Regional Honorees for projects done Oct. 26, 2002
States A-C
States D-I
States K-M
National Judges
Also:
States N-W
Prominent participants
2003 National Awards
Encore Honoree: Repeated excellence with Make A Difference Day
How you, too, can participate

Local heroes

Are your neighbors receiving special awards for helping others last Oct. 26?
These honorees in your region are 529 newspaper awards, each selected by USA WEEKEND Magazine for its carrier newspaper.

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ALABAMA

Decatur Daily. In its 1st partnership with Daikin America, the Volunteer Center of Morgan County held an Octoberfest and raised $40,000 for the local United Way chapter. 3,000 people took advantage of the opportunity to eat bratwurst and do the Chicken Dance.
Dothan Eagle. 100 volunteers teamed with General Hospital star Réal Andrews to raise money in Eufaula for the National Niemann-Pick Disease Foundation. Inspired by Lee King, 12, a Sanford Avenue Elementary School student who has the rare terminal disease, the group raised more than $6,000 for the organization. On Oct. 26, residents contributed by attending a Lee King festival day at a park as well as the Stratos/Javelin Boat Owners fishing tournament, held in Eufaula that weekend.
Gadsden Times. Spanish classes at Boaz High School, Altrusa International and Marshall County Community Education teamed to provide reading materials for English as a Second Language students at a church. The 70 volunteers bought bilingual children's books and recorded them to encourage ESL parents to learn English by reading along with their niños.
(Jasper) Daily Mountain Eagle. 15 self-appointed "Angel Babies" of the Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Curry completed 12 layettes of crocheted blankets, caps, boots, socks and clothing for infants at the University of Alabama Hospital-Birmingham neonatal unit. In all of 2002, the ladies donated 117 layettes to the facility.
Montgomery Advertiser. 40 families of Jack and Jill of America's Montgomery Chapter held a reading rally for 600 children and parents at Thelma Smiley Morris Elementary School. Kids enjoyed puppet shows, stories, face-painting and brunch and met Miss Alabama Scarlotte Deupree.
Opelika-Auburn News. The men at His Place drug and alcohol rehabilitation center had shelter and support, but no closets, ceilings or clean bedding. Members of the Living Way Ministries Youth Group raised more than $3,000 to renovate one of the facility's 3-man bedrooms. Oct. 26 became "Makeover Difference Day": 17 volunteers painted, put in flooring, installed a ceiling and lighting, and brought new furniture and bed linens.
Selma Times-Journal. 30 Jobs for Alabama's Graduates students at Keith High School aided retired teachers by cleaning out a Beloit storage center used in recycling newspaper. The teens removed decades-old debris, cleaned the storage rooms and reorganized the facility, then scrubbed the whole place down.

ALASKA

(Kenai) Peninsula Clarion. 12 members of the Sexy Senior Dumpster Cleaners -- 55- to 98-year-old Cooper Landing residents who regularly pick up trash around bins to keep the Kenai Peninsula beautiful and discourage bears from dumpster-diving -- met with and honored 10 businesses that help support them year-round.

ARIZONA

(Bullhead City) Mohave Valley Daily News. 50 residents, city employees, National Park Service workers and business leaders transformed the unremarkable entryway to Bullhead City, installing a welcome sign, plants, decorative rock and other landscaping features. The corner where the work was done marks the entrance to Arizona from Nevada and is passed by 35,000 cars daily.
Casa Grande Dispatch. 240 pupils at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School in Casa Grande collected school supplies for students at St. Charles School on the San Carlos Indian Reservation, 100 miles away. Oct. 26, principal Mary Peoples delivered 10 boxes of goods to a grateful Sister Georgia Greene and her charges.
(Douglas) Daily Dispatch. Douglas resident Del Cabarga read about Make A Difference Day in USA WEEKEND and started collecting the next day. Random volunteers were brought together with coats, books, food and housewares so that by October, Cabarga had a truck full of items for the needy. Oct. 26, he and 14 others collectively known as Sharing With Others gave items to a monastery, a retirement home, a community in Mexico and a shelter for abused women.
(Lake Havasu City) Today's News-Herald. Inspired to help several young men severely injured in accidents, members of the Ladies Auxiliary of VFW Post 9401 and youth from the Rainbow Ward of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined forces to deliver homemade chocolate chip cookies, lap robes, pillowcases, toddler blankets and gifts to suffering families.
(Phoenix) Arizona Republic. Mesa residents Linda and Paul Jones flew to a remote Philippine village to deliver 10 boxes of clothes, shoes, school supplies, backpacks, toys and dictionaries. While there, they financed and helped build a basketball court in the impoverished town of Bacnar and bought more supplies to hand out. "Why did I do this? I'm so grateful for living in the United States," says Manila-born Linda.
(Prescott) Daily Courier. 200 Cornville-area residents and Yavapai County public works employees worked in soggy weather to clear 5 acres of desert destined to become a county park. They planted 100 trees and bushes and spread 50 tons of playground sand. They also invited residents of Cornville and Page Springs to unload their household trash; by day's end, they were shocked that they'd collected 50 tons of debris, along with 265 used appliances, 528 tires and 150 car batteries.
Sierra Vista Herald. Members of the Cochise Area Network of Therapeutic Equestrian Resources (CANTER) marked the culmination of 9 months of work with a grand opening at their 17 acre-facility. The group feted 50-plus volunteers who helped build the riding center and watched as several special equestrians stretched their legs on horseback.
(Sun City) Daily News-Sun. In Peoria, a group of Alta Loma Elementary pupils, under the guidance of Special Education Resource teacher Lana Thibeault, hosted a fund-raiser to help Christmas Angels, a program in which they buy toys for those less fortunate. The kid-planned, kid-executed event featured a cakewalk, bake sale, yard sale, car wash, drink sale and door prizes, earning $1,117.
(Tucson) Arizona Daily Star. 281 Red Cross volunteers helped 1,000 people learn CPR and basic first aid. "Save a Life Saturday" was supported by Tucson businesses, which helped offset course costs; the Altrusa Club of Tucson; Pan African Coalition; American Airlines; Explorer Post 77; Rincon High School; the Girl Scouts; and others.

ARKANSAS

Benton Courier. Pupils and puppies were the perfect pairing for Make A Difference Day. Via a penny drive, Ringgold Elementary kids raised $2,234.57 for the Saline Animal Orphanage -- one of the largest amounts ever donated there. On Oct. 26, 16 volunteers visited, bringing the money and boxes of donated supplies.
El Dorado News-Times. 6 girls from Camp Fire Group 91, 2 leaders and a mom helped builders tidy the grounds of a new Habitat for Humanity house. They worked in morning drizzle to pick up spare tires, trash, construction debris and other materials.
(Fort Smith) Southwest Times Record. Greenwood Church of the Nazarene members sponsored the community's 1st-ever health fair, providing a forum for residents to meet with health care personnel. A blood drive netted 11 pints for United Blood Services in Fort Smith.
Harrison Daily Times. 10 Newton County residents spent Oct. 26 battling litterbugs by erecting 5 billboards urging Americans not to litter. They also passed out 2,000 bumper stickers to encourage others to think twice before tossing trash on the ground.
(Hot Springs) Sentinel-Record. 20 VFW Post 10483 Ladies Auxiliary members turned Make A Difference Day into a weekend-long event, starting Oct. 25 with bingo at Arkansas Veterans Home in North Little Rock. The volunteers brought hygiene products and clothing for the 87 residents and played bingo with about 40 of them. On Saturday, members delivered handmade pillows and teaching dolls to the Arkansas Children's Hospital.
Jonesboro Sun. 3 young members of Lake City United Methodist Church -- Jordan Miller, 7, Kaitlyn Hale, 5, and Taylor Bowman, 8 -- collected school supplies, clothing, shoes and coats for needy Lake City children. The girls raised $503.88 through their church for the project, spending about $350 on clothing for 14 children and $150 on school supplies for 250 Riverside West Elementary School pupils.
(Mountain Home) Baxter Bulletin. Staff members and elderly residents of Care Manor of Baxter County stuffed jack-o-lantern baskets with candy treats for the children of Serenity House, a domestic violence shelter. The group also donated food and toiletries, helping 10 women and about 20 children have a happier Halloween week.
Paragould Daily Press. Oak Grove Middle School students and their pets, teachers and parents, plus staff and animals from the Greene County Humane Society -- 45 human volunteers and a dozen non-human -- spent 2 hours cheering residents at Paragould Nursing Center. Half of the volunteers were disguised in costume, including Domino the cat, who went as "Hairy Potter."
Pine Bluff Commercial. White Hall resident Marjorie Roberts, aided by the Northside Baptist Church Ladies Auxiliary, held a "Donuts for Donations" event at a supermarket to raise $200 for a non-profit hospice in Pine Bluff.
(Russellville) Courier. 19 kids enrolled in a new citizenship class at Russellville Junior High School didn't know they could make a difference in 200 children's lives until teacher Jeff Terry gave them the chance. Through grant-writing, fund-raising activities and solicitation, the kids raised more than $5,000 to buy playground equipment for a nearby grade school. On Oct. 26, students and parents -- 40 volunteers in all -- installed a play structure at Dwight Elementary. Weeks later, they were thanked by the Dwight kids with cards and goody bags. "These kids got as much out of this project as the youngsters at the elementary school did. It taught them a lot," Terry says.
(Searcy) Daily Citizen. 35 White County quilters stitched 53 quilts and lots of surgery dolls for patients at the Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. 8 members made the trip to Little Rock on Oct. 26 to donate the goods.
(Springdale) Morning News of Northwest Arkansas. Parson Hills Elementary School bloomed with color this month, thanks to an Oct. 26 fund-raiser and tulip-planting to honor 9/11 victims. 75 volunteers planted 230 red, white and blue tulips as a living tribute to those who died.

