National Make a Difference Day

Happy Saturday, everyone! Today is an important day — National Make A Difference Day. Volunteers are getting together across the nation to do what they can to make a difference in their communities.

I used to be more involved in my community than I have been lately. For five years I was the co-leader of my daughters’ Daisy, Brown and Junior Girl Scout troops. It was fun — I enjoyed working with the kids and meeting other moms. But I got burned out after a while. I still work to help out my community, but I do so by other means. Besides volunteer work, there are other ways to offer time and resources to one’s community.

Donating for a Good Cause

I’ve been helping out my community by donating to Rise, a charity in my town. Rise reaches out to families in need. Rise runs a food pantry, collects backpacks and helpful supplies for local school children in need, and sponsors Thanksgiving and Christmas food drives. 

I participate in the donation drives that Rise sponsors at the beginning of the school year, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I also “support” Rise by donating no longer needed items from my home for their thrift stores. The thrift stores help to fund Rise’s charitable activities. I say “support” in quotes because Rise is also very helpful to me — it’s great to get rid of things (from my basement, etc.) that I no longer need. I know the items are going to a good cause. I can’t throw things out. (I worry about the environment and landfills.) My home can use a good decluttering!

Before I knew about Rise, I donated no longer needed items and clothing to the Vietnam Veterans of America. From the Vets’ website, you can easily schedule a curbside pickup of items to donate, and Vietnam Veterans of America uses the proceeds they get to fund programs for war veterans.

What You Can Do

I’ve helped out causes I support in the past by donating my time and donating goods. I’ve also donated monetarily to causes I believe in, like various political campaigns, the American Red Cross and my alma mater, Bryn Mawr College.

If you are looking to get involved, you can look to donate money and goods to causes you believe in, or fundraise for non-profits through platforms like Eventbrite.  (On Eventbrite are several resources for people looking to develop their own non-profit or charitable event.)

I hope to make another trip to my town’s thrift store this week to donate some items. How do you plan to participate in National Make a Difference Day?