Looking for something to do this weekend? Plan to make a difference! Tomorrow, Saturday, October 25, 2014 is Make a Difference Day. Make A Difference Day is the largest national day of community service. According to Points of Light, Make a Difference Day higlights volunteers around the world as they unite in a common mission to improve the lives of others.
You can make a difference in your community in a number of ways. For example, I along with my Scholastic colleagues love to read, so we have created the SCHOLASTIC READS program. Through SCHOLASTIC READS, employees volunteer to read to local classrooms in New York City public schools. It’s a great way to give back to the community and engage with students.
Whether you plan on volunteering with a group or are making a difference on your own, Scholastic.com offers a number community services ideas. Here are three of those (simple!) ideas:
Clean Up Your Community: Pick up litter. The next time you take your children to the park, challenge them to pick up 5 pieces of trash before they play or leave the park. Be sure to take before and after photos of your clean-up efforts and send them along with an essay about your work to Wilderness Project.
Save to Give Away: Collect unwanted games, toys, and clothes and donate them to a local shelter, church, or donation site.
Donate Time at a Food Pantry or Soup Kitchen: Volunteer at your local food bank/shelter or soup kitchen to help serve the people of your community. This is also a great way for your child to understand and appreciate his/her food.
Making a difference in your community will not only make you feel good, it can also serve as a great learning opportunity for children. When taking part in community service activities children will develop a sense of community and see how others in their area live.
Tell us your plans for Make A Difference Day in the comments below!
