In this article:
On a national scale

Also see:
"Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts
Marysol Castro on why volunteering is important to her
Kate Snow on "little sisters" in her life
Isaiah Washington lends a hand
"Katrina cottage" house giveaway
Denzel Washington a life changing prophesy

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 28
By Terry Byrne

Saturday, Oct. 28, history was made when lessons learned in the Gulf region turned the tide for a struggling homeowner in Silver Spring, Md. Photo by Mike Morgan for USA WEEKEND. More photos from Make A Difference Day, Oct. 28, 2006.

One good thing to flow from the tragedy of hurricane Katrina: More than a year later, citizens nationwide are still reaching out to help rebuild lives.

Another is a movement to create affordable housing in every pocket of the United States.

USA WEEKEND has built the perfect framework for both positive forces with its unfailing tool for change: Make A Difference Day, the nation's largest day of volunteering, celebrated each year by 3 million Americans serving others.

Saturday, Oct. 28, history was made when lessons learned in the Gulf region turned the tide for a struggling homeowner in Silver Spring, Md.

Phyllis Johnson, 59, debilitated by diabetes and living in a dilapidated house "beyond repair," received the first-ever "Katrina cottage" installed outside the storm zone as a gift from USA WEEKEND Magazine.

More photos from Make A Difference Day, Oct. 28, 2006.

The project is a realization of a group of socially conscious designers, engineers and builders, called the Congress for the New Urbanism. Their goal, in the aftermath of horrific destruction by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, was to provide affordable, dignified housing for the needy not only on the Gulf Coast but in every pocket of the country. The award-winning designs can now be translated to fit any environment.

"It's like a breath of fresh air," Johnson, 59, said of her 523-square-foot expandable "kernel," which coincidentally was built just outside New Orleans with materials and labor donated by Housing International and trucked in this week. "We really need it. We really do. We're like starting a new chapter."

After her mother died last year, Johnson inherited the house she'd lived in for 22 years, on a street that once was dirt and had slowly transformed into a middle-class neighborhood. Her house, though, hadn't kept up with the times; it had shifted off its foundation and was "beyond repair" with a horribly leaky roof. Maintenance was daunting as Johnson suffers from debilitating diabetes, failing eyesight and the effects of several strokes.

She and family members watched, eyes welling up, as a team of USA WEEKEND volunteers and others moved her out of her old house and began the demolition. The clouds lifted, literally and figuratively, as the group walked four blocks to the Coffield Community Center, where the cottage is temporarily on display. Johnson cut the ribbon, even as the roof was being attached. In attendance were Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan, Points of Light Foundation president and CEO Robert Goodwin and Jack Curry, USA WEEKEND executive editor.

Said Curry: "In the Gulf zone, there's an obvious need for affordable housing, and this project is a way to shine a spotlight on that national problem."

Within a month, two wings will be added, and the Johnsons can finally enjoy the nearly 1,300-square-foot stylish, sturdy home that can withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour. (For more information, visit katrinacottages.com.)

Meanwhile, heavy rains and high winds couldn't sidetrack 60-plus HarperCollins, First Book, Coast Guard, USA WEEKEND and other volunteers from reading one-on-one with 60 New York City children Saturday at South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan; unable to erect a tent near the pier, they simply moved the event inside the South Street Seaport Museum.

HarperCollins donated 17,000 new books, most to be distributed to agencies serving disadvantaged kids. But each child in attendance received a copy of Charlotte's Web.

Actress and First Book spokesperson Joan Allen, along with 12-year-old daughter Sadie, was on hand to inspire, admire, read to and play games with the children. "It's so exciting for kids to have a new book of their own that they can take home," said Allen, who has been reading to Sadie nightly since she was 3 months old, and continues to this day (they're currently immersed in the final installment of the Lemony Snicket series, The End). "The number of kids who don't have a book at home is staggering -- something like 60%! These kids are used to getting too many things that are used.

"Events like Make A Difference Day are respectful, empowering and supportive of them, because they get to have new books," said Allen, who likened reading to acting. "It's great to be exposed to worlds outside your own, and so valuable to read things that are new to you, with characters doing things that are unfamiliar to you. It helps kids grow, and not feel so alone."

The U.S. Coast Guard's Capt. Bob O'Brien -- commander of Sector New York, which covers New York and New Jersey -- oversaw the unloading of boxes of donated books from a cutter in the pre-dawn downpour. "This is kind of what the Coast Guard does," O'Brien said. "We're commonly known as the lifesavers, but we also like to look at the quality of life. What we're doing here adds quality to people's lives from the very beginning."

O'Brien recited the Coast Guard's battle song, Semper Paratus (Always Ready) to make his point, on this windy, rainy day: "The lyrics go, 'Through surf and storm and howling gale, high shall our purpose be.' There's no higher purpose than to guide and interact with these idealistic young minds."

Agreed Kyle Zimmer, founder and president of First Book, who still owns one of her favorite first books, A.A. Milne's The World of Pooh: "No other form of entertainment or education substitutes for a great story, the power of a good book. That's not just a good feeling; the data supports that completely. There is one strong indicator of whether a child becomes a reader or not, and that is the number of books in their home."

Zimmer's non-profit, with HarperCollins' help, so far has delivered 3 million new books to the Gulf region to help restock public and private shelves. "Not just best sellers, but practical things like cookbooks that help people get their lives back together and help them feel grounded."

Volunteers nationwide were on the same page, collecting books for storm-ravaged schools. "We're a school that prides itself on reading, and knew their libraries were lost," said Julia Driver, a substitute teacher at Whitehall Elementary in Anderson, S.C. Their goal: to collect at least one book for every child enrolled -- about 500 -- in four hours and send them to southern Mississippi libraries. "Federal funds only go so far," said Ann Pauley, history teacher at Athens Middle School in Athens, W.V., where hundreds of volumes had already been collected for New Orleans' preschoolers through 8th-graders Saturday morning. "These are books our kids and families have selected, tried-and-true titles that we know will be treasured," Pauley said. "And the kindness of strangers does wonders for the human spirit."

Other efforts spun off of hurricane recovery: