Hundreds in the District of Columbia and millions across the nation are expected to spend Saturday, October 25, the 18th Make a Difference Day, doing volunteer projects to improve their communities and help neighbors in need. The day is the largest community service effort in the nation, rallying corporations, government leaders, charitable organizations and everyday Americans into action on one day.
This year Serve DC, the Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism, sponsored a grant competition to support three service projects with a focus on disability inclusion:
- City Year Washington, DC will engage 400 volunteers in interior mural painting, building shelving units, painting exterior blacktop graphics, and other assorted campus beautification projects for Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES) and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD).
- Heads Up will engage 150 volunteers in improvement projects for James G. Birney Elementary School. Students, including students with disabilities, from the Barry Farm neighborhood in the District of Columbia will work alongside Heads Up staff and AmeriCorps members.
- The DC Department on Disability Services (DDS) will organize a group of 30-50 volunteers in partnership with the DC Office on Aging to benefit the elderly residents of Christian Communities Group Homes and an additional group of 20 or more people who are part of their Age-In-Place program.
Grants made to these organizations will enable the community to meet critical needs and foster a long term commitment to service.
Make a Difference Day, the largest national day of helping others, is sponsored by USA Weekend Magazine and its 600 carrier newspapers. Make a Difference Day is held in partnership with HandsOn Network and is supported by the Newman's Own, which will provide $10,000 donations to charities selected by of each of 10 national honorees. The 18th Make a Difference Day is Saturday, October 25, 2008. Learn more about this event in the District of Columbia.
Press Contact: Kathy Zarate (202) 615-0098