BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Groups and individual volunteers across Greater Cincinnati will strive to make a difference Saturday.
Some will pull weeds. Others will paint walls. All will do their part to improve the lives of their neighbors. The projects are part of the USA Weekend Make A Difference Day. In all, more than 1.3 million people nationwide are expected to join.
|
CALL TO ACTION
|
|
Those looking to join Make A Difference Day or find out about local projects can log onto www.usaweekend.com or call the hot line at (800) 416-3824.
|
"This is an excellent opportunity for people to get out and help," said Viola Kelly, secretary of the Christian Business Network, which will spend Saturday fixing up Marva Collins Preparatory School in Roselawn. Network members will paint walls, repair baseboards and clean up hallways.
"We want to make sure that the children have a very pleasant environment to learn in," Ms. Kelly said.
Make A Difference Day was started in 1992 when USA Weekend asked readers during a leap year to use the extra day to do something to help another person, said Pam Brown, the weekly magazine's Make A Difference Day editor.
About 20 members of the Phi Delta Kappa sorority of teachers will spend Saturday working at Crayons to Computers, a Bond Hill operation that provides school supplies.
Crayons to Computers was started in 1997 as an outlet for teachers in schools that could not afford some supplies. Items are donated. "We depend almost entirely on volunteers," the group's Dick Bere said. "This means so much to us."
The sorority will restock shelves, sort products and work with customers.
