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.
