2009-2010 Teammates

AARP's Create The Good will recognize Make a Difference Day projects that help older people stay in their homes. Two efforts will be chosen to receive a $5,000 donation to the charity of their choice.

magazine wants to encourage and recognize families who volunteer on Make A Difference Day. One family project will be chosen to receive a $2,500 award that will be given to their charity of choice.

WE tv is the official cable partner for USA WEEKEND's Make A Difference Day 2009. Starting Oct. 1, watch for messages about Make A Difference Day on We tv and at WEVolunteer.tv.

What is Make A Difference Day?

Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others -- a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Everyone can participate. Created by USA WEEKEND Magazine, Make A Difference Day is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October.

Millions have participated. In 2009, 3 million people cared enough about their communities to volunteer on that day, accomplishing thousands of projects in hundreds of towns. Your project can be as large or as small as you wish! Look around your community and see what needs to be done. Or use the ideas on this site for inspiration.

Who takes part in Make A Difference Day?

Anyone. Young and old, individuals and groups, anyone can carry out a volunteer project that helps others. It might be as ambitious as collecting truckloads of clothing for the homeless, or as personal as spending an afternoon helping an elderly neighbor or relative. USA WEEKEND features volunteers and their projects in articles and photos.

How do I get started?

Look around your community. Are people hungry, homeless or ill? Are parks or schools dirty or neglected? No matter where you live, there's a need nearby. And on Make A Difference Day, millions of Americans are expected to roll up their sleeves to help others. You can act alone or enlist your friends, family and co-workers. Thousands of people across the community can band together.

Use these resources to make the most of your efforts:
Project ideas
Planning guides
Timelines

You can also call the Make A Difference Day Hot Line, 1-800-416-3824, for information.

What do I do after I've selected a project?

Tell others what you're doing and enlist help.
Several weeks before the day, register your plans in the Make A Difference DAYtaBANK, a national listing of local projects that will be viewed by interested volunteers, other people looking for good project ideas and news media looking for good stories to tell. It will only take a few minutes to register your plans in the DAYtaBANK hosted by Mindshares.org.

Do it!
Carry out your plans to help others on Make A Difference Day, the fourth Saturday in October. Be sure to take lots of pictures and share them on the Make A Difference Day photo album. Here are links to more helpful information:
Tips on getting noticed by the media
Make A Difference merchandise
Logos and links

How do I enter my project for an award?

Judges will select 10 projects for the national Make A Difference Day Awards. To be considered, fill out the official entry form AFTER you do your Make A Difference Day project. Be sure to submit your entry before the deadline.

The awards include $10,000 donations to 10 projects from Newman's Own. Previous honorees who continue to excel will receive donations from the Gannett Foundation. Awards will be announced in a special report in USA WEEKEND in April 2010.