We all have opportunities every day to change the world, whether we’re adopting a Highway to patrol for litter or volunteering at a local shelter to help the homeless.
It’s amazing what just a small effort by an individual or group of individuals can do to change the world or at least their local neighborhood. Make a difference Day was established to help encourage us to take one day a year to try to make a difference in the world.
Learn about Make a Difference Day
Make a Difference Day has been crafted so that we can all come together and help people who need it the most. This could be anyone from your neighbor to the less fortunate. There are groups of people all over the world that need our help in different ways.
This includes everyone from the homeless to the elderly. Simply checking in on your elderly neighbor now and then can make a massive difference in their life. Of course, the planet needs our efforts as well, from using less plastic to going green in the home, there are lots of things we can do.
As humans, we often have a tendency to assume that we are so small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things that we are not going to be able to make a significant difference. However, this could not be further from the truth. After all, if we all do one small thing, collectively, it makes a massive difference.
Plus, sometimes all it takes is something minor to make a massive difference to someone else’s life. It does not always need to be a grand gesture. In fact, often it is as simple as giving up a little bit of your time to make someone else feel good, and this is something that we can all do.
History of Make a Difference Day
Originally created in 1992 by USA Weekend magazine, Make a Difference Day has seen a great deal of support from various organizations throughout the years and most recently has been transferred over to USA Today as its primary sponsor and organizer.
USA Today provides a central location for people to gather their information and report what they’re doing locally to Make a Difference. Since its creation Make a Difference Day has helped to encourage thousands of people across the nation to start making an actual difference in the world.
Contributions to making the world a better place have ranged from gathering stuffed bears for firefighters to give to injured and frightened children, to organizing relief efforts for victims of natural catastrophes like Hurricane Sandy. Overall Make a Difference Day has spurred people to make a difference in themselves, and the world.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY HISTORY
Make a Difference Day was created in 1992 by USA WEEKEND magazine and joined by Points of Light. Together they sponsored the largest national day of community service for more than twenty years. While the organizations no longer support Make a Difference Day, the observance still impacts communities around the country. Volunteers and organizations have taken up the banner to help their communities in ways that best fit their needs. For example:
- Laurence Segal’s Cans For Cancer (Bottles 4 A Cure) collects bottles and cans each year in the name of Make A Difference Day. The proceeds are donated to cancer research.
- The Center for Nonprofit Management at MSU Texas in Wichita Falls, Texas promotes an event in the spirit of the day, too. Check out their Calendar of Events for dates and times.
- Central School of Grand Cane, Louisiana will participate by spending the day sanding and painting picnic tables. The National Honor Society members are volunteering their time for this project.
- The Kiwanis Club embraces the Make A Difference Day theme each year. Learn more about their projects by visiting kiwanis.org.
- The TRIO Club at Centralia College in Centralia, Washington will be supporting the local ECEAP program with shoes and coats for 3-5 year-olds.
