Make a Difference Day 2021
Make A Difference Day is the largest national day of community service, where hundreds of Ohioans plan service projects each year involving corporations, communities, nonprofit organizations and individual volunteers. ServeOhio will fund 13 projects for Make a Difference Day 2021. These projects will occur in 12 cities and involve more than 350 volunteers.
The ServeOhio project grants will support local projects throughout Ohio that commit to bringing volunteers together to create or improve community assets or infrastructure such as parks, schools, senior centers, community gardens or low-income homes. The various projects involve a broad spectrum of community participants, include collaborative partnerships, and benefit entire communities around Ohio.
The Make a Difference Day 2021 recipients are:
- City of East Liverpool, Liverpool – 20+ volunteers will assist in landscaping lots where abandoned houses were demolished. The landscaping will help beautify the lots and prevent the empty lots from attracting dumping.
- Clinton County Youth Council, Wilmington – 75+ volunteers will participate in beautification of the Luther Warren Peace Path and youth center campus, planting of native trees, and improving accessibility to the public disc golf course.
- Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth, Portsmouth – 40 high school and college aged volunteers will partner with Key Club and Circle K members to visit with 2nd grade students to read to them and encourage students to get excited about reading.
- LifeCare Alliance, Columbus – 20 volunteers will package portions of cat food to be distributed to Senior Pet Care clients. This will allow clients to care for their pets and maintain their ability to stay safe and independent in the comfort of their homes.
- Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, Cleveland – 10-15 volunteers will assist in creating a garden plot and landscaping in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood for people experiencing homelessness.
- Middelburg Heights Community United Christian Church, Middleburg Heights – 25+ volunteers will build and stock a Little Food Pantry in a highly traveled corner of church property to provide ready access to emergency food.
- Northridge Local Schools, Granville – 30-40 volunteers will safely remove and transport plants and shrubs from a closed school building to a new building connected to the rest of the districts school buildings. New plants and mulching will also be added to the landscaping of the new building.
- Ohio-West Virginia Youth Leadership Association, Jackson – 30 volunteers will replace swing sets, repair tennis courts, and beautify Eddie Jones Park to allow for community members to feel more welcome.
- Owens Community College, Toledo – 12 volunteers will remove clothing racks, build and install shelves, and organize and display a variety of basic living items in a Free Store in the Center for Campus and Community Connections.
- Sandusky Valley Domestic Violence Shelter, Fostoria – 5-10 volunteers will weed, lay weed killing fabric, and spread rocks into large flower beds to make them easier to maintain. The neater beds will help reassure residents feel they are entering a safe and cared for facility.
- Serve City, Hamilton – 15-18 volunteers will create a covered community table to allow for after hours donations without exposing them to the elements. Volunteers will also create an outdoor congregation space by constructing and installing benches and planters.
- Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses, Inc., Cincinnati – 25 volunteers will work with West End residents to clean up litter and tend to the community garden.
- Westside Free Store Ministries, Columbus – 10-20 volunteers will provide 1:1 assistance with selection of coats for a coat, hat, and gloves give-away. Volunteers will also assist in the preparation and distribution of a hot meal.