Make A Difference Day, an event where Michigan Tech students and faculty volunteer to help members of the community, will be held on Oct. 26. The deadline for registration is Oct. 20, however volunteers may still participate if they miss the deadline. If a person does not register by the deadline, they may not receive the free participation t-shirt.
Make A Difference Day is a chance for participants to get involved with the surrounding community. While there are many local not-profits, this event facilitates volunteer efforts beyond the organizations. “A lot of it is just students going to a resident’s home and assisting them with raking leaves and doing that fall cleanup that a lot of our elderly community isn’t able to do for themselves anymore,” says Danielle Meirow, organizer of the event and Director of Student Leadership and Involvement.
Make A Difference Day gives all participants a chance to help the community with projects that, due to time and labor constraints, many locals are unable to perform. Besides assisting local residents, volunteers may also help nonprofit organizations and libraries, help out at the humane society, clear debris, and assist children’s care facilities. As such, there is a large variety of work available to volunteers.
The impact of this event on the community is not merely a result of the work performed by the volunteers, however. “More than, like, the actual work, right, I feel like that feeling of connection with the larger community and seeing what some of those needs are, those connections with your peers that you get through engaging in that activity is the lasting impact,” said Meirow. The opportunity to form connections with both local members of the community and other Michigan Tech volunteers makes this event a valuable experience for every participant.
If you are interested in participating in the event, it is best to register before the deadline of Oct. 20. The link to the registration page, as well as more information about Make A Difference Day and how to get involved, can be found at
www.mtu.edu/student-leadership/service/difference/.
