt that this was a great opportunity to spend three hours on a weekend to make a big impact on all of the community."
Guru Raj, third-year College student and committee member, added that "you are giving yourself over to something bigger than yourself," when you partake in the national cause.
This year's program includes about 15 events, including clean-up work at Camp Holiday Trails, visits to nursing homes and a canned food drive, Raj said.
"It's a great opportunity on a national level to show that college kids care. A lot of people think we are an apathetic generation -- this is a chance to show we still care," Raj said.
Harrison worked earlier in the year on contacting the hundreds of Contracted Independent Organizations on Grounds and inviting them to participate in the program. Various sororities, fraternities, a cappella groups, as well as many individual students will contribute their effort and time, he said.
Raj is worried at the amount of University events this weekend, but still hopes for an immense turnout. "I'm really looking forward to it," he said enthusiastically.
The kick-off gathering will be in the Amphitheater from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Nationally, Make A Difference Day supports organized volunteer projects, but also encourages personalized random acts of kindness.
"Hundreds of people come out, and thousands do something like donate a can or give blood," Harrison said.
See what you can do.
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