CALIFORNIA

Auburn Journal. For the 2nd year, the Junior Garden Gleaners harvested surplus from local gardeners -- 200 pounds of apples, tomatoes, zucchini, and other fruits and vegetables. The high school students, led by brothers Kyle and Dainen McDaniel, donated the fresh food to shelters for the needy.
(Barstow) Desert Dispatch. 400 volunteers donned rain gear to pick up 112,480 pounds of trash. The city of Barstow partnered with the chamber of commerce and the Bureau of Land Management in a community-wide cleanup that included painting a homeless shelter.
Benicia Herald. Before Make A Difference Day, the walls at the Rainbow Children's Center in Vallejo were beige. Then members of 4 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregations painted a mural of an ocean scene with fish, a mermaid and, of course, a rainbow. The center is used as a child drop-off site for beleaguered parents and as an interview site for young people involved in abuse cases.
Chico Enterprise-Record. Led by AmeriCorps, 125 volunteers restored a dilapidated greenhouse, created a handicap-accessible picnic site, planted trees, cleaned a performing arts theater and painted a mural. 30 organizations and businesses donated $14,000 in time and materials.
Davis Enterprise. A week-long beautification effort culminated in a downtown cleanup by 70 volunteers. The Davis Downtown Business Association was joined by students from the University of California, Davis, and Davis High School to haul away a truckload of litter and abandoned bikes.
(Eureka) Times-Standard. 300 volunteers from the North Coast Regional Network for Service and Volunteerism, AmeriCorps and the community tackled 11 projects. Volunteers piled wood for seniors, winterized a community garden, held a pumpkin-carving party and helped relocate a children's theater.
(Fairfield) Daily Republic. The Community United Methodist Church and NorthBay Healthcare hosted a health expo; 600 people attended for cholesterol checks, body fat analyses, heart screenings and flu shots.
(Fremont) Argus. Each month, employees of Boston Scientific in Fremont serve lunch at the Tri-City Homeless Coalition. Oct. 26, 30 employees and their families painted the shelter's dormitories and prepared its garden for winter.
(Grass Valley) Union. The Volunteer Action Center of Nevada County inspired 23 citizens to clear the property of an elderly couple whose home was overrun with vegetation and at risk for wildfires. Volunteers forged a bond with the couple and now provide rides to the hospital.
(Hayward) Daily Review. 2 weeks before Make A Difference Day, Jack Nelson, a teacher at San Leandro High School, ran from Monterey to San Leandro. On Oct. 26, he and several students collected on pledges for the 125-mile run, raising $4,500 for the San Francisco Chronicle's Season of Sharing Fund and the Omega Boys Club.
(Lakeport) Lake County Record-Bee. The Lake County Hunger Task Force, with help from AmeriCorps, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boy Scouts of America and the Community Action Agency, collected 2,871 pounds of canned food from supermarkets and planted 3 community gardens with winter vegetables. The canned goods and harvested veggies went to food banks.
Lodi News-Sentinel. In Stockton, 1,500 volunteers from 42 organizations pitched in. The American Cancer Society planted 2,000 daffodil bulbs; the Boy Scouts and Future Homemakers of America held a canned food drive; and high school students painted 400 storm drains with warnings about water pollution.
Lompoc Record. Teens involved with Youth Network Television visited 30 seniors living at the Lodge of Lompoc. They made snacks with the seniors, then presented a media literacy workshop.
(Long Beach) Press Telegram. In a 1st-time effort, the Community Cowgirls, a service club of 12- and 13-year-old girls with the motto "Roundin' Up Help for the Community," corralled 700 books for the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach.
Daily News of Los Angeles. For the 2nd year, 200 volunteers from Santa Clarita worked with non-profits on 14 projects, including cleaning toys and playground equipment for the Santa Clarita Child and Family Center, painting a mural at a hospital and collecting eyeglasses for the needy.
(Marin County) Marin Independent Journal. 140 volunteers in San Rafael cleaned and weeded 6 neighborhoods, collecting 400 bags of debris.
(Marysville) Appeal-Democrat. In Yuba City, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church congregants teamed with students from Andros Karperos Middle School to install park benches, weed, clean windows and paint the school.
(Merced) Pacific-Sierra Publishing. Boy Scout Troop 129 and Girl Scout Troop 67 had the world at the tip of their paintbrushes. The two groups painted a map of the world on the playground of Elmer Wood School in Atwater to help make geography easier for students.
Napa Valley Register. Diners at the non-profit cafe Molly's Angels raised $13,000 for Jason Barnes, a 24-year-old with leukemia.
Oakland Tribune. Volunteers from Rebuilding Together, a Berkeley non-profit that rehabilitates homes for the elderly and disabled, built a porch and began replacing stairs at 2 homes.
(Ontario) Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. The Mariposa Foundation hosted a Halloween party with games and treats for 300 pediatric cancer patients and their families in Fontana.
(Palm Springs) Desert Sun. Employees of Guy Evans, a Thousand Palms carpentry company, put their skills to work building a ramp at the home of a disabled man, landscaping for a blind senior citizen and doing odd jobs for Father Hearts Ranch for children in Desert Hot Springs. Volunteers also collected clothing and household items, delivered in company trucks, for 10 families and 2 homeless shelters in Coachella Valley.
(Palmdale) Antelope Valley Press. More than 500 Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. volunteers gave 14 schools a face-lift. They painted, planted and cleaned grounds with the help of many children.
Pasadena Star-News. In Monrovia, 250 residents painted, cleaned and planted trees in the city's 11th Make A Difference Day event. Volunteers also helped the elderly and disabled with cleanups and chores.
(Pleasanton) Tri-Valley Herald. Last year, 12-year-old Amelia Pennewell of Livermore collected 10,000 pairs of socks for the homeless. She and mom Sharon White hit the streets of Oakland to hand out 900 pairs on Oct. 26.
Porterville Recorder. The Zonta Club of Porterville and Porterville Area Wellness Services sponsored an event for adult survivors of child abuse called "The Child Within," which gave them the chance to celebrate their survival with children's games and horse rides.
Red Bluff Daily News. The Poor and The Homeless (PATH) coalition held a "change for change" fund-raiser. Volunteers walked through Red Bluff collecting $1,185.64 to remodel the city's new, permanent homeless shelter.
Redlands Daily Facts. Dawn Romo's 5th-grade class set up a booth at Kimberly Elementary School's Fall Festival to collect 10,000-plus pennies for Ronald McDonald House and 4 boxes of food for the Family Service Association's food bank.
Sacramento Bee. Marjorie Suckow, an immigrant from India, and her family hosted an authentic Indian dinner for members of their church, many of whom never had tasted Indian food. The dinner raised $800 for orphans at the Missionaries of Charity in India.
(Salinas) Californian. After reading about Make A Difference Day in USA WEEKEND, Cecilia Cruz, 11, began collecting coats for the homeless. In just two weeks, she had collected 40, which she donated to Dorothy's Kitchen, a homeless shelter, on Oct. 26.
(San Bernardino) Sun. Artist Carol Donnelly and sister Melanie Hastings brought color to 2 children's holding rooms at the police station by painting a jungle scene mural. They also solicited donations for new furniture, toys and videos.
San Francisco Chronicle. Volunteers from Citigroup worked on a Habitat for Humanity build, installing insulation and windows.
San Mateo County Times. 36 Hillsdale High School English as a Second Language students beautified their campus, raking leaves, planting flowers, sanding benches, scrubbing walls and picking up litter. Their success inspired students to hold a toy drive in December that gathered 500 toys for needy children.
Santa Barbara News-Press. The Rotary Club of the Santa Ynez Valley collected schoolbooks and teacher aids to donate to a school in the Philippines. On Oct. 26, the group prepared, sorted and boxed the books for shipping.
Santa Cruz Sentinel. Artists Betsy Miller Andersen and Betty Lou Sturm used art to unite children and their elders. Together, 36 children from Mountain School Home Study and 18 senior citizens created ceramic tiles, installed downtown as a 5-by-17-foot mural and dedicated Oct. 26.
Santa Maria Times. The Orcutt Lions Club barbecued and served 350 chicken dinners, raising $2,000 to send 60 kids to science camp.
(Santa Rosa) Press Democrat. The Petaluma community has been good to the Children's Diabetes Foundation of the North Bay, so for Make A Difference Day the foundation repaid the kindness. For the first 25 days of October, the foundation rallied citizens and schools to donate non-perishables. On Oct. 26, the group brought 2,000 pounds of food to the Committee on the Shelterless food pantry.
(Torrance) Daily Breeze. American Legion Auxiliary Unit 170 of Carson collected 221 books for the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center pediatrics department. Through their "Reach Out & Read" program, the department aims to give a book to each child who comes in for an appointment.
Tulare Advance-Register. 50 Pixley residents rolled up their sleeves to clean their community, collecting 102 bags of trash and planting 4,000 square feet with wildflowers.
(Vallejo) Times-Herald. 10 volunteers from Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets handed out brochures to 50 people outside Pet Food Express in Benicia; 5 people signed on to help the foundation, which urges veterinarians nationwide to provide pain management and in-home euthanasia for dying pets. Locally, the group hopes to train volunteers.
(Victorville) Daily Press. In honor of their 5th-grade teacher, Daniel Dorcey, who was killed in a car accident 2 weeks earlier, students from the Academy for Academic Excellence in Apple Valley spent the day volunteering. They collected 50 pairs of gloves and mittens for an orphanage in Russia, gathered 400 canned goods for a food bank and initiated a schoolwide recycling program.
Visalia Times-Delta. Members of Boy Scout Troop 340, West Visalia Kiwanis Club and Redwood High School Key Club improved a playground at Family Services of Tulare County's shelter for domestic violence victims and their families. They built a sandbox, repaired a swing set and planted trees.
Whittier Daily News. Roseanne Thurmond rallied friends and family members to create personal hygiene kits for the Whittier Area First Day Coalition homeless shelter. Volunteers sorted toiletry items, sewed little bags from washcloths and delivered 165 kits.
(Woodland) Daily Democrat. Ladies Auxiliary VFW Post 1985 visited the Yountville Veterans Home in costume and reverse trick-or-treated, giving the veterans candy.

COLORADO

Durango Herald. Boy Scout Troop 501 rehabilitated burned forest land. Troop members cleared and burned the brush from dead trees and planted 100 Ponderosa pine and white fir seedlings.
Denver Post. Children's World Learning Centers -- a child-care program, based in Golden, with 600-plus centers in 26 states -- collected 40,013 books company-wide for charities and hospitals. The centers collecting the most books were Tussing Road and Grove City, both in Columbus, Ohio, collecting 1,136 and 1,000 books, respectively. The Westminster center, serving Denver, collected 763.
Fort Collins Coloradoan. Thunderbird East Neighborhood kids teamed with adults to clean Leisure Park. 32 volunteers raked leaves and lugged away trash.
Greeley Tribune. After receiving a teddy bear to cling to while getting 32 stitches in his head, Channing Lewis, 8, of Ault wanted to give back. By saving change and selling homemade "neck coolers" (an invention made of stitched fabric stuffed with water-retaining granules), and with help from brother Tanner and 4 friends, he raised enough money to make 15 more teddy bears, delivered on Oct. 26 to 2 fire stations for crews to hand out to other kids in crisis. Since starting his bear-building project, he has bought or made 52 bears for 3 fire stations and the AirLife of Greeley medical helicopter crew.

CONNECTICUT

(Bridgeport) Connecticut Post. 18 Junior Girl Scouts from Troop 7272 and 4 adults secured donations and installed a computer workstation for Kathy Cremin, 47, a Stratford neighbor with cerebral palsy living on a limited income.
(Manchester) Journal Inquirer. Elizabeth Nolan, 41, of Enfield and 8 relatives raised $2,500 by recycling cans and chipping in with newspaper distribution since last Make A Difference Day. On Oct. 26, they spent $500 on toiletries and baby supplies -- 400 pounds of goods in all -- for the Enfield Food Shelf and gave another $500 cash. The remaining $1,500 went toward dental work, leg braces and a walker for Nolan's niece, Kassidi Gotschall, 3, who has cerebral palsy and lives in Sanford, Maine.
(Meriden) Record-Journal. 10 Cub Scouts at St. Joseph School wanted to repay their retired 3rd-grade teacher, Patricia Gerace. They spent 3 weeks collecting letters from her alumni, then bound a collection of sentiments and photos Oct. 26, surprising her with the scrapbook, flowers and ice cream.
(New Britain) Herald Press. Kevin Cifone, 11, and 4 friends canvassed their Bristol neighborhood on bikes and, with a wagon, collected books, canned food and towels, plus $65, for St. Vincent de Paul homeless and domestic violence shelters.
New Haven Register. 16 teenage girls served by HOLLA (Helping Our Ladies Learn and Achieve) mentors served a continental breakfast and cleaned house for 25 senior citizens at Mountain Valley Place in Hamden.
(Norwalk) Hour. With demand doubling throughout the past year at Fairfield County pantries, 30 volunteers -- including Girl Scouts, a church youth group and members of the Norwalk/Nagarote Sister City Project -- collected 3,418 pounds of food for the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County and 386 bags of groceries for 3 pantries and a soup kitchen in Norwalk -- plus $642 for an emergency food fund. 1 grocery store donated $1,000 in gift certificates.
Norwich Bulletin. 4 Colchester schools collected 4,983 items: school supplies, underwear and diapers, sweaters and coats, and toiletries that can't be bought with food stamps. On Oct. 26, 55 Colchester Senior Center and community volunteers sorted and delivered the load to 4 help agencies -- 1 as far away as St. Croix.
(Torrington) Register Citizen. 30 5th- through 8th-graders, parents and teachers from St. Francis School planted 500 bulbs and cleaned Coe Park downtown, which had become a trash-clogged eyesore and a hazard for senior citizens.

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DELAWARE

(Wilmington) News Journal. More than 3,000 volunteers helped 10,000 people in 45 projects. Gov. Ruth Ann Minner kicked off the week-long festivities Oct. 22. Children from Wesley College's Campus Community School in Dover helped hand out smoke detectors and batteries. 100 Dover AmeriCorps members teamed with 100 community volunteers to renovate facilities at House of PRIDE transitional housing. 30 University of Delaware students painted the Aetna Hose Hook & Ladder Volunteer Fire Company building in Newark. And 26 Sussex Central High School students helped community members and Sussex County Senior Services, CHEER Inc., paint an elderly neighbor's home in Georgetown.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Washington Times. 40 youths from D.C. Parks and Recreation Supreme Teen Clubs, along with 32 department staffers, hosted a carnival for families at a D.C. Village family shelter in the city's Southwest section. Volunteers held relays, made balloon sculptures, provided face-painting, served lunch and gave personal care kits to 46 adults and 75 children attending.

FLORIDA

Boca Raton News. Faculty at Woodlands Montessori School in Tamarac, led by staffer Nancy Heikkinen, helped relocate Germaine Palmer, then 87, to an assisted living facility. Palmer, once a volunteer at the school, had no family to assist her and couldn't care for herself. Since Oct. 26, she's been monitored, has company and no longer dines on M&Ms.
Bradenton Herald. Almost 500 ManaTEEN youths cleaned and cataloged burial sites and laid the groundwork for a cemetery restoration and mapping project at 3 Manatee County-owned graveyards. They also created a Web site for each cemetery so family members can find loved ones' final resting spots.
(Brooksville) Hernando Today. Faith Christian Worship Center held a craft fair (raising $137 for a church building) so their ministry could better serve Weeki Wachee youth and the community. The church sponsors Friday night bonfires attended by about 50 area children.
(Charlotte Harbor) Charlotte Sun and Weekly Herald. In their 10th year of participation, 161 Charlotte County 4-H Club members completed 5 projects. 15 "Silly Stitchers" made baby quilts and bibs for a women's center; 60 Marine Ecology Club members cleaned a recreational beach; 10 Home Improvement Club supporters worked at a thrift shop; 16 Music and Small Animal Club members collected supplies for an animal shelter; and 60 Cows and Plows kids collected food for a pantry.
(Crystal River) Citrus County Chronicle. 13 VFW Post 7991 and Ladies Auxiliary volunteers from Dunnellon delivered requested items such as waffle irons, mixers, flatware and handmade quilts to the Fort McCoy VFW Veterans' Home near Ocala. 1 resident was especially grateful; "the staff was afraid to wash the spread on her bed as it might have fallen apart," explains Auxiliary president Darlene Kearbey.
Daytona Beach News-Journal. As soon as Make A Difference Day passes each year in Volusia and Flagler counties, volunteers start asking what they can do the next year. The effort, led by the Volunteer Center of the United Way, Volusia-Flagler Counties, has grown from 27 projects in 2000 to 62 projects, carried out by 3,500 residents, in 2002. Highlights: a display of T-shirts depicting crimes against women and children to raise awareness of domestic abuse; a mural at an elementary school; and restoration of the grave of a prominent desegregation activist in DeLand.
(Fort Lauderdale) South Florida Sun-Sentinel. High school senior Michelle Cangialosi organized a "baby shower" at her church, asking parishioners and businesses to donate useful baby items for moms at Providence Place, a transitional shelter for women. Cangialosi collected enough diapers, formula, wipes, bags, food, strollers, furniture and cash to help 30 mothers and 80 children.
(Fort Myers) News-Press. 4 counselors offered free 30-minute analysis and therapy sessions for anyone who needed to see a mental health specialist. 5 people sought help.
(Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union. 60 volunteers and community leaders in Jacksonville linked up with Project SOS, a state and federally funded character education organization, to mentor incarcerated kids at the Duval Regional Detention Center. Mentors spent 4 hours meeting one-on-one with juvenile offenders to discuss goals and help map out a way to reach them.
(Leesburg) Daily Commercial. 5 American Legion Auxiliary Unit 219 members in Fruitville played bingo with residents of Mayfield Retirement Center in Leesburg. The participants had so much fun, they've decided to turn it into a monthly event.
(Marianna) Jackson County Floridan. 15 Literacy Volunteers of Washington County collected $1,050 and 4 large boxes of school supplies from businesses and shoppers at the Wal-Mart in Chipley. The bounty was distributed to adult basic education students enrolled at a technical school, and the money was used to buy children's books for reception areas of doctors', dentists' and family service agencies' offices.
(Melbourne) Florida Today. 135 supporters of Keep Brevard Beautiful, including volunteers from Palm Bay High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC, the Florida State Attorney's Office, Habitat for Humanity, the Citrus Council Girl Scouts, Rockledge High School, the Department of Juvenile Justice and The Home Depot, worked to rid 10 sites of litter, invasive plants and graffiti.
(Panama City) News Herald. Knowing that when women enter an emergency room as victims of violent crime they turn their clothing over as evidence and often go home in a hospital gown, Gulf Coast Woman's Club members decided to combat this humiliating experience. 43 Woman's Club members sewed 116 simple dresses for female patients at Bay County Medical Center. They also sewed 9 gowns for children and 26 "ditty" bags to be filled with personal items for Operation Smile, a non-profit volunteer medical services organization.
Pensacola News Journal. 35 students, teachers and parents from the Creative Learning Academy collected donations for Ronald McDonald House. The volunteers passed out "wish lists" to supermarket shoppers, then snagged a total of $3,500 worth of donations as they left the store.
St. Augustine Record. Before Make A Difference Day, St. Cyprian's Free Clinic was a designer's challenge. Well-meaning people had donated old couches and leftover furniture, but items were stained and uncomfortable. 25 Woman's Club of St. Augustine members redecorated. They cleaned, hung new curtains, made slipcovers, added new furniture, painted paneling and landscaped the clinic, which serves St. Augustine's indigent population.
(Winter Haven) News Chief. 100 volunteers from AmeriCorps Polk Reads, in partnership with United Way of Central Florida and volunteerism groups and businesses, put on a "Family Fun Day" to raise awareness of literacy programs. More than 1,000 Polk County residents attended, enjoying prizes, games and educational booths.

