Make A Difference Day Takes Many Forms

For more than 20 years, USA WEEKEND Magazine and Points of Light have joined together to sponsor Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of community service. Make A Difference Day is a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Millions of volunteers from around the world will unite in a common mission to improve the lives of others on Make A Difference Day, Saturday, October 26, 2013.

Thousands of projects are planned each year involving corporations, communities, nonprofit organizations, entire states and individuals. Many of the 250 HandsOn Network affiliates lead projects across the nation.

There are many individuals who may not be able to join a community or large scale project. HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS! Any one may participate on an individual basis through a simple act of kindness. The list below may spark an idea!

1. Pay for the person behind you in a drive-thru or at a coffee shop.

2. Instead of getting defensive or angry the next time someone is rude or inconsiderate to you, express compassion for their situation.

3. Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. 

4. Leave small gifts for strangers in random places. 

5. Shop for someone who is homebound or ill.

6. Let someone into traffic who looks like they are in a rush. 

7. Donate your used books or magazines to your local library.

8. Praise someone at work for doing a good job.

9. Offer help to an elderly or handicapped person struggling with something at the grocery store. 

10. When you finish mowing your lawn, mow your neighbor’s lawn.

11. Leave money in a public place for someone to find. 

12. Stick up for someone who is being wrongly treated or bullied.

13. Make amends with someone you have wronged. 

14. Give a homeless person food and/or gift card to a restaurant. 

15. Leave a treat for your mail carrier in your mailbox. 

16. If you walk by an expired parking meter, put a quarter in it. 

17. Be an active listener. 

18. Let someone go ahead of you in line. 

19. Have good manners. 

20. Go a week without using sarcasm. 

21. Volunteer your time to a charity. 

22. Send a card or flowers to someone going through a tough time.

22. Talk to a shy person who is sitting alone at a party.

23. Plant trees or flowers in a neglected area of your neighborhood.

24. Greet people with a smile and an enthusiastic hello. 

25. Know the names of people you encounter every day. 

26. Sincerely compliment someone every day.

27. When you receive good service, tell the person’s manager or boss.

28. Acknowledge people when they walk into the room. 

29. Always keep your word. 

30. Take the time to leave a nice comment on a blog you enjoyed. 

31. Organize a carpool. 

32. Leave a newspaper or magazine for someone else when you’re finished.

33. Give up complaining for 21 days. 

34. Leave kind notes for people. 

35. Teach your children to be giving. 

36. Help a friend in need. 

37. Ask people what they need. 

38. Use less plastic or none at all because it’s kind to the environment.

39. Write thank you notes. 

40. Be forgiving. 

41. Be kind to someone you dislike. 

42. Donate blood.

43. Help someone who is broken down on the side of the road.

44. Donate your expertise to someone in need. 

45. Tolerate a loved one’s behavior a little more than usual. 

46. Adopt a pet that needs rescuing.

47. Help a new co-worker.

48. Help elderly neighbors and relatives maintain their homes. 

49. Mentor someone who needs support.

50. Take a moment to help someone who is lost, even if you’re in a rush.

51. Help a mother with a baby stroller. 

52. Bring coffee to your assistant.

53. Write a letter to a child who needs extra attention. 

54. Put your cart away when you’re done shopping. 

55. Call or write a teacher who changed your life. 

56. Help a friend move.

57. Forgive a debt and never bring it up again.

58. Throw away your trash, and someone else’s, after a movie, picnic or visit to a park.

59. Volunteer to take care of a friend or neighbor’s pet when they go on vacation.

60. Offer to babysit for a single mother.

61. Start a neighborhood garden. 

62. Shop at local businesses. 

63. Pick up clothes in a department store that others have dropped.

64. Volunteer at a food bank. 

65. Adopt a soldier. 

66. Give blankets and coats to the homeless.

67. Have a “kindness” competition. 

68. Say hello and give a smile to a passersby, even if you don’t know them.

69. Give an inspirational book to someone who needs uplifting.

70. Be kinder to yourself by embarking on a self-care campaign. 

71. Throw someone a surprise party.

72. Invite someone new to your house for dinner. 

73. Give a child a balloon.

74. Be grateful for everything you have. 

75. Out of the blue send flowers to your friend.

76. When you’re on a crowded train or bus, offer your seat to an elderly person or pregnant woman.

77. Bring a treat for everyone in your office. 

78. Tell someone you love that you love them.

79. Give your spouse or significant other a foot massage… without expecting anything in return.

80. After you shovel snow off your driveway, shovel your neighbor’s driveway.

81. Enter someone in a competition who you think deserves the recognition, such as “Teacher of the Year”.

82. Volunteer at a senior center.

83. Give a presentation on your occupation or an area of interest to a classroom of students.

84. Mentor an at-risk child or teenager by becoming a big brother or big sister.

85. Help someone you know who is looking for a job. 

86. Donate stuffed animals to police and fire departments. 

87. Donate items to emergency pet hospitals, such as blankets and towels.

88. Learn CPR. You could end up saving someone’s life.

89. Help a friend or neighbor who is caring for an aging parent. 

90. Grow your hair long and donate it to Locks of Love.

91. When you buy new clothes, donate your old ones.

92. Have integrity. 

93. Have an abundance mentality… live a selfless life.

94. Accept other’s kindness. 

95. Be patient. 

96. Bring a care package to a sick friend or someone in the hospital.

97. Re-direct gifts. 

98. Color a picture to give to someone else.

99. Be a philanthropist. 

100. Be cooperative. 

101. Resolve to live an authentic life. 

For more information contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at 272-2087 or www.vccv.org.