Have you ever wondered what you can do to help members of your community? Well now you’re your answer is clear—Make a Difference Day.
Make a Difference Day is a national program, sponsored by the United Way that is held on Oct. 21 and 22, that encourages students, faculty and staff to volunteer their time to help out in their respective communities according to Dr. David Bodary, faculty associate of service learning at Sinclair Community College.
“UD students are going to be involved, Wright State students are going to be involved, community members; whoever is interested, can be involved,” Bodary said.
Make A Difference Day is actually two days to help accommodate people’s busy work and school schedules, according to Bodary.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the program can go to volunteerdayton.org and follow the Join Hands Miami Valley link to choose where you like to volunteer. From the list there are more than 70 options to choose from, giving volunteers options to choose when and where they would like to go.
Examples of organizations you can volunteer at are: St Vincent de Paul, Dayton Ohio Habitat for Humanity, Community Blood Center and Five Rivers MetroParks.
Bodary himself has participated in this event in the past and volunteered at We Care Arts in Kettering.
“They are an arts organization, who help people with developmental disabilities make crafts,” Bodary said. “The money that is generated from selling those craft goes to helping those with the disabilities, and supporting the organization.
Bodary suggests that students who are timid to volunteering should find a friend to volunteer with.
“I think sometimes it’s a little scary to do new things on our own, and just show up somewhere and not know what to expect,” Bodary said. “But to know I have three of my buddies going with me, then its kind of a fun thing to do together. Its about creating community, creating the kind of community that we would want to live in.”