GEORGIA

Albany Herald. 39 children from the local Jack and Jill of America chapter, escorted by 36 parents, shopped for and delivered $135 worth of groceries to 4 homebound elderly neighbors, a cancer patient and the Mount Zion Baptist Church Soup Kitchen.
Athens Banner-Herald. 14 ladies, ages 53-72, from BellSouth Telephone Pioneers' Life Member Club and Mulberry Grove Assisted Living sewed and delivered 80 "sock babies" and 38 handmade baby blankets to St. Mary's Hospital's neonatal care center. The sock babies are designed to be worn inside parents' clothing, where they absorb their scent, then are placed in the infants' beds to provide comfort and enhance bonding.
Augusta Chronicle. 35 homeless men and a dozen Mercy Ministries leaders and youth from its after-school inner-city program scrubbed cars in the rain. The $146 raised will buy workboots for homeless day center clients to help them secure jobs. The volunteers also did yardwork for 6 low-income neighbors and a neighboring church, built a wheelchair ramp for a stroke victim, and repaired and painted the center.
Brunswick News. 22 4th-graders from Mamie Lou Gross Elementary in Woodbine shared gifts and stories with their adopted grandparents at St. Marys Convalescent Center in St. Marys. 1 woman died just hours after the visit from her "grandson," who had held her hand and sung a song.
(Carrollton) Times-Georgian. Amanda Waggoner, 35, inspired 50 fellow parishioners at Victory Tabernacle Congregational Holiness Church in Villa Rica to collect 50 boxes of food and clothing for 150 families headed by unemployed coal workers in Harlan, Ky. A group of 8 traveled 500 miles to Harlan to deliver the goods Oct. 25 and 26. "These folks were down to nothing," Waggoner says. "I've never seen such hopelessness in America."
(Cartersville) Daily Tribune News. Aiming to "Make A Warm Difference," Cartersville Elementary School's 900 3rd- through 5th-graders, along with parents and school staff members, collected 1,000 pounds of clothing for 4 agencies that assist needy families. On Oct. 26, 30 pupils and staff sorted and delivered the pile of donations, meant to represent a pound per person.
Cordele Dispatch. Alexis Hudson, 47, of Vienna, who had worn her hair long since the 1st grade, donated her 10-inch ponytail to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for children with cancer. Because 1 wig requires 15 ponytails, she coaxed 14 other longhairs to do the same. Among them: a 3-year-old getting her first haircut who dedicated her ponytail to a 6-year-old friend with leukemia, and Jeannette Chaulk, whose hair yielded 2 17-inch ponytails. Stylist Kristina Williams donated her services in honor of a cancer-stricken friend.
(Dalton) Daily Citizen. The United Way of Northwest Georgia corralled 200-plus helpers: At the Carter Hope Center, for drug and alcohol rehab, 45 volunteers, including clients, did yardwork and painted 4 rooms and a stairwell; 25 installed floors at a Habitat for Humanity build in Dalton; and 80 put the finishing green touches on a park in Chatsworth memorializing 3 youths killed in a train-bus wreck.
(Gainesville) Times. It was a day for the elderly in rural Habersham County. For the 4th year, the Volunteer Center lured 500 -- college students, bank employees, church groups and hotel staff -- to cater to 340 seniors. Eateries donated soup and corn bread for 90 lunches delivered to the homebound. A senior festival featured bingo, health screenings, and arts and crafts activities, while volunteers did yardwork, housework and repairs on seniors' homes.
Griffin Daily News. Loyal Make A Difference Day participants for 5 years, 60 Moose Lodge members donated 30 pints of blood to the Red Cross, collected winter clothes for boys in a children's home and delivered 2 truckloads of food to Five Loaves and Two Fishes food pantry.
(Jonesboro) Clayton News Daily. After discovering the opportunity on the Make A Difference Day DAYtaBANK, piano teacher Janie Dunn of McDonough, her 2 daughters and her daughter's fiancé traveled 30 miles to Decatur to help Chrishawn Dunton tutor 6 schoolchildren at the Flat Shoals Library.
LaGrange Daily News. 30 teens and adults cleaned out half of an old school in Hogansville in hopes of transforming it into a community center. Dozens of old desks -- plus books, broken glass, bags of trash, and unidentifiable debris and overgrowth -- were hauled out in wheelbarrows, filling a large city dumpster.
(Lawrenceville) Gwinnett Daily Post. 15 Atlanta Sewing Center women completed 10 bears for their "Project Bear Hug," an ongoing pipeline to 3 Gwinnett County fire stations. The bears are used to comfort traumatized children.
Marietta Daily Journal. 10 Girl Scouts from Troop 7480 -- 7th- through 11th-graders -- held a backyard carnival in Powder Springs for Rainbow House, a children's emergency shelter. Attendees donated 2 bags of items for the young residents: books, hair doodads, calculators and art supplies.
(Milledgeville) Union-Recorder. 70 neatniks -- Junior Miss contestants, Georgia Military College and Georgia State University students, Milledgeville MainStreet volunteers, and garden and women's clubs members -- removed 119 bags of trash, laid 50 bales of pine straw and planted 40 flats of pansies downtown as part of a citywide day of cleanup and caring.
(Moultrie) Observer. 35 people from Heritage Church and Lakeside Assembly spruced up the homes of 5 Colquitt County residents with long-term illnesses. They replaced the flimsy mattress of Sylvester Allen, who undergoes dialysis in his home 4 times a day, installed blinds and curtains, and provided a kitchen table and chairs. They cleaned the entire home of Margaret Gurley, 89, and winterized windows to reduce her heating bills. Tragically, the next day, as she drove home from church, she was struck and died. "Her last day on Earth, she was being blessed," says volunteer Jean Brown, "and she was so thankful."
(Newnan) Times-Herald. For the 3rd year, 23 West Georgia Heating and Air employees inspected and serviced heating systems free of charge in homes of needy seniors. Among 42 helped was a 78-year-old woman who draws water from a well, still uses an outhouse and had only a space heater to keep warm. The crew installed a new furnace in her run-down home.
(Rockdale/Newton County) Sunday Citizen. For the 2nd year, Pine Street Elementary's outdoor classroom received TLC from students, parents, staff and a church group. 27 volunteers hauled and spread 2 dump truck loads of mulch, and created beds and walkways with donated timber. Then they planted flowers, bulbs, bushes and shrubs.
Rome News-Tribune. In Summerville, 73 students, 4-H'ers and adults revamped 30 run-down apartments, reclaimed a park that had turned into a used-car lot by planting grass and trees, restored 2 historic landmarks, and planted 200 daffodils and winter flowers to boost city pride.
Savannah Morning News. 53 Isle of Hope United Methodist Church parishioners tackled 4 projects: They made 70 bricks out of clay, sand and straw for a community garden that serves low-income residents; assembled 50 easy-to-heat casseroles for the homeless and families of sick kids; cheered abused children with a fall festival; and made repairs to an elderly widow's home, including installing a new gas oven and outlets to eliminate the hazardous extension cords she had strewn about.
Thomasville Times-Enterprise. 25 Rivers of Life Evangelistic Center faithful, ages 5-73, bagged 80 sacks of donated fruit (bananas, oranges, apples and grapefruit) and delivered them to elderly residents of Providence Plaza.
Tifton Gazette. 30 Cub Scouts from Pack 366 planted hundreds of bulbs, built and erected 22 birdhouses, and fixed and filled bird feeders at 2 nursing homes and an adult day-care facility.
Valdosta Daily Times. For America's Second Harvest of South Georgia, 500-plus volunteers collected and sorted 5,000 pounds of food and "rescued" some 20,000 pounds of donated goods (shampoo, toilet paper, housewares, etc.) for use by needy families. Volunteers also made and served meals to children in low-income housing and passed out boxes of surplus produce collected from farmers.

HAWAII

(Hilo) Hawaii Tribune-Herald. 40 volunteers from Turning Point for Families and Habitat for Humanity prepped, scraped, sanded and painted the West Hawaii Domestic Abuse Shelter in Kona.
Honolulu Advertiser. Hawaii Computers for Kids, which rehabilitates used computers for schools statewide, collected 3,000 used computers. 1,400 of those were refurbished; unusable parts, such as metal and components, were recycled, and plastic and organic materials were burned to provide electrical power locally.
(Kailua-Kona) West Hawaii Today. Girl Scout Troop 797 cleaned out their closets and held a yard sale with toys and clothes they no longer use. The 10 8- and 9-year-olds raised $340, which they used to buy 497 pounds of food for the Hawaii Island Food Bank. 2 truckloads of leftover toys and books went to the Turning Point for Families women's shelter.
(Lihue) Garden Island. In Kalaheo, 30 Kalaheo Elementary School pupils held a recycling festival that taught the school population of 500 about the benefits of recycling and composting. Projects included recycling materials into bookmarks and posters for kindergartners and senior citizens. A week-long recycling drive yielded a stack of cardboard 1.5 yards high, 1 yard of stacked newspaper, crushed aluminum to a height of 1 1/2 feet and 40 pounds of glass.

IDAHO

(Boise) Idaho Statesman. The Ada County Association of Realtors raised $15,000 in cash and materials and spent the week remodeling the kitchen at Jack's House, an assisted living facility for mentally disabled children Real estate agents, mortgage brokers and title company employees threw a ribbon-cutting ceremony and party for the kids Oct. 26. The big party favor: a new Xbox video game system.
Coeur d'Alene Press. Project Linus and Knights of Columbus put together patriotic-themed blankets for kids attending Camp Good Grief, which is for children who have lost loved ones serving in the military.

