What is Make A Difference Day?
Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others — a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Everyone can participate. Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October. The next event is Saturday, October 22, 2011.
Nationally, millions have participated. In 2009, 3 million people cared enough about their communities to volunteer on that day, accomplishing thousands of projects in hundreds of towns.
Locally, The Tribune Chronicle has coordinated projects in Trumbull and Mahoning County since 2003. In 2009, more than one thousand people volunteered working on 100 projects.
What can I do?
Your project can be as large or as small as you wish! Look around your community and see what needs to be done. A project idea generator is available at: www.makeadifferenceday.com. You can organize projects such as a coat drive, making or collecting blankets for a homeless shelter, collecting baby items for a crisis pregnancy center, clean ups at a park or vacant lot, painting or serving lunch at a shelter or senior citizen housing complex, visit senior health care centers; the choice is yours!
Volunteers Honored
In 2003, the first year projects were coordinated by the Tribune Chronicle, USA WEEKEND honored Trumbull County Make A Difference Day with a $10,000 award for being one of the 10 best projects in the United States that year. In 2004 Make A Difference Day Ohio chose the event as one of the 10 best projects in Ohio. The Associated Press honored the Tribune Chronicle for Make A Difference Day in 2005 as the best community service project by a newspaper. Then in 2006, Trumbull County Make A Difference Day was named the national Encore Award winner by USA WEEKEND and received another $10,000 award.
| How you can help: (Call Sue Shafer at 330-841-1696 to volunteer labor or materials) |
Blankets of Love: Making blankets for seriously ill children at Domestic Sewing in Warren from 10am-2pm on 10-22-11
Champion Pride Council: Collecting winterwear for children
Cornhole Tournament: Register to play in the 3rd Annual Cornhole Tournament in Courthouse Square. Sponsored by Tribune Chronicle’s Hope Chest Foundation.
Cortland Un. Meth. Church: Collect non-perishable food for Cortland Area Cares Food Bank. Drop off donations at church on Friday or Saturday from 10am-Noon
Cortland Rotary Club: Clothing drive at Lakeview High School 9am-1PM on 10-22-11
Downtown Leavittsburg Improvement Association: landscaping and cleanup of downtown Leavittsburg.
Families Helping Families: Monetary donations and food collection at Aluzio’s (4395 Youngstown Road) for Families Helping Families free Christmas Dinner; 9am-Noon
Grace Fellowship Church Military Outreach Ministry: Collecting used cell phones to be recycled for “Cell Phones for Soldiers” at Grace Fellowship Church from 8am-Noon on 10-22-11
HandsOn Volunteer Network of the Valley: Collecting jeans in good condition to be given to Someplace Safe and Beatitude House from 10am-2pm at Satolli Carpet in Warren.
Helsel, Susan: Encouraging people/groups to make cards for hospitalized veterans. Take to Veteran’s Service Office on N. Park Ave. in Warren.
Kenilworth Crew: Cleaning up vacant properties on Kenilworth SE in Warren at 1pm.
Leavittsburg Baptist Church: Making blankets for Warren Family Mission at church from 9am-2pm; volunteers welcome, bring scissors.
Palmyra Heights & Warren Woods: Clean up on Ferndale in Warren
Roderick Lewis: Burton Street playground installation from 9am-Noon.
Mentoring Moms: Holding a luncheon at YWCA from 3-5:30pm to benefit programs
New Hope Un Meth Church: free garage sale in Niles at the church 10am-3pm
Project Be Somebody: Haunted Hayride to raise funds for Braceville’s first playground. LaBrae Athletic Complex from 5:30pm-Midnight.
Salvation Army: Collecting food and monetary donations for Thanksgiving Dinner baskets; stuffing mix, mashed potato mix, canned vegetables
Second Harvest Food Bank: Collecting non-perishable food at CVS stores in Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
Seven Seventeen Credit Union: collecting food and monetary donations from 9-11am at their Trumbull County locations for Warren Family Mission.
Southeast Side Community Assoc: Cleaning up on Hazelwood/Adelaide 9-11am
Steven and Associates Realtors: Food drive for Warren Family Mission from 11am-3pm on 10-22-11.
Trumbull County YMCA: Need volunteers to help paint, clean and organize at 10am.
Volunteer Picnic: Tribune Chronicle sponsoring a picnic at the Warren Community Amp for Make A Difference Day volunteers from 11am-1pm.
