Millions help others on national Make A Difference Day

USA WEEKEND Make a Difference Day volunteers paint a wall as part of the project at J.C. Nalle Elementary School in Washington, DC. -- Toby Jorrin for USA WEEKEND

The nation’s Secretary of Education painted a mural at an urban public school. A TV star held a bake sale with her young daughters to raise money for Haitian earthquake relief. College students threw a party for people with developmental disabilities. And people with developmental disabilities made sandwiches for the hungry.

They were all part of a wave of volunteering Saturday, as an estimated 3 million Americans rolled up their sleeves on the nation’s largest single day of service, Make A Difference Day.

Held every year on the fourth Saturday in October, Make A Difference Day is sponsored by Gannett Co., Inc.’s USA WEEKEND Magazine in partnership with the HandsOn Network. All of the day’s volunteers are eligible for 10 awards of $10,000 donations to their charities, funded by long-time supporter Newman’s Own. To search a national database of local projects, or to enter the competition for charitable donations, visit the DAYtaBANK.

“Gannett’s mission is to inspire the greater good in the communities we serve. Make A Difference Day connects us to our audience and impacts communities in a meaningful way,” said Gracia Martore, President and CEO of Gannett. “Neighbor helping neighbor is vital in this down economy. Today, the lives of millions of Americans will improve as a result of our volunteering challenge.”

A hive of activity filled J.C. Nalle Elementary School in Washington, D.C., as an estimated 200 volunteers – including Martore, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton – came out to spruce up the school by painting inspirational murals, landscaping and organizing donated books in the library.

“We love doing this,” said Duncan, who participated with wife Karen and children Ryan, 7, and Claire, 9. “It’s really fun for our family to do it together and for our kids to understand the impact they can have now.”

From a knit-a-thon in Alaska to a neighborhood revitalization in Hawaii, thousands of do-good projects unfolded in small towns and big cities:

• In an Opelika, Ala., warehouse, the mood was festive as about 70 volunteers, including 20 children, assembled 400 care packages for foster children around the state. “It’s fun for the volunteers. It’s fun for the organization to get this done,” said organizer Blake Melnick, 27. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”
• In Ottawa, Kan., 150 people gathered at a park to build a new playground accessible to kids with disabilities, a project funded by a grant from Kaboom! One of the kids who’ll benefit is Delaney Murphy, 6, who has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. “You hear all bad things in the news,” said Delaney’s mother, Kelley, as she helped her neighbors assemble the brightly-colored playground equipment. “To be here experiencing good? We need more of that.”
• In Panama City, Fla., 50 women had a baby shower for a total stranger: an Arkansas woman widowed this summer when her Navy SEAL husband was killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. They’ve collected more than $2,500 worth of gifts and a journal filled with heartfelt messages to the family. “We’re a military community,” explained shower organizer Sue Bynum, 56, a retiree. “We need to take care of our own. Whether we know them or not, they’re ours.”
• In Manhattan, members of New York University’s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity partnered with Best Buddies, a mentoring group, to throw a Halloween decorating party at a residential facility for people with developmental disabilities. The residents made sandwiches for the homeless, proving that everybody can find a way to help.

Around the country, local chapters of the HandsOn Network took part in everything from cleaning parks to serving meals. For the second year, HandsOn affiliates in Pittsburgh and Cleveland put a twist on their longstanding football rivalry, competing to see who could log the most volunteer service hours. “At the end of the day, everyone wins in this challenge,” said Jeff Griffiths, executive director of HandsOn Northeast Ohio. “But hopefully we’ll be hoisting the trophy!”

The corporate world came on board with tens of thousands of employees of companies including Citi and Motorola engaged in service projects. Toshiba chose Make A Difference Day to launch a Facebook contest that will award five deserving non-profit organizations technology packages worth $30,000 and one grand prize winner a $100,000 package.

The wave of good feeling spread on social media. Celebrities including actress Rosario Dawson, country singer Darius Rucker and actress Soleil Moon Frye took to Twitter to spread the word about their favorite charities in honor of Make A Difference Day.

Frye, best known  as TV’s Punky Brewster, and her daughters, 3 and 6, held a bake sale and lemonade stand outside her Los Angeles kids’ clothing store, The Little Seed, with proceeds going to J/P Haitian Relief Organization. Customers who donated $5 to J/P HRO received 30% off their purchases.

“All those little things we do actually collectively make such a big step. That little bake sale. That little lemonade stand. The pickup on the beach,” said Frye. “So often we think, ‘Well, what can I do? I’m just one person.’ One person can do a lot.”