ILLINOIS

(Alton-East Alton-Wood River) Telegraph. In Bethalto, 220 students and staffers at Our Lady Queen of Peace School collected 587 cold-weather items, including hats, gloves, mittens and socks, for the Community Hope Center in Cottage Hills.
(Arlington Heights) Daily Herald. In Naperville, 425 parishioners of St. Raphael Church, ages 3-75, fanned out to serve 40-plus sites. 2 parish youth groups planted trees in parks. Families sorted clothes and food for community closets and pantries, painted help agencies and packaged "departure bags" for prisoners set to be released. Children raked leaves, cleaned, delivered baked goods and carved pumpkins for seniors. 1 child showed a senior how to activate closed captioning on TV. 2 families helped repair exhibits at the town's children's museum.
(Aurora) Beacon News. In Sandwich, Cathy Schweinberg, who lost son Jason to cardiac disease last year when he was 17, teamed with Jennifer Bennett, another mother of a cardiac patient, to gather gifts for seriously ill children. Writing 500 letters to companies and individuals as far away as Canada netted the moms enough to fill 300 baskets for all age groups. Teens received electronics, disposable cameras and makeup; young children got blankets, rattles and toys. Dummer Middle School 4th- and 5th-graders penned 200 cards. On Oct. 26, the women and Bennett's husband, Rob, delivered 71 baskets to Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn; the other baskets went to hospitals and needy children for Christmas.
Chicago Sun-Times. With a rallying theme of "Feed and Clean Humboldt Park," that neighborhood's Block Club Federation led 60 volunteers in cleaning and refurbishing a church, collecting food for a pantry and AIDS patients, and making about 100 peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches for the homeless.
(Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald. Alden-Hebron District 19's 500 children in grades K-12 showed 35 senior citizens they cared. 18 high-schoolers, with help from younger students, did yardwork and washed windows, while others decorated the senior center for a lasagna lunch bought by the student councils. Still others made gift baskets of food, paper and toiletries donated by students. 3 teens helped deliver lunch to shut-ins. The students raffled off Brownie-made fall decorations, gloves and a floral centerpiece. Ventriloquist Stephanie Johnson entertained.
(De Kalb) Daily Chronicle. 15 members of the Logos Youth Group of Faith United Methodist Church in Genoa split Make A Difference Day 2 ways: On Oct. 26, they delivered part of 55 food items to the town's pantry. The next week, they completed their delivery and helped at several senior citizens' homes, moving heavy appliances, raking leaves and cleaning gutters. They then cleaned the church and held a "Trivia Night" for 35 church members.
Du Quoin Evening Call. Faced with a 70% decrease in federal food aid and a 20% increase in pantry clients, 5 members of the Least of the Brethren Ministry in Pinckneyville set up a booth at the town's annual Mardi Gras festival and collected enough non-perishables and cash to feed 3,000 hungry Perry County residents.
(Elgin) Courier News. The Village of Bartlett held a household hazardous waste collection, drawing 983 cars of residents and 5 schools from DuPage, Cook and Kane counties. The haul: more than 12,000 gallons of motor oil, antifreeze and waste from schools, including chemistry and biology class byproducts. About 10 village employees collected 3 boxes of paper goods and toiletries for a food pantry.
(Galesburg) Register-Mail. 33 Pilot Club of Galesburg women gave toiletries, including 5 dozen toothbrushes, to 300 clients of 4 help agencies: the Rescue Mission, which serves teen mothers and the homeless; Safe Harbor, which shelters abuse victims; St. Mary's Square, a home for the mentally disabled; and the Knox County Council for Developmental Disabilities support network.
(Harrisburg) Daily Register. In Elizabethtown, the 9 members of the Hardin County Jammin' Clovers 4-H Club, ages 9-14, rallied 30 citizens to host a talent day at the Rosiclare Healthcare Center. Volunteers sang, danced, played music, demonstrated crafts, made a barbecue lunch and helped 60 residents add to an "intergenerational peace chain," bringing it to 503 links. The 125-foot chain was hung in the dining area.
(Joliet) Herald News. Taft School 8th-graders in Lockport gathered 1,800 cans and packages of dried foods from residents, and a grocery store donated 1,000 bags. On Make A Difference Day, about 20 students went with 8 parents and 3 teachers to deliver the food to the FISH food pantry.
(Kankakee) Sunday Journal. 30 members of the Modern Woodmen of America Youth Service Club, ages 5-12, raised $300 for the county humane shelter by collecting pop can tabs. The children also collected more than a carful of animal care items, including towels and bedding, dishes, grooming and cleaning products, collars, leashes and cages. On Oct. 26, after presenting the check and items to shelter staff, the children exercised dogs and played with cats.
(La Salle) NewsTribune. 25-plus members of the Woodcrafters Unlimited Association, ages 60-78, handcrafted 32 wood raffle items, including American flags, a spiral basket created with a scroll saw, a footstool, a foot-high camel, and a 5-foot-high bookcase. The raffle later netted $1,200 for 3 tri-county food pantries and a Winnetka school for the blind.
Macomb Journal. 6 members of VFW Ladies Auxiliary Post 1921 made Halloween-themed treat bags, goodies and 16 table centerpieces, all delivered on Oct. 26 to Macomb Senior Living Center.
(Moline) Dispatch. 26 members of the Colona Township Lioness Club delivered 100 bags and boxes of clothing, shoes, household items, coats, a bed and a TV to a family mission. They also gave baby and toddler items to expectant moms, $100 to a food pantry, and school and art supplies to a grade school, hospital pediatric ward and cancer support group. They also donated books to a library, gave stuffed animals to the fire department, and made lap robes and shawls for a nursing home.
(Pontiac) Daily Leader. Steve Folwell of Forrest bought good used beds and dressers from an auction barn and gave them to a family in need, continuing an ongoing mission to supply needy families with furniture and appliances.
Rock Island Argus. The Royal Neighbors of America headquarters inspired 1,000 members nationwide to do good in their towns. Most of the 530 camps or chapters in 41 states collected food, clothes and toiletries for pantries and shelters; visited nursing homes; and gave cash and time to causes. Locally, Camp 281 donated $200 worth of snacks, beverages and kids' activities to the Children's Advocacy Center.
Rockford Register Star. The American Red Cross Rock River Chapter mobilized 230 volunteers from 20 community groups to clean and spruce up its homeless shelter, with a twist: Volunteers helped artist and Junior League member Lisa Frost create a mural in the shelter's new day center for homeless youngsters from 4 shelters. Helpers included 30 Junior League members working with 40 homeless adults and children. Businesses gave $600 in paint, cleaning supplies, food and drink. Volunteers also gave $2,000 worth of living supplies.
(Sterling-Rock Falls) Sauk Valley Sunday. 7 members of VFW Ladies Auxiliary Post 326 in Sterling made and delivered thank-you treats -- cookies, candy, cakes, popcorn balls and fancy breads -- for 200 police officers, firefighters and postal workers in Sterling and Rock Falls.
(Tinley Park) Daily Southtown. J.J. Tobolski, a 9th-grader at Chicago's Marist High School, raised $2,690 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, adding to the $17,000-plus he has raised year-round over the past 3 years. His efforts brought in both corporate and individual cash donations, along with raffled items such as a baseball autographed by Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox. The teen even held an auction of original art on eBay.
(Waukegan) News Sun. In Grayslake, Jamie Weinstein and daughter Kathleen, 4, urged 30 friends, relatives and Grayslake Cooperative Nursery School parents to donate 346 mostly new household items -- dishes, towels, bedding and cookware -- for homeless women in transition through Waukegan's Staben House.

INDIANA

(Bluffton) News-Banner. 6 Brownies from Troop 279 put the finishing touches on a new, safer playground, scooping out and raking 5,000 pounds of mulched rubber at a day-care center in Huntington. That effort topped off 3 weeks of fund-raising, involving 53 community sponsors and donated labor and materials worth an estimated $15,000.
(Columbia City) Post & Mail. In their 6th year of participation, 294 Columbia City High School students split up into 45 groups to give TLC to homes of the elderly -- washing windows, cleaning garages, emptying gutters and doing odd jobs, such as picking up walnuts. Crews in colorful T-shirts stayed in radio contact and were dispatched to 41 sites by buses. They also painted a new shelter for battered women and cleaned toys at a preschool. The football team built porches for new cabins at a summer camp.
(Columbus) Republic. Led by the Volunteer Action Center of Columbus, 30 Cummins employees reformatted 75 donated computers for needy high-schoolers; 30 Learning Tree preschoolers collected 1,000 non-perishables for Love Chapel food pantry, where 12 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bartholomew County sorted and bagged them; 8 teens cleaned a historic theater; and a half-dozen citizens spruced up 9th Street Park, serving a poor neighborhood.
(Crawfordsville) Journal Review. 42 volunteers completed 361 quilts and blankets in the Binky Patrol's 3rd year, doubling 2001's effort. The comfy covers go to 23 help agencies and are carried aboard firetrucks and patrol cars.
(Elkhart) Truth. After months of gathering goods, 35 residents of St. Paul's Retirement Community in South Bend stuffed care packages full of toiletries and food -- including 96 loaves of homemade pumpkin bread and fresh fruit -- for 75 needy families.
(Fort Wayne) News-Sentinel. 90 Scouts, high school ecology students, church youth groups, volunteer firefighters and others planted 350 trees along a new mile-long walking trail in Indian Trails Park, Aboite Township's only free-use park.
(Franklin) Daily Journal. To help 100 families recover from late-September tornadoes, 10 members of Johnson County Council on Aging took a 3-day bus tour, collecting 600 bags of groceries and $385 for the county food pantry.
(Greenfield) Daily Reporter. 5 Cub Scouts from Pack 243 manned a Kroger store and collected 100 bags of groceries, enough to feed 40 people, for the Hancock County Food Pantry.
Indianapolis Star. 132 4th-graders at Heritage Christian School spent 3 weeks raising $4,300, through pledges by neighbors and relatives, by reading to the elderly at 6 nursing homes. With that money, they bought sweatshirts, blankets, bedding, toiletries, baby supplies, Bibles and toys for 150 homeless. On Oct. 26, they boxed items for 6 shelters. Bibles were lovingly packed in drawstring cloth bags made by the students and their parents. All 6 classes of kids visited the shelters, sang songs and personally gave out the gifts.
(Kendallville-Auburn-Angola) Kendall Publishing Co. For the 11th year, the Ministerial Association of Garrett, Scouts and Lance's grocery store greased a door-to-door food drive for the Community Care food bank in Garrett. This year's take: 2,039 pounds of non-perishables.
(Lafayette-West Lafayette) Journal and Courier. The Greenville Christian Church Men's Fellowship installed plumbing and wired the new home they were building in Borden for an elderly woman, Berniece Johnson, and her disabled son, Keith Johnson. Replacing their condemned dwelling was a 3-month, $35,000 labor of love.
(Marion) Chronicle-Tribune. 3 dozen health careers students from Tucker Career and Technology Center and Indiana Wesleyan University, with $3,000 in community donations, tore off old wood siding at a home for mentally ill veterans and installed vinyl siding.
(Merrillville) Post-Tribune. In Gary, 26 Ernie Pyle Elementary Panda Readers -- kids who seek extra help with their reading at lunch time -- plus parents and staff cheered Timberview Health Care Center residents by reading to them, doing crafts, taking their photos, washing windows, decorating hallways, planting flowers and, most important, listening.
(Monticello) Herald Journal. 15 employees of Landec Ag, a seed distributor, harvested 700 coats, hats, and pairs of gloves and boots in a clothing drive. Donations came from individuals, schools, grocery stores and the local Wal-Mart. Dry cleaners spiffed up the clothes, and a home economics club mended them.
(Muncie) Star Press. Stacie and Barry Collins of Matthews spent 2 months raising $1,500 to buy shoes for needy kids. On Oct. 26, they took 32 children out for shoe-shopping and pizza.
(New Castle) Courier-Times. 6 members of the Association of Nursing Students at Indiana University East assembled 36 first-aid kits for Refuge of Hope, a new rehab center for women in Richmond.
Peru Tribune. 116 volunteers recruited by United Way of Miami County cleared 5 truckloads of brush and trash from a steep riverbank.
(Richmond) Palladium-Item. 15 teens from Spartanburg Christian Church in Lynn raked leaves and helped the Circle You Help Center prepare 200 food baskets for the needy and 50 meals for shut-ins.
(Seymour) Tribune. 6 members of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary Post 1925 sold kitchen tools to raise $500 and collected $150 worth of food, toiletries, socks and underwear to help set up a shelter for homeless veterans in Indianapolis.
Shelbyville News. 6 Friendly Homemakers in their 70s and 80s took a hamburger-rice casserole meal to Shelby Manor and played bingo with its 7 lonely residents.
Vincennes Sun-Commercial. 15 RSVP volunteers distributed 140 crocheted hat-and-mitten sets to 3 Head Start centers, plus the Four Rivers Rehabilitation preschool. Each child picked out his or her hat and mittens and enjoyed books read aloud by volunteers.
Wabash Plain Dealer. 15 teens from Lagro United Methodist Church washed windows for an elderly couple who had been members for 30 years and were unlikely to ask for any help.

