The Volunteer Center of Erie County                                                                                               Make A Difference Day

Make A Difference Day is a national day of volunteerism coordinated by newspapers across the country. It has been conducted in Erie County for the past seven years.

Make A Difference Day 2009 was October 24th, 2009.
Thanks to everyone who volunteered to Make A Difference in our Community!

New for this year’s Make A Difference Day was the Erie County Food Drive. Hundreds of people chose to participate in this event by collecting food, toiletries and baby items. Over 65 sites have been collected items throughout the county. Over 7 tons of  collected items were distributed to eleven different food banks in Erie County. This collection has been organized by Erie County Foundations Council, First Presbyterian Church, The Volunteer Center of Erie County, Erie County United Way and the Second Harvest Food Bank.  The food was sorted on Saturday morning by volunteers from First Presbyterian Church, the Sandusky Lion’s Club, Barnes Wendling CPA’s LLC, Old Navy and Kingston of Vermilion.  

Grace Episcopal Church held a community dinner on Friday October 23.

 On Make A Difference Day, volunteers started their day of volunteering with a free breakfast sponsored by the Board of The Volunteer Center of Erie County.

 Volunteers from  Sandusky Proud, the United Way of Erie County Board, and Friends of Pipe Creek picked up litter.

Volunteers from Sandusky High School Student Council, Girl Scout Cadet troop #823, members of Huron High School Honor Society, Davis family and others  hang holiday lights around the grounds of the Ohio Veterans Home.

 A large group of volunteers went into the Ohio Veterans Home to spend some time playing bingo with the residents and making holiday cards to send to local military overseas.  These volunteers included volunteers from Girl Scout troops #790, #36, #277 and #541, Old Navy, Volunteer Singles of Northcoast Ohio, Sandusky Gentlemen’s Club, the Ouellette, Crimean and Lewis families and many others.

 Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church held a community dinner for those in need on Saturday, October 24^th. They also held a “Paper Products” drive during the month of October and gave a bag of items to each household attending the dinner.

 Huron Cadette Troop 286 hosted a VERY successful bake sale and canned food drive at St. Peter Church on October 26. They invited other troops to contribute baked goods, with all proceeds being donated to the Helping Hands Food Pantry. They sold a whopping $346.50 of baked goods and an additional $45 was donated. That is a record for their bake sale. In addition, the food drive collected 60 non-perishable and toiletry items.

 The EHOVE DECA class and Brownie Troop 029 while not able to participate in Make A Difference Day made cards for our troops overseas at their regular meeting days.

 2008
On around October 25, 2008, over 719 volunteers either as individuals or groups completed 22 projects for 17 different agencies. Thanks volunteers for another successful Make A Difference Day.

Thanks also to Newman's Own for their donation of breakfast cereal that over 100 volunteers got to enjoy before heading out to do great things for our community!

Below is a list of some of the volunteers/groups and their projects:
Making Holiday cards for the military and playing bingo with the residents of the Ohio Veterans Home
Holman Family
Girl Scout Cadette Troup #541
Girl Scout Junior Troop #144
Boys and Girls Club
Girl Scout Cadette Troop #823
Girl Scout Troop #230
Girl Scout Troop #857
Cremean Family

Harvest Party at Concord Care
Brownie Troop 309

Adopt a Highway litter pick up
Staff and Board of United Way of Erie County
Staff and Board of the Sandusky Area YMCA
Staff and Residents of Volunteers of America

Visiting with residents at the Ohio Veterans Home
Sandusky City Schools Gentleman’s Club 

Thanksgiving Party for the families at Volunteers of American Crossroads Homeless Shelter
Zonta International of Sandusky 

Planting bushes and putting up Holiday Lights at the Ohio Veterans Home
Donna Davis
Easter Davis
Girl Scout Troop #573

 Home Repairs
Jim Kuhn 

Landscape clean up at Heartbeat Pregnancy Center
Candy Sheeser and friend

Distributing comfort pillows and playing bingo with the residents at the Ohio Veterans Home
First Presbyterian Church
Girl Scout Cadette Troup #541 

Holding a litter pick up at Lion’s Park
Sandusky Lion’s Club 

Participating in a Home Building for Firelands Area Habitat for Humanity
Northcoast Young Professionals
St. Mary’s High School National Honor Society
Freudenberg NOK

Hanging Christmas lights at the Ohio Veterans Home
Sandusky High School Student Council

Making Cards for the Military and Nursing Home residents
EHOVE DECA 

Sponsoring a collection of soaps, paper products and food
Home Savings and Loan

Decorating Cookies and helping with a golf outing at the Community at Parkvue
Newcomers and Friends Club 

Holding a canned food drive
Adams Jr. High Student Council

Setting up holiday window displays with the Sandusky State Theatre
Sandusky State Theatre volunteers and staff
Staff of KinShip, Inc.
Amy Ellis
Riedy Family
Beebe Family
 

Collecting non-perishable food donations and money at the Salvation Army office, 1333 Columbus Ave. Public is encouraged to stop and donate. Oct. 25 from 9-noon.
Sandusky Exchange Club

2007
On or around October 27, 2007, over 980 volunteers either as individuals or in one of 38 difference groups completed projects in 19 different locations.
 

Below is a listing of some of the volunteers/groups and their projects:

Making Holiday cards for the military and playing bingo with the residents of the Ohio Veterans Home
Junior Girl Scout Troop #541
Girl Scout Troop #230
Girl Scout Troop #142
Mary F. Newell
Columbus Avenue United Methodist Youth Group
Christ Temple AFC
Girl Scout Troop #9
Jordan McQuillen
Beth McQuillen
Peg Palmer
Edison High School Key Club

Decorating pumpkins with residents at Portland House
First Presbyterian Church 

Human Society of Erie County Painting hallway and kennel
Jim Kuhn
Human Society volunteers

 Pumpkin decorating with residents at Concord Care
Girl Scout Troop #309

 Litter Pick up on beach at Sheldon’s Folly
Yard work for group home
Neighborhood litter clean up
First Baptist Church of Sandusky

Waterfront Clean Up
Charlie Gibeaut

 Hanging Christmas lights at the Ohio Veterans Home
Sandusky High School Student Council
Junior Girl Scout Troop # 573
Donna Davis
Easter Davis

Making Cards for the Military and Nursing Home residents
EHOVE DECA
Girl Scout Troop #859

 Making Placemats for Meals On Wheels and Holiday cards
Hancock Elementary School Grade 5

 Video greeting cards
Sandusky High School 9^th grade English

Canned food collection
Adams Junior High
St. Mary Boy Scout Pack #7

Collection of supplies for overseas military
Sts. Peter and Paul

 Pipe Creek Watershed Litter Clean Up
Dave Waddington
Tyler Waddington

 Litter pickup along Route 250
United Way Board
Volunteers of America volunteers
Kiwanis Club of Sandusky

Collecting donations for Home of Hope and Victory Kitchen
FMC FoodTech Inc. 

Holding a Halloween Party for the families living at VOA Crossroads
St. John Lutheran Church FUSION Youth Group

Providing a Thanksgiving Thursday Dinner at VOA Crossroads Homeless Shelter
Grace Episcopal Church

 Lion’s Park Clean Up
Sandusky Lion’s Club

 Firelands Habitat for Humanity Restore
Working on Women Build House
Habitat Volunteers 

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