Ways to Make A Difference on Make A Difference Day:
Play with Pets
A super fun volunteer activity you can do on Make a Difference Day is to volunteer at a local animal shelter.
Read a Book
Most libraries have programs where people read books to children.
Donate Your Skills
Difficult, skill-based volunteering is often what nonprofits need most. Consider what you’re good at, and reach out to local nonprofits to see if they need someone with your skills.
Get Crafty
If you enjoy knitting or crocheting, see if you can make something that can be donated. Many hospitals have programs in which people knit or crochet blankets for premature babies, or other babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Fill a Need
Ultimately, any need you can fill will make a difference. If you’re not sure what to do, or if you don’t have any particular desires to do one type of job over another, simply reach out to local nonprofits and ask what volunteer openings they have.
Volunteering is a great way to build your child's character, help her develop confidence and self-esteem and learn teamwork and civic responsibility. It's also a way to spend quality time with your entire family and establish the tradition of giving.
Here is a list of family activity ideas:
Go Green
Pick up trash at a local park
Plant flowers in the community
Host a recyling event
Organize a car pool in your neighborhood
Create a campaign to encourage biking or walking to school
Help Others
Bring toys to children in the cancer ward of a hospital
Start a neighborhood welcome committee
Hold open a door for someone
Give up your seat on the bus or train
Befriend a new student at school
Make a quilt or shawl for someone in the hospital
Help Our Heroes
Send a letter to a veteran or soldier stationed overseas
Make a care package for someone overseas
Bake cookies and deliver to the local police or fire station
Help the Elderly
Adopt a "Grandfriend" for the day
Write letters back and forth with a person in a nursing home
Do chores like raking leaves or washing windows
Deliver meals to the homebound
Organize a craft or game at a nursing home
There are many ways to get involved to help build a better community around you. Volunteers are encouraged to register their service project with Make A Difference Day. By doing so, project organizers are eligible to win a $10,000 grant to donate to a charity of their choice.
For more information and to enter your project today, visit www.makeadifferenceday.com.
Happy Helping!
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