IOWA

(Council Bluffs) Daily Nonpareil. 40 schools, churches, service clubs and businesses -- an estimated 1,600 donors -- supported U.S. troops abroad with a ton of "quality of life" items: 9,511 CDs, batteries, toiletries, gum, snacks, playing cards, paperbacks, etc., weighing 2,045.5 pounds. Volunteers from the Loess Hills Chapter of the American Red Cross and The Daily Nonpareil, project sponsors, sorted and packed the cargo on Oct. 26 for shipment to 5 Red Cross canteens overseas. Community groups, including Glenwood schools, raised $1,200 to cover shipping.
Des Moines Register. A homemade Italian dinner, a Bon Jovi CD, a chance to pet a dog -- those were just a few of the treats 156 Hospice of Central Iowa clients received on Oct. 26, when 56 volunteers visited patients in Des Moines and 22 counties, granting wishes spoken and unspoken. An extra 15 volunteers prepared a keepsake ornament or edibles -- many requests were for a favorite pie -- as part of the effort to fill the hospice residents' final days with love and caring. Half have died since; the Bon Jovi CD was even played at its recipient's funeral.
(Dubuque) Telegraph Herald. 392 Girl Scouts and leaders from northeastern Iowa celebrated what would have been founder Juliette Low's 142nd birthday by planning birthday parties for needy kids. The girls decorated 51 boxes and filled them with party necessities: cake mixes, frosting, soft drinks, favors, games and candles. Volunteers gave the goods to Maria House, a domestic violence shelter, and St. Mark's Community Center, which serves a poor neighborhood.
Iowa City Press-Citizen. Lori Graham, 32, of Lone Tree designed and printed 100 pamphlets explaining the symptoms and treatment of retinoblastoma, a rare childhood eye cancer that cost her infant daughter an eye. Graham distributed the pamphlets to parents of young children at a Lone Tree grocery store and at several Iowa City locations. She continues to stock pamphlets at stores and agencies that serve young families, and she is fighting for a law requiring hospitals to perform eye exams on newborns, which might catch the disease in time to save affected eyes.
Sioux City Journal. Westfield Congregational United Church of Christ led 50 volunteers in sprucing up Westfield. Using their own tractors and loaders, plus equipment provided by the town, the men demolished an old city-owned house to make way for a community center. Women and youth raked leaves and pruned shrubs at 5 elderly people's homes and at the church, then trimmed grass and weeds at stop signs. Younger kids decorated 10 50-gallon barrels with colorful designs and replaced old trash cans around town.

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KANSAS

Garden City Telegram. 12 children, ages 6-11, encouraged customers at a Scott City discount store to buy holiday gifts for needy kids. The youngsters, enrolled in the Kids Are Us after-school program at Scott City Elementary School, collected 28 toys, which they wrapped and delivered to the Social and Rehabilitation Services office.
Hays Daily News. 27 special-needs students, ages 7-18, enjoyed a showing of Monsters Inc. and a dance while their parents got a night out, thanks to 36 volunteers led by Hays High School paraprofessional Harold Bettis. About 30 teachers, paraprofessionals who help in special-needs classes, physical and occupational therapists, and practical nurses, plus a handful of teenagers, served refreshments and danced.
Hutchinson News. Focusing on literacy, the General Federation of Women's Clubs of Kansas held 22 reading events statewide -- the largest in Hutchinson. 169 volunteers read to 569 people, mostly children and nursing home residents. Clubs donated $600 and 540 books worth $6,000 to grade school libraries and a domestic violence center. In Hutchinson, 53 volunteers tended to 42 participants at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center; readers included a blind man who read a Braille book and a team that "signed" a story for hearing-impaired children.
Kansas City Kansan. Finally recovered from injuries to both hands, Angie Solomon, a volunteer for 64 years, took up her accordion and entertained 250 at the food kitchen at Willa Gill Center, treating folks to a selection of oldies she used to perform at senior citizen high-rises. She played Happy Birthday to You for those celebrating that week and gave 20 stuffed animals to children.
Lawrence Journal-World. 10 teen members of the Youth Volunteer Council of Douglas County collected 400 clothing items in a 3-hour drive at the Community Drop-In Center, where the homeless can shower, stay warm a few hours and use computers to job-hunt. The collection also benefited 2 thrift shops and Ballard Community Center, serving low-income families.
Leavenworth Times. Fortress of Faith Christian Fellowship filled the wish list of the shelter operated by the Alliance Against Family Violence, delivering 100 items such as clothing, housewares, small appliances, baby supplies and toiletries on Oct. 26. 12 church members decorated a bedroom at the shelter with new curtains, bed linens and touches like dresser scarves, a balloon wall hanging and handmade baby quilts.
Newton Kansan. In light of a fatal July 2002 bicycle accident, police bike patrol officers, fire/EMS personnel, the Lions Club and The Kansan teamed up to push bike safety. 50 kids, most in elementary school, received free bike helmets and dodged cones on a safety course. On display at the 4-hour event in the newspaper parking lot: the helmet that saved a 12-year-old girl's life when her bike was hit by a car last June, throwing her onto the windshield. In the fatal July accident, the 13-year-old bike rider was not wearing a helmet.
Olathe Daily News. Robert J. Seaman's Overland Park dental office kicked off its "Creating Healthy Young Smiles" campaign for children whose families lack insurance but don't qualify for government programs. A staff of 9, including 2 dentists, treated 16 kids, ages 3-12, to free dental exams, X-rays and cleanings, then scheduled free follow-ups. Estimated value of services: $1,200-1,400. Most of the children were Hispanic and attend Olathe schools. As part of the program, the office continues to see 2 new patients a week at no charge.
(Pittsburg) Morning Sun. For the 2nd year, Cindy Riachi, 33, invited friends and family to join her and husband Elie, 41, and son Andrew, 2, for a backyard barbecue of hamburgers and Italian sausage to raise money for a school in a small Honduran village. The group of 11 contributed $75.
Salina Journal. 30 teens in the confirmation class of St. Joseph's Church in McPherson raised $880 for the Shoes and Coats for Kids Fund through a "Teens 4 Kids" 5-mile walk on Oct. 20. The money, presented Oct. 26, will help the McPherson County Resource Council provide vouchers for shoes and coats to an estimated 300 children who apply each year.
Topeka Capital-Journal. 50 Westar Energy employees, retirees and relatives winterized the homes of 7 elderly customers who had received financial assistance on utility bills. Volunteers weather-stripped or caulked windows and doors, applied plastic on windows, wrapped water pipes, covered window air conditioners and repaired foundation cracks.
Winfield Daily Courier. 5 families got a tour of the fire station, courtesy of 3 firefighters who demonstrated equipment and discussed fire safety and the need for family fire drills. The event ended after 2 hours, when firefighters had to respond to a car fire.

KENTUCKY

(Henderson) Gleaner. Operation Community Pride rallied the community and collected and recycled 8,000-plus pounds of aluminum cans, raising $7,000 for Habitat for Humanity.
(Hopkinsville) Kentucky New Era. Over 4 months, neighbors in the Singletree subdivision collected donations of food, toiletries, clothes and linens for Sanctuary House, a crisis center for women and children. On Oct. 26, volunteers delivered donations and painted 7 rooms there.
(Louisville) Courier-Journal. Led by the Kentucky Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service, the state participated in a canned food drive. Volunteers collected 14 tons of beef stew, which will feed more than 56,000 people.
(Madisonville) Messenger. Students of Muhlenberg County Christian Academy in Central City and their families collected and donated 452 pounds of dog food, 110 pounds of kitty litter and 24 pounds of dog biscuits to the Humane Society of Muhlenberg County in Greenville.
Paducah Sun. Between the Rivers, an organization dedicated to preserving local heritage, cleaned Jones Cemetery. 36 volunteers set to work with chain saws, axes and rakes to clean out the overgrowth and even uncovered the headstone of a Civil War veteran.
Richmond Register. Smiles for Miles Kids, a Madison Middle School service organization, "adopted" a group of elementary schoolchildren. Volunteers took the students to the Lexington Children's Museum, an interactive facility focused on science and nature.

LOUISIANA

(Alexandria) Town Talk. In Leesville, 37 members of the Vernon Parish Community Arts Task Force and the Old Stage Post VFW Auxiliary 3106 sponsored a free Family Arts Day at Fort Polk, attended by 559 military and civilian families with special needs or a thirst for creativity. Workshops covered cookie decorating, preserving family history, drama, and creating Christmas ornaments, wooden pens and other crafts. Performances were given by a Bible drill team and storytellers.
(Hammond) Daily Star. University Montessori School students, ages 2-6, along with parents and teachers, created 20 care packages for abused and neglected children. Tucked inside each overnight bag: a blanket, PJs, toiletries, a diary, coloring books, a stuffed animal and a snack.
(Lafayette) Daily Advertiser. 7 Junior Beta Club members rallied 500 peers at Ascension Day School to spend a month collecting white athletic socks and travel-size toiletries. Club members stuffed 1 of each pair of socks with the hygiene items and tied them with ribbons to deliver on Oct. 26 to 130 residents of Cornerstone Village, an assisted living complex.
(Monroe) News-Star. 20 Terral RiverService and Terral AgriService co-workers, hoping to offset Lake Providence's label as one of America's poorest cities, fixed 3 seesaws, installed a swing set, painted over graffiti, planted 16 shrubs and cleared a half-ton of concrete, glass and other debris from a park that was used as an illegal dumping site. Lowe's also donated 2 oak trees to add to the 2 existing trees in the park, which sits at the foot of a levee on the Mississippi River.
(New Iberia) Daily Iberian. In their 3rd year of participation, Taylor DeGroat, 12, and her brother, Trey, 9, canvassed 35 neighbors to collect enough men's clothing, bedding and toiletries for 50 residents of a new men's homeless shelter. Trey took over the project his sister started in 2000: collecting 300-plus stuffed animals and 250 school uniforms from fellow students at Daspit Elementary School for children at the Safety Net for Abused Persons shelter.
(Shreveport) Times. 120 volunteers from the Red River Area Exchange Club, Hosanna Worship Center, Caddo Council on Aging, Silver Cord Ministries, Shreveport-Bossier Community Renewal, schools and Scout troops hosted a "Candimonium" food drive and parade to honor 9/11 heroes. Firetrucks, police cruisers, vintage cars and volunteers on foot toted 1,052 cans of food, serving 5 shelters, around a downtown mall, kicking off an anonymous Neighbors in Need tip-line program. The All-American Cheernastics led the crowd in food-themed cheers. Nursing home residents and youth fashioned 120 "Mercy Angels" from recycled plastic jugs, stuffed with pop-top meats and vegetables, dried fruits, crackers, bottled water, canned juice and other goodies for homeless neighbors.

