Serve DC Celebrates Make a Difference Day 2009 - Releases

On October 24, 2009, Serve DC — The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism will host Make A Difference Day. Known as the "National Day to Help Others," MADDay is a national effort designed to mobilize citizens in communities across the country in volunteer service. Make A Difference Day is sponsored by USA WEEKEND magazine and in partnership with HandsOn Network, Newman's Own, celebrities, government agencies, nonprofits and businesses across the country.

In honor of Disability Awareness Month, Serve DC will engage residents in service projects that bring attention to people with disabilities. Serve DC’s Make A Difference Day grantees and signature service project sites are as follows:

8:30 am - 1 pm: The Make A Difference Day Kick-Off will take place at Ronald Brown Middle School where volunteers will collaborate to refresh the school with new outdoor recreation spaces, flowers, fresh paint and innovative workspaces in the library. Location: 4800 Meade Street, NE. The Kick-Off is open to the public, but no volunteer slots are available.
8 am – 1 pm: The Trinidad Neighborhood Association will organize beautification projects on West Virginia Avenue, the border between the Trinidad neighborhood and Gallaudet University. Location: West Virginia Avenue, NE. Limited volunteer slots available.
9 am – 6 pm: Saint Elizabeth's Hospital will organize a “Make Art & Make A Difference Day” project. Volunteer artists and persons receiving care at the hospital will spend the day making art together, addressing the need to break through the stigma often associated with mental illness. Artistic expressions from which patients can choose from would include dance, music, painting, photography, poetry/rap, book making, and wire sculpture. Location: 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE. This event is closed to the public.
10 am – 2 pm: DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will organize a beautification project at the DC Center for Therapeutic Recreation, which was built over 30 years ago to provide adaptive recreational activities for persons with disabilities and continues to afford youth and adults with life skills and recreational programs. Activities include painting, planting and creating an adaptive community garden that will be wheel-chair accessible. Location: DC Center for Therapeutic Recreation, 3030 G Street, SE. Limited volunteer slots available.
1 - 5 pm: Youth Power Center, in collaboration with the District of Columbia’s Center for Independent Living (DCCIL) and Ballou Senior High School, will organize the Voice Enabled service project. Ballou students will interview persons with disabilities from DCCIL on their opinions of and solutions to the youth violence and “community beefing” that seriously affects Wards 7 and 8 and will present their findings to the public. Location: Anacostia Public Library, 1800 Good Hope Road, SE. This event is closed to the public.

To Volunteer, please RSVP to the site contacts provided in the cumulative Make A Difference Day Project List*.

For more Volunteer Opportunities in the month of October, please see a cumulative list of Department of Health H1N1 Mass Vaccination Clinics*.