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Issue Date: October 21, 2007
In this article:
Make A Difference Day 2007
For the first time, USA WEEKEND pairs with the National Football League to tackle a big cause -- helping others. Here's a preview of action on Saturday Oct. 27!
In Clayton, N.C., 14-year-old Nick Marriam returns for a sixth year. The dynamo plans to fill 600 gift bags with books, crayons and collected stuffed animals. He'll deliver them to sick children, including some at Duke University Hospital. Why? Nick, off treatment for nearly six years from lymphoma, remembers how it felt to receive goodies that took his mind off his illness. In Las Vegas, Nikki and Tony Berti are back for a fifth year. The couple, along with 200 other volunteers, will provide new shoes to 1,500 disadvantaged kids from area Boys & Girls Clubs. Many volunteers are banding together in massive efforts. More than 300 Girl Scouts, led by the Savannah Morning News and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia, are conducting a huge food drive. This week, Scouts hand out grocery bags to neighbors, churches and classrooms with a request: Fill them with canned and non-perishable goods. On Oct. 27, the Scouts will collect the bags and bring the donations to a block party in downtown Savannah or to one of several drop-off points. The newspaper sent e-mail invitations to its online readers and has been running promotional ads and radio public service announcements. On Make A Difference Day, newspaper staffers will deploy to a "Hands on Savannah" home improvement project. One of the largest efforts takes place across Ohio, where many thousands of volunteers, including first lady Frances Strickland, will tackle nearly 1,000 projects in every county in the state. The Seal of Ohio Girl Scout Council in Columbus is mobilizing Scouts statewide to volunteer and earn a patch. In Dayton, 50 Crochet & Knit-A-Thon volunteers will deliver handmade hats, mittens and scarves to shelters and missions. In Warren, Ohio, more than 80 projects have been registered with the Tribune Chronicle. The newspaper, which has rallied readers to Make A Difference Day for five years, is leading the effort to mobilize Trumbull County to do cleanups, food drives and a "LifeLite" effort that will turn donated cellphones into cash to buy HomeFinders -- special light socket devices that blink when turned on and make it easier for emergency equipment to locate a 911 caller. In the Gulf region, more than 15,000 volunteers led by the non-profit KaBOOM! will build new playgrounds at the Guste Homes housing development in New Orleans and at War Memorial Park in Long Beach, Miss. Playgrounds in both locations were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Nationwide, volunteers with the U.S. Army Freedom Team Salute program will be stationed in front of libraries and VFW and American Legion posts to give special recognition to U.S. Army veterans. The program, begun in 2005 by the secretary of the Army, has honored nearly 1 million veterans and aims to reach all of our nation's 14 million Army vets. An astounding 75,000 members of Kids Care Clubs, ages 5 to 13, are being encouraged to volunteer in one of four areas -- homelessness, literacy, senior citizens, and troops and veterans. Projects include decorating homeless shelters and having read-a-thons and book collections. Quaker partnered with the children's group to provide project grants. The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness is hosting cooking demonstrations and screenings to raise awareness of celiac disease, an autoimmune digestive disease. Information will be available nationwide at Whole Foods stores and at select Wegmans and ShopRite pharmacies. An estimated 600 volunteers with the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs of GFWC will assemble domestic violence kits to help abuse victims and their families. More than 5,000 kits will be delivered to domestic violence shelters across New Jersey. In Long Beach, Calif., 250 volunteers in the Assistance League of Long Beach's Operation School Bell program will fill backpacks with new school uniforms for 1,700 elementary students. Up the coast in Santa Cruz, about 50 volunteers will gather at the end of 7-year-old Andie Huff's driveway to collect jars of pennies. Goal: Raise 168,000 pennies -- $1,680 -- to build two wells in Africa through the African Well Fund. In addition, Andie will be collecting food for Second Harvest. In Littleton, Colo., about 80 teams of volunteers and the Colorado Hands in Action organization will do yardwork and house cleaning for frail seniors and the disabled in the metro Denver area. Some volunteers will continue to assist with maintenance and general upkeep. Capital One is one of many corporations pitching in. More than 100 employee volunteers are teaming up with Heart of America in Richmond, Va. The plan: Rebuild an elementary school library to make it a warm and nurturing place and give kids more than 800 books to take home. Champ Bailey helps the kids of homeless familiesDuring my time in the NFL -- both in Washington with the Redskins and now in Denver with the Broncos -- I've tried to give back to the community. I've donated jerseys and helped my teammates by volunteering with their charities. But I never dedicated myself to one cause until last year, when I started visiting The Crossing, a transitional housing facility for the homeless run by the Denver Rescue Mission. Now I'm hooked. I can relate -- I've never been homeless, but I have been poor. I know what it's like to wonder where you'll get the next meal. And I like to think that, with a little help, others can succeed just like I have. What touched me the first time at the facility was how many kids were there. You hear the statistics, but until you see it, it's not real. It definitely opened my eyes. I thought, "These kids don't have to be in this position. I can help." One way I do that is by visiting regularly. The Crossing has a youth center where kids play games and read books, and that's my focal point. I also started Champ's Vitamin water Volunteers to get young people, ages 13 to 23, involved in helping the mission. The turnout has been great. Make A Difference Day is your chance to do something great. Visit a lonely neighbor, serve food at a soup kitchen, become a tutor. You can't save the world by yourself. But if each of us takes action on this special day, imagine the impact. -- By Champ Bailey, Denver Broncos cornerback Ben Roethlisberger hands it to caninesGrowing up in Findlay, Ohio, I always had dogs around my house, and my dad instilled in me a love and respect for animals. Today, I have two wonderful dogs to come home to every day. Last year, Flip, the lone police dog in my hometown, was shot and killed, so I bought the department a new dog and came up with a concept. Part of my Ben Roethlisberger Foundation -- which already funds a youth football program in Findlay and benefits the Ronald McDonald House in Pittsburgh -- would provide grants to buy a service dog for police and fire departments in every city where we play a game this season and, when we play at home, somewhere in Pittsburgh. In some cases, the city doesn't need a dog, but it needs bulletproof vests for its animals, just like a regular officer would wear. Many police department budgets don't include funding for protective K-9 vests. The police tell us what's needed. Unfortunately, I'm not able to meet most of the dogs our grants provide, but I have played with Spike, Flip's successor. He is an amazing animal and can jump right up to the ceiling of an office building -- like 8 feet. I was raised to appreciate my blessings and always try to help others not as fortunate as myself. Making a difference is about influencing and changing lives. We all have the power to do that. Make A Difference Day is your chance to help your fellow man -- or man's best friend. -- By Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback National Football League in action The National Football League is the official on-air teammate for USA WEEKEND's Make A Difference Day 2007. The NFL has served communities nationwide since its founding nearly 90 years ago. To learn more about the NFL's commitment to making a difference off the field and to get active in your own community, visit jointheteam.com. Watch for a special message about Make A Difference Day this weekend during NBC's broadcast of Sunday Night Football. The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Denver Broncos. Cover and cover story photographs of Bailey and Roethlisberger by Peter Gregoire for USA WEEKEND |
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 provides $10,000 donations to charities selected by of each of 10 national honorees. The 18th Make A Difference Day is Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008.
Make A Difference Day Hot Line: 1-800-416-3824
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