MAINE

(Augusta) Kennebec Journal. The Augusta Chapter of the Spirit of America Foundation worked with the Cony High School Key Club to glue a needs list onto grocery bags. The community then pitched in to donate items. On Make A Difference Day, 20,000 items from the needs list were delivered to Shaw's supermarket to be sorted and given to help agencies.
Bangor Daily News. For a month before Make A Difference Day, Heidi Cyr solicited donations for everyday items not covered by food stamps, such as toilet paper, diapers and soap. With the help of 50 American Red Cross and fellow AmeriCorps volunteers on Oct. 26, she invited 300 needy to Central Aroostook High School in Mars Hill to stock up on what they needed.
(Biddeford) Journal-Tribune. Laura Mahon and daughter Jayden, 6, of Kennebunkport picked up trash at Laudholm Farm, a wildlife preserve in Wells, Maine.
(Lewiston-Auburn) Sun-Journal. Dixfield Elementary School led the town's efforts with a penny drive to benefit Norlands Living History Center; a food drive for East Dixfield Church's pantry; a yard-raking blitz for 4 elderly neighbors by Sandra Fuller's 4th-graders; cleanups of athletic fields and walking trails; and a planting of red, white and blue bulbs for the town's June bicentennial. Dixfield Congregational Church also delivered 30 loaves of fruit bread, baked by Lorraine Holman, to shut-ins.
(Waterville) Morning Sentinel. "Singing nun" Kathryn Kelm, of the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament Order in Waterville, sang during suppertime for 30 patients at the Augusta Rehabilitation Center using an autoharp and a guitar.

MARYLAND

(Annapolis) Capital. For 20 years, the Arthur Slade Regional Catholic School community in Glen Burnie has collected toys to ensure happy holidays for poor farm families in Florida -- and maintain dignity for the parents, who get to shop for their kids' gifts at $1-$3 apiece. The toys are sent to the Christmas Store in Apopka, Fla., which gave 15,000 toys to 2,400 kids last year. But demand has outpaced supply, so 1,500 K-8 students, parents, staff and community members stepped up their toy drive, with 50 volunteers sorting 3,100 pounds of toys in 100 large boxes on Oct. 26 and delivering them to the Baltimore airport for the flight south.
Cumberland Times-News. In Frostburg, country crooner Collin Raye, who was scheduled to perform on campus, took his place in the assembly line with 30 Frostburg State University students, alumni, staff and AmeriCorps members to pack 500 bags of overnight essentials they had spent a month collecting for victims of domestic and sexual violence at Dove Center in Oakland. The project was dedicated to victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks as part of the Unity in the Spirit of America initiative.
(Easton) Star Democrat. For the 10th year, Carolyn Caldwell of Queenstown hosted a fund-raising dinner for Queen Anne's County's Caring and Sharing Fund, which helps needy families meet rent, utility and prescription expenses. This year's chicken dinner at the Bay Country Moose Lodge netted $1,800 and fed 200 neighbors -- many of them elderly or developmentally disabled.
Frederick News-Post. 9 Girl Scouts from Troop 1130 from Woodsboro and Walkersville made heart-shaped foam "swaps" to pin on grocery shoppers who pitched in non-perishables for Frederick County food banks, pinched by a 10-year low in donations. The 4th- through 6th-graders cornered folks at Trout's, where they'd posted signs, explained their goal and even inspired some customers to go home and grab extra cans to add to the 300 collected on Oct. 26. Later, they visited the food bank to help organize and sort the supply.
(Lanham) Prince George's Journal. 350 Maryland City Elementary School pupils -- several homeless themselves -- spent a month collecting 5 huge boxes of toiletries, plus several bags of clothes and toys, for a homeless shelter, then delivered them on Oct. 26.
(Rockville) Montgomery Journal. In a region terrorized by a sniper, Montgomery County Volunteer Center organizers wouldn't back down; they added indoor crafts activities to an Oct. 26 lineup of landscaping and mentoring projects, cleanups and drives for the needy. County phone lines had been turned into tip lines by police, and residents were skittish in the weeks leading up to Make A Difference Day, so turnout dropped to 1,000 from an expected 5,000. But after sniper suspects were arrested Oct. 24, the rally turned into a day of healing.
(Salisbury) Daily Times. To honor Marjorie Salamone, an Army budget analyst who died at the Pentagon on 9/11 and had listed Girl Scouts among her favorite charities, 15 Junior Girl Scouts from Troop 81 in Delmar, with help from the Rotary Club of Wicomico County, prepared and delivered 400 "Friendship Bags" for pediatric patients at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury.
(Westminster) Carroll County Times. Through Project Linus, 51 Carroll County residents of all ages -- from a 4th-grade class to an 88-year-old grandmother -- crafted 123 blankets for kids in need of reassurance at 8 regional hospitals. 303 more were donated, comforting a total of 426 kids.

MASSACHUSETTS

(Attleboro) Sun Chronicle. Dessert is rare at the Grace Episcopal Church soup kitchen in North Attleboro, so volunteers from St. Mary-Sacred Heart School baked 150 cookies, brownies, cakes and pies as a treat. The day was such a success, the group has made it a monthly special.
Boston Herald. Smith Barney volunteers bought and built a playground at Second Step, an agency that gives transitional support to victims of domestic abuse and their families.
(Brockton) Enterprise. Junior Girl Scout Troop 1006 recorded audio tapes of children's books for a literacy program. 11 9- to 11-year-olds created 26 Ziploc reading bags, each with a book and its matching tape.
(Fall River) Herald News. Despite rain, which forced the event indoors, First Congregational Church held a yard sale that raised $4,000 to send 20 bereaved children to Caring Kids Grief Camp, a program run by Hospice Outreach for youngsters who have lost a parent to cancer.
(Fitchburg) Sentinel & Enterprise. 10 volunteers at Ginny's Thrift Shop served a hot meal to 15 homeless, each of whom chose a winter coat, change of clothes and a warm blanket.
(Framingham) MetroWest Daily News. On Oct. 25, the U Matter at Mulready club, 1st- through 5th-graders from J.L. Mulready Elementary School in Hudson, raised $855 in an hour-long auction to stock "Joycart Toycarts" at hospital pediatric wards. Friends and family bid on the children's services, such as walking the dog, baby-sitting or working for an afternoon at a food pantry. Admission to the auction was a new toy. The children spent Make A Difference Day sorting playthings and planning their toy shopping lists.
(Greenfield) Recorder. The Franklin County Friends for the Homeless met weekly for 6 weeks to knit 25 afghans, lap robes and baby blankets. On Make A Difference Day, the group donated the items to people at 5 nursing homes and the Franklin County Emergency Shelter.
(Lowell) Sun. In Townsend, 25 North Middlesex High School cheerleaders collected shampoo, conditioner, soap, towels and other toiletries, which they sorted into backpacks for 50 homeless teens.
(North Andover) The Eagle-Tribune. 275 Lawrence citizens picked up trash from in and along the Spicket River. Volunteers snared tires, old carpet and other debris, filling 7 dumpsters.
(Pittsfield) Berkshire Eagle. In Adams, students and families at the Saint Stanislaus Kostka School bought 268 hygiene and household items, such as shampoo, soap and detergent, for families leaving Louison House, a transitional shelter. 10 housewarming baskets were delivered on Make A Difference Day.
(Quincy) Patriot Ledger. Jake Smock, 13, of Hanover delivered more than just newspapers on his paper route. A few days before Make A Difference Day, he included a flier requesting donations of toiletries. On Oct. 26, Jake and his mother, Becky, collected enough items for 70 people at the Mainspring House homeless shelter in Brockton.
Salem News (Essex County Newspapers). Despite cold rain, Boy Scout Den 1 of Pack 11 worked to beautify Bell Elementary School in Marblehead. Volunteers weeded, removed 4 bags of trash and planted $800 worth of donated bushes and flowers.
Taunton Daily Gazette. 14 volunteers from the Air Force Junior ROTC at Taunton High School wanted to help the 772nd Military Police unit in Afghanistan. They secured the troops' wish list from a family support group and, after collecting everything from crossword puzzles to lotion, sorted and boxed supplies, along with 351 letters from Taunton students.

MICHIGAN

(Adrian) Daily Telegram. Kids from Alexander Elementary School heaped together enough toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, napkins and plates to stuff a minivan, then delivered the goods to a domestic violence shelter.
Alpena News. 15 Thunder Bay Junior High Builders Club members decorated and filled goody bags with craft items for senior citizens. The students also organized a food drive that netted a ton -- literally -- of food for a pantry.
(Bad Axe) Huron Daily Tribune. 8 North Huron National Honor Society members helped Habitat for Humanity volunteers hang drywall, build a deck and lay gravel at a build in Kinde.
Battle Creek Enquirer. 25 families -- 60 volunteers in all -- from Endeavor Charter Academy pounced on the Calhoun Area Humane Society to help with myriad projects, from organizing a shed and cleaning up to filling out adoption papers and playing with the animals.
(Benton Harbor-St. Joseph) Herald-Palladium. Kids at Roosevelt Elementary School in Stevensville collected donations of paper towels, tissues, dish soap, detergent, brooms and other supplies to be given to families as they leave a shelter and move into new homes.
(Big Rapids) Pioneer. 60 "Bulldogs" from Ferris State University's Student Volunteer Center sponsored a carnival for 300 kids in Big Rapids. The event, held before the college's football game, which was free that day for children, featured games, toys and information booths.
Cadillac News. 50 community members and Crossroads Community Church volunteers gave away tons of clothing and food to the needy. The effort began in April, with church members spreading the word about needing donations. On Oct. 26, organizers gave away food and used clothing to 400.
Detroit News and Free Press. Founders of Beyond Basics, a small non-profit organized to augment the education of inner-city kids, were appalled when they learned that the Herman/ Rogers Academy had not had a school library for 16 years. Using the Make A Difference Day Web site, they broadcast a call for help. Salomon Smith Barney and CitiMortgage employees, along with community volunteers, gathered 1,300 books. On Oct. 26, they took over a little-used room in the facility, cleaned it, and cataloged and shelved their collection.
(Escanaba) Daily Press. 3rd-graders at Big Bay de Noc School in Cooks adopted a hospitality room at Marquette General Hospital, beautifying it with their handiwork in a butterfly theme. Before Make A Difference Day, pupils raised $1,300 to pay for supplies to transform the drab room, which serves the visitors of critically ill patients. With money left over, they gave $250 to a temporary housing facility for patients' families and $250 to a company that makes emergency medical flights. The students' activities sparked other projects around Cooks, including visits by emergency medical personnel to shut-ins.
(Greenville) Daily News. In Lakeview, 55 Lakeview Middle School students and 25 chaperons raked leaves at the homes of 20 senior citizens. While they were out on the streets, students also collected 900 pounds of canned goods for a food bank.
Hillsdale Daily News. In a 1st-time effort, the Hillsdale County United Way and Volunteers in Action coordinated 250 volunteers in 16 projects. At a coat drive, 140 warm winter wraps were distributed. Food was passed out to 23 needy families at a pantry. 150 nursing home residents received doses of love from Hillsdale youth groups, and disabled or senior residents got help with yardwork and chores.
Holland Sentinel. 90 enthusiastic Hope College students dispersed to 6 retirement homes to bring a day of fun and festivities to residents, making crafts, giving manicures, singing, cooking and playing games with the seniors. Many formed lasting friendships and have continued to visit monthly.
(Houghton) Daily Mining Gazette. 12 Lake Linden 4-H FunZone members spent the morning rehearsing clown routines; in the afternoon they took their skits, dancing and pie-in-the-face fun to 2 nursing homes.
Lansing State Journal. In Mason, 28 St. James Parish Junior High Youth Group members and 7 adults worked on a "Giving Tree" program in which parishioners donated items for Sparrow Hospital's pediatric oncology ward. On Oct. 26, volunteers sorted 800 items -- including journals, crayons, coloring books, puzzles, games and books -- into 110 activity bags for young cancer patients.
Manistee News Advocate. 300 students from the Onekama and Kaleva Norman Dickson school districts crossed efforts with the Manistee County Volunteer Center to collect items for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The kids packaged 450 morale kits, which were turned over to the Red Cross.
Midland Daily News. 25 Essexville residents felt like playing footsie after Make A Difference Day. Podiatrist Gary Baughman and 4 Northeastern Foot & Ankle Clinic volunteers treated foot ailments of seniors, the uninsured and the indigent at no charge on Oct. 26.
(Owosso) Argus-Press. Members of Boy Scout Troop 190 -- a "Helping Hands" troop of young men with disabilities -- and Cub Scout Pack 240 teamed to rake and clean up the yards of elderly residents. The boys met their match at 1 woman's house, where they worked for 6 hours to remove trash, chemicals, newspapers (some dating to 1958) and other hazardous items.
Petoskey News-Review. 160 youths at Concord Academy and other volunteers made 375 ceramic bowls to use and sell at a fund-raising dinner for the Manna Project food bank. Older students at the K-12 school held a dance to collect canned goods for the same cause. In all, the school netted $1,152.25 and several boxes of non-perishables.
(Port Huron) Times Herald. After soliciting donations of flannel shirts, sheets and pajamas, the quilters of Immanuel Lutheran Church in St. Clair pieced together 25 blankets for health department clients and homeless shelters.
(Sault Ste. Marie) Evening News. Each Make A Difference Day, the sisters of Sigma Lambda Sigma at Lake Superior State University collect food for the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transition House. This year, the sisters spent 17 hours outside a supermarket, collecting $676 in cash, 100 pounds of food and 20 bags of clothes.