Warren Family Mission: Need 100 volunteers to help mow lawns, weed and clean up from 9am to Noon.
Warren Glass and Paint: Collecting 1lb. jars of peanut butter now through Make A Difference Day at their offices at 1203 Youngstown Rd in Warren from 8am-5pm to benefit Warren Family Mission
Zoe and Raider Fund: Benefit Trail Ride and chinese auction at Mosquito Trailhead from 9am-1pm on 10-22-11. |
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| Projects |
All-In For Todd: Area Agency on Aging, Warren Junior Women’s League and Warren Juniorettes will clear branches, leaves and do yard work for senior citizens.
American Assoc. of Univ. Women: collecting/donating suits to Dress for Success
American Legion Auxiliary #699: Making quilts for hospitalized veterans and crochet smaller blankets for stuffed animals to be given to local police dept. for children.
Believer’s Christian Fellowship: build handrail & do food drive for Someplace Safe
Blessed Sacrament Men’s Group: building shelves at Beatitude House in Warren
Boy Scout Troop 10: Clean up at Pioneer Cemetery in Warren
Boy Scout Troop 4025: Clean Up on Rt. 45 in Champion
Central Park Apartments: Collecting food and paper products for Niles Com. Services
Christian Fellowship Group at Emmanuel Lutheran Church: Making lap robes for hospice patients
Community Concerned Citizens: Serving lunch to residents at Tod’s Crossing.
Cookie Ladies: Baking and delivering cookies to residents of Waterstone Place Apts.
Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary Unit 11: Knitting lap robes for veterans in area nursing homes
East Ohio 4H’ers: Cleaning up trash at Mosquito Lake
Fifth Wheel Club: Sorting and filling boxes at Second Harvest Food Bank
Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio: Collecting used denim for quilts for Hospice patients
Girl Scout Troop 159: Collecting canned goods for SCOPE and winter coats for Emmanuel Lutheran Church Clothes Closet.
Girl Scout Troop 598: Making quilts and collecting coats for homeless
Girl Scout Service Unit 807: Collecting food for SCOPE Thanksgiving baskets
Girl Scout Daisy Troop 80-020: Party for Shepherd of the Valley in Howland
Girl Scout Troop 80-259 & 80-265: Making 600 pink ribbon pins for breast cancer
Girl Scout Troop 80-588: Clean up at Upton House
Girl Scout Troop 80-789: Baked and collected treats for Animal Welfare League
Gray Family: Clean Up at Imagination Station.
Guardian Angels of Ohio/Trumbull Probate Court: The Angel volunteers will give a “sock hop” to residents of Gillette Nursing Home.
Hannah’s House: Handing out free gloves and hot chocolate at Vienna IGA.
Historic Perkins Homestead Assoc: Plant bulbs and maintenance of Perkins Rose Garden behind City Hall in Warren, Ohio from 9am-Noon.
Howland High School SADD: Raking leaves and mulching at Children’s Rehab
Niles Catholic Women’s Club: Clean up at St. Stephen Cemetery in Niles
Niles Community Services: Distributed 500 shopping bags in their service area and bags are to be returned filled with non perishables on 10-22-11 from 10am-4pm.
Niles McKinley High School Key Club: collecting baby food for Niles Community Srvs.
North East Warren Neighborhood Assoc: Painting street markers and fire hydrants
North End Environmental Development (NEED): Clean up and fence repair at Community Garden on North St. in Warren
Otterbein UMC Youth Group: Helping elderly members with yard work, etc.
Projects Linus and Quilts from the Heart: making quilts for traumatized children in local hospitals and local shelters. Also teaching Girl Scouts how to sew quilts.
St. Joseph Health Center Auxiliary: Clean up at hospital healing garden
St. Joseph Hospital Retirees: Collecting non-perishables for Warren Family Mission
St. Rose Pack 40 Cub Scouts: Packing boxes to send to soldiers stationed overseas.
Teens Who Matter: Yard clean up for elderly in Niles.
Trumbull Art Gallery: Clean up at Pine and Market St, Robbins Theater windows.
Trumbull County Genealogical Society: Clean up at Pioneer Cemetery in Warren
Upton Association: Working at Women’s Park in Warren from 9:30am-Noon
Walnut Run Condo Association: collecting non-perishables for Cortland Food Pantry.
Word of Life Youth Group: Clean up abandoned houses in Warren. |
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