Our Make A DIfference Day city winners
USA WEEKEND, in partnership with the Corporation for National & Community Service and Newman's Own, announces the new Make A Difference City Award, which recognizes the volunteer efforts of three cities. Each also receives a $10,000 donation from Newman's Own to the charity of their choice. Meet this year's winners:
Mesa, Ariz. More than 325 residents turned out for a city-led effort. They filled 12 dumpsters with 39 tons of trash, painted over graffiti and cleaned playground equipment. "Make A Difference Day is a great tool for getting people together," says Mayor Scott Smith. $10,000 from Newman's Own goes to Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation.
Trenton, Ohio. The “Small Town With a Big Heart” lived up to its slogan as it rallied more than 300 volunteers. Among the projects: Scouts and others cleaned parks, crews picked up litter and raked seniors’ yards. “Volunteers put their hands and minds to the tasks,” Mayor Rhonda Freeze says. “But most of all they put their hearts to service." $10,000 from Newman’s Own goes to the Middletown Community Foundation.
Wheaton, Ill. "The energy was out there," Mayor Mike Gresk says of his community's 10th Make A Difference Day effort. A "Stuff-a-Truck" event netted enough food for 200 families for a week. St. Paul Lutheran Church held HIV screenings, and volunteers beautified Adams Park. $10,000 from Newman's Own goes to the People's Resource Center.
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Wenatchee, Wash.: Two decades of caring
Wenatchee bills itself as the "Apple Capital of the World," but a generation of residents might also know it as the Make A Difference Day capital. The region's 1,000-volunteer effort in 1992 earned it our first national award. And residents have been inspired to do good ever since.
In October, 8,000 took part. "This is not a one-project town," says coordinator Laurel Helton, 51. That's for sure: Scores of projects addressed seemingly every need. A website and a map in The Wenatchee World steered volunteers to projects, from washing outdoor art to caring for rescued horses. Becky Dorey, 64, stationed herself downtown to collect $2,740 for the city's longtime meter maid, who was being treated for cancer. Merry Maids employees scrubbed apartments at a fire-damaged complex for seniors.
Two decades of this tradition have "built the community up," Helton says. "When I drive around town, I'm proud to see so many things that would never have happened without Make A Difference Day."
$10,000 Make A Difference Day Award from the Gannett Foundation and USA WEEKEND goes to the Community Foundation of North Central Washington.
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