MINNESOTA

Brainerd Daily Dispatch. The Crosslake-Fifty Lakes American Legion Auxiliary held a drive to collect pajamas, toys and household items, plus $185, for the Women's Center in Brainerd to fulfill their clients' Christmas wish lists.
(Hibbing) Daily Tribune. Upward Bound students at Hibbing Community College joined the Chamber of Commerce on several service projects. Volunteers sorted 6,700 pounds of food at a food shelf, cleaned kennels at an animal shelter and sorted donated Christmas gifts for 100 families.
(Minneapolis-St. Paul) Star Tribune. Headlines salon in Minnetonka held a cutathon, donating $550, plus 210 pounds of food, to the Intercongregation Communities Association pantry.
(Rochester) Post-Bulletin. Delta Sigma Pi, Kappa Upsilon chapter in Winona held a clothing drive, filling a station wagon with nearly 50 bags of clothing for 2 charities.
(Virginia) Mesabi Daily News. 30 employees of the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency helped senior citizens with chores: They changed batteries in smoke detectors, raked leaves and winterized homes.

MISSISSIPPI

(Corinth) Daily Corinthian. Crossroads Reading Council's annual festival at Harper Square Mall drew 400-plus kids for storytelling by such dignitaries as Alcorn County Sheriff Jimmy Taylor, Corinth Mayor Jerry Latch and Jackson author Randall Bush; drama workshops courtesy of Corinth Theatre-Arts; puppet shows by high-schoolers; craft projects led by high school and college volunteers, and prizes such as books and fast-food coupons. Information and activity booths throughout the mall encouraged reading and a drug-free lifestyle. 80 helped.
(Greenville) Delta Democrat Times. Reaching out to the low-income community surrounding their church, Greater Disney Chapel AME Church members distributed clothing collected throughout the summer to 50 families. Church members also served the families a meal that included salad, catfish, spaghetti and cake.
Hattiesburg American. In a 1st-time effort, 12 volunteer firefighters checked smoke detectors in 300 Dixie homes, installing 100 and changing batteries in 60 more. The firefighters left fire extinguishers at 100 homes where old wiring or construction raised safety concerns. They hope to visit all 1,100 homes in the 56-square-mile rural area they cover by Make A Difference Day 2003.
(Jackson) Clarion-Ledger. Suburban Madison Middle School teamed with inner-city Pecan Park Elementary to help Afghan children in refugee camps. Readathons at the schools raised $1,100 to buy wool blankets for them. To get the project started, Madison students collected 500 books for the Pecan Park children. 150 Madison students participated in the readathon; 120 Pecan Park children read.
Meridian Star. In Shubuta, Barence Trotter, 10, wanted "everyone to be happy," so he spent a month collecting treasures to help struggling single-parent families, just like his. Items included 13 dolls, bedding, 400 canned goods, detergent and kids' books.
Natchez Democrat. Led by the Linwood Circle Ruritan Club, 40 volunteers, including aldermen, 4-H members and Girl Scouts, helped a family of 4 whose home already had received extensive plumbing and electrical repairs. On Oct. 26, volunteers washed clothes, windows and dishes; hung curtains; cleaned the kitchen; eliminated fire hazards and potentially dangerous clutter; stained cabinets; and put down rugs. 1 volunteer offered the homeowner a job; another hired the younger son for part-time yardwork.

MISSOURI

(Cape Girardeau) Southeast Missourian. Community Counseling Center employees collected cleaning supplies and toiletries for a week, delivering 5 2-by-3-foot boxes on Oct. 26 to First Call for Help, which helps the needy and refers clients to social service providers.
Columbia Daily Tribune. 2,000 Randolph County residents from Moberly, Cairo, Huntsville and Higbee turned out for their 1st Make A Difference Day. 4-H clubs spruced up 11 parks; Coates Street Presbyterian Church repaired a picnic shed at a Moberly park. Schools and offices raised $300 in pennies to cover sports registration fees for needy children. Churches, civic groups and schoolchildren collected everything from diapers for a pregnancy center and garbage collection fees for young mothers to books for children at a low-income housing project and birthday party kits for a domestic violence shelter. 2 projects are ongoing: collection of toothbrushes and toothpaste for a pediatric dental clinic, and paper recycling at Gratz Brown Elementary School.
(Dexter) Daily Statesman. Students, parents and teachers from Malden R-1 School District, grades pre-K-12, collected an estimated $600 worth of clothing, hygiene products, backpacks and shoes for the Thomas J. Pappas School in Phoenix, which serves only homeless children. Businesses donated shipping costs.
Hannibal Courier-Post. A cleanup that enabled a 78-year-old Madison woman to remain in her home concluded with a thorough vacuuming and scrubbing of the home by 9 volunteers, including 3 relatives and 6 staffers from the Paris Senior Center and agencies that serve the elderly. Among the issues resolved: removal of rodents and unsanitary clutter.
(Independence) Examiner. 70 volunteers, ages 8 to 80-ish, 1st-timers and veteran seamstresses, stitched and tied 155 36-by-45-inch quilts for young patients at 5 hospitals. The stitchers gathered at 2 8-hour workshops sponsored by Kansas City Metro Project Linus, whose 350 volunteers usually knit, crochet, sew or quilt blankets at home and never meet. In addition to the finished blankets, 65 were nearly finished on Oct. 26 and 350 "quick quilt kits" went home with volunteers. All have since been finished.
(Kennett) Daily Dunklin Democrat. 14 members of the Delta Omicron chapter of Beta Sigma Phi raised $1,000 for education causes by selling homemade pumpkin rolls at the Cypress Feast, delivering extra orders of the popular treat Oct. 26. The Kennett Junior High School Accelerated Reader program and the Kennett Higher Education Center each received $500.
(Park Hills) Daily Journal. Despite freezing rain that dampened turnout for the 1st-time event, a 4-hour food drive by the Park Hills Chamber of Commerce netted 300-plus canned food items for the Elvins Food Pantry.
(Poplar Bluff) Daily American Republic. 98 Mingo Job Corps students from the Puxico center donated 1,977 hours to 2 major renovation projects. At Kiwanis Bacon Memorial Park in Poplar Bluff, 81 students reconfigured play equipment to meet safety guidelines, created pea gravel fall zones, and painted or repaired equipment and picnic pavilions. 17 students did carpentry repairs and painted a house slated to become a teen center for the Boys and Girls Club of Poplar Bluff. In the week leading up to Oct. 26, 102 students contributed $345 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association or served a hot meal at the United Gospel Rescue Mission.
Sedalia Democrat. In their 4th effort, 1,500 volunteers tackled 19 projects. A large 1-room office addition to the Community Free Clinic was framed and roofed by sundown. Many willing hands at a Habitat for Humanity work site were redirected to the restoration project at historic Lincoln-Hubbard School; volunteers filled a dumpster with debris resulting from bird and water damage, as well as old books, papers, paint cans and other trash. Other projects included collections of books, canned food and coats; yardwork for the elderly; a blood drive; smoke detector installation; cleanups; and the reorganization of a costume-props warehouse for the Liberty Center Association for the Arts.
(Sikeston) Standard-Democrat. 59 volunteers representing churches, schools and service groups raked leaves and removed trash at 100 homes of elderly or low-income residents, hauling the debris in volunteers' pickup trucks and flatbed trailers to the city dump (usually closed on Saturdays). First United Methodist Church members directed the project, sparked by the chamber of commerce 3 years ago.
Springfield News-Leader. From churches, schools, Girl Scout troops and individuals, 1,700 stuffed animals invaded Ted E. Bear's Toy Factory for repair, cleaning, fresh ribbons and eventual distribution to needy kids and nursing home residents via 10 organizations. Factory staff devoted about 180 hours to the effort. Because of the overwhelming response -- 931 more animals were dropped off after Oct. 26 -- the refurbishing project now runs year-round.

MONTANA

Great Falls Tribune. 11 members of the Bootlegger Bandits 4-H Club, ages 9-14, along with 4 adult leaders, sewed 26 polar fleece hats and 36 pairs of mittens for the homeless who are served by the Great Falls Rescue Mission and Set Free Christian Ministry.

This issue was reported by Terry Byrne, Laura Greenspan, Patricia Kime, Pam Janis and Kelly DiNardo. Pamela Brown is USA WEEKEND Magazine's Make A Difference Day editor.