Also: Tyra Banks show highlights volunteers Hurricane Relief projects Red Cross donations in the name of Make A Difference Day Around the nation and the world Fight hunger with Allrecipes.com Amy Grant Makes A Difference

A series on organizations in the volunteer world AmeriCorps leads the way ECHO teens at the YMCA Habitat for Humanity Soaringwords uses positive phrases to inspire ill children For seven years Golden Key chapters have participated

Ready to make a difference?
Next weekend, Amy Grant joins millions of volunteers nationwide in USA WEEKEND's Make A Difference Day.
By Michele Hatty

Amy Grant makes a difference Watch for a special message from Grant about Make A Difference Day on "Three Wishes," 9 p.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 21, on NBC. On Make A Difference Day, Grant leads a USA Harvest food drive at her concert in Syracuse, N.Y.

"Everything in life is about getting people's attention," says Christian pop singer Amy Grant, 44, reflecting on what she has observed in the spotlight. "One of the most important things we can give each other is our focused attention."

That's why the five-time Grammy winner encourages you to join USA WEEKEND's Make A Difference Day next Saturday and why she promotes this annual, focused day of volunteering on her heartwarming new show, NBC's "Three Wishes" (Fridays, 9 p.m. ET).

Grant believes the day can be a powerful catalyst. She says, "In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the wheel is greased, people are already looking at their time and energy saying, 'I am responsible for my neighbor.' Make A Difference Day is a reminder: Don't let another busy day go by and not make a concerted effort to do something."

On Make A Difference Day, Grant will host a canned goods drive that culminates at one of her concerts; she led participants in a walkathon that raised money for scholarships on Make A Difference Day 2003. Year-round, she volunteers with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity (she has a dozen houses under her belt) and Compassion International (she has persuaded fans to sponsor 6,000 impoverished kids worldwide).

Her TV show takes Grant and three co-hosts to small towns across America to fulfill the hopes and dreams of everyday citizens. Requests range from hastening an adoption to brightening the life of -- and paying the medical bills for -- a child disfigured in a car accident.

While the show was shooting in Brookings, S.D., Grant and crew fulfilled the mayor's wish for the town to help one family evacuated because of Hurricane Katrina. In granting his wish, a New Orleans family of four was relocated to Brookings, where they were welcomed with a furnished home and one year's rent paid in full. The show also helped both parents find jobs.

The spirit of service evoked by Make A Difference Day and "Three Wishes" holds personal significance for Grant. "When I was a very young woman, someone said to me, 'Amy, I wake up and pray this prayer: 'God, lead me today to those whom I need and those who need me, and let something I do have some eternal significance.' I don't know that many days have passed that I haven't prayed that prayer, even if it's quick or loosely, because it does change how you look at a day."

Grant was born in Augusta, Ga., and raised in Nashville, the youngest of four daughters born to her radiologist dad and homemaker mom. In their home, serving others was encouraged. "When I was a kid," she recalls, "my family took in a young girl who was pregnant, not married and needed a place to stay. My parents have done that a few times."

Now, Grant and her country music superstar husband, Vince Gill, 48, are trying to instill those same values in their blended family of five children: Gill's daughter Jenny, 23; Grant's children Matt, 18, Millie, 15, and Sarah, 13 (all with first husband, musician Gary Chapman); and Grant and Gill's daughter, Corrina, 4.

Grant's enthusiasm for giving back has spilled over to her kids, leading to things like son Matt's 12-year involvement in Habitat for Humanity (which began with a simple penny collection in first grade).

"What I have tried to teach my children first and foremost," says Grant, "is respect: self-respect and respect for other people. That's just really the most appropriate platform from which to live life -- to help other people. And if you feel decent about yourself, then you're able to look beyond your own angst to see what's happening in the world around you."

Listening to Grant talk about her kids, one gets a sense that their home is always hopping. "Jenny's in a band, and they practice in our garage. Matt rides dirt bikes and has a girlfriend we're all crazy about. Millie is a dancer and is really gifted. Sarah just started playing guitar ... younger than I was when I started playing," the proud mom enthuses. "And Corrina loves animals. In addition to the menagerie we have around here -- a bird, two dogs and four horses -- she has a little gray hamster whom she optimistically named Rainbow."

Unlike many star couples, Grant and Gill -- who married in 2000 -- tend to avoid the celebrity circuit. "We're homebodies," she says plainly. "We do a lot of porch sitting. We'll take a walk in our neighborhood, invite friends over for dinner or check out live music. We like hanging out in the backyard."

But this week, the bags are packed -- she has three concerts and he has four. Soon she'll travel to another small town for "Three Wishes" with Corrina -- and, perhaps, even Gill -- in tow. "In one town, Vince and I went to the same restaurant for the third morning in a row for breakfast and the cook called out from the back, 'Hey Vinny, you want the usual?' " she recalls, laughing.

Just one example of a neighbor paying attention.

Also:
Make A Difference Day around the world and nation