Wednesday, April 19, 2000
Volunteer groups honored for 'making a difference'
BY Marie McCain
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Laundry isn't a common thing to be doing at 3 a.m.
![[photo]](/editions/2000/04/19/make180x120)
"Make A Difference Day' honorees are (front, from left) Nancy Glaser, North Avondale Montessori School; Stephy Wang, Ursuline Academy; Tricia Fetters and Michelle Jones, Miami University. (Center) Dianna Brown, North Avondale Montessori. (Back, from left) Aimee Doxsey, Ursuline; Sharon Rinner and Judy Murray, Guardian Angels Church, and Pat Frew, Beshear General Agency.
(Glenn Hartong photo)
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Nevertheless, that's the chore Pat Frew, a communication and marketing manager, found himself performing the morning of Oct. 23. And it wasn't even his laundry.
One of 24 employees with The Beshear General Agency of Northwestern Mutual Life who signed up, Mr. Frew was part of a 24-hour volunteering spree conducted as part of the ninth annual “Make A Difference Day.”
His team did laundry, prepared meals, and cleaned and painted Elm Street's City Gospel Mission, while other Beshear employees went to Mercy Franciscan at St. John's and made sandwiches for the homeless. Others served food and entertained residents of the Cedar Village Retirement Community in Mason.
The downtown Cincinnati insurance and finance company's efforts benefited 600 needy people around the Tristate and earned it national recognition.
The Beshear Agency was one of five local companies honored Tuesday during a special awards reception at the downtown offices of The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Mr. Frew came up with the method of enlisting employee participation on a “round-the-clock” schedule to give everyone the chance to participate.
“Next year we hope to help 2,000 people,” he said.
Also acknowledged during Tuesday's reception for their volunteer efforts were:
ăMiami University in Oxford. Students had penny drives, made child-care kits and collected canned goods for charities.
ăGuardian Angels Church, of Mount Washington. Parishioners used a traveling parade to entertain children and those with physical and mental handicaps.
ăUrsuline Academy, of Blue Ash. About 175 volunteers worked on 12 projects, including preparing first-aid kits for the Red Cross and landscaping for a newly-built Habitat for Humanity home.
ăNorth Avondale Montessori School. About 75 parents, teachers and students volunteered to clean out classrooms, scrub floors, paint parking lots and landscape to make the school more beautiful.
Make A Difference Day was founded by USA Weekend magazine on a Saturday in 1992 — a leap year. Officials hoped people would use the extra day in the leap year to make a difference in someone else's life.
USA Weekend is partner with The Points of Light Foundation in Washington, D.C., to hold this annual event.
About 2 million people participated nationwide, officials said.
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