Posted on 12/30/2009 5:06:48 PM Author: Andrew Lynn
A new year is nearly upon us, and with that year comes a change for Make a Difference Michiana. I will be stepping away from the Program Director position to pursue other professional interests after this week.
I've enjoyed working with the organization for the past three years. I'm grateful for all the people I've met, the events I've been a part of, and the organizations I've had the chance to work with. My position provided me with a unique opportunity to interact with some of the area's most passionate and inspiring people, and it's been great collaborating with so many amazing organizations and volunteer groups.
The Make a Difference Michiana board of directors will assume oversight of the website and the day-to-day operations of the organization after December 31st, 2009. Should you need to reach them, please email info@makeadifferencemichiana.org. (the phone number is no longer active)
It's fast, simple, and safe. And there's never been a better time to give.
Make a Difference Michiana provides you with the ability to make donations directly to your favorite organizations. If you want to find a new cause to support, try searching for organizations by what they do.
We believe in giving: that's why our logo is a gift. Whether its your time, talent, or treasure, you can impact your community by connecting with a cause RIGHT NOW. Talk to your family and friends about how you can make a difference this Christmas by supporting a local non-profit
Posted on 11/11/2009 9:49:56 AM Author: Andrew Lynn
A month ago today we witnessed the community's largest Make a Difference Day in history. The final numbers are impressive:
26 Volunteer Sites, 300 volunteers coordinated through Make a Difference Day, 900 total volunteers active in their community, 2,242 hours of volunteer work, and $42,600 worth of free work donated to the local non-profit sector.
I'd like to thank all the non-profits who collaborated with us to make this event happen. It's great to see so many groups come together for this one day of service. We had volunteer sites all over South Bend, Mishawaka, and Elkhart.
Special thanks as well to our sponsors: 1st Source, May Oberfell Lorber, The Bear, Hacienda, and Buffalo Wild Wings.
We held a competition among local high school groups to see who could recruit the most volunteers. The winner: Upward Bound of Notre Dame. They'll be receiving a free meal at Hacienda.
We also held a competition among local businesses, and the winner was Crowe Horwath.
Make a Difference Day 2010 will be held next October, be watching the website for details on how to get involved. In the meantime, please use makeadifferencemichiana.org to connect with and support the organization of your choice.
Posted on 10/9/2009 7:24:31 PM Author: Andrew Lynn
900 Volunteers.
26 projects.
and over 5,000 walkers or truck-pullers.
This is Michiana's largest Make a Difference Day ever! Thousands of hours of community service are being performed this weekend for local non-profits. Thanks to all the non-profits who collaborated with us to make this an event a great success.
Check the blog next week for a final wrap-up on the day.
Posted on 10/5/2009 11:17:20 PM Author: Andrew Lynn
It's not just a volunteer day, it's a 700-person movement.
Notre Dame Softball. Crowe Horwath. Girl Scouts. Press Ganey. Granger Community Church. May Oberfell Lorber. Junior League. These are just some of the groups that are bringing their members together to give their time this weekend.
Nationally, it's the largest volunteer day in the nation. Locally, we expect at least 700 volunteers to give back to their community this weekend.
If you haven't signed up yet, there are still some great opportunities that need YOUR help:
Landscaping and Cleaning at United Religious Communities
Organizing Storage Areas and Painting at YWCA
Assist with Packaging and Production at LOGAN Industries
Clean Up Day at Reins of Life (in South Bend or Michigan City)
Cleaning and Organizing at Center for the Homeless
If you're signed up, you'll be receiving a free t-shirt and a coupon to Buffalo Wild Wings for 6 free wings. More than that, you'll be part of an effort to give a valuable boost of free work to a non-profit sector challenged by economic conditions.
If you need any help finding a project, or if you are taking part in a project not on our list, please contact us.
Posted on 9/11/2009 9:53:13 AM Author: Andrew Lynn
Choose your Cause, Impact your Community. Make a Difference Day brings together hundreds of people, businesses, schools, and community groups to help local non-profits. You can be part of it!
If you have ever wanted to connect with a cause but didn't know how, this is your chance. Environment, youth, the eldery, education, poverty, disabilities, literacy, health, anything else--there is an organization locally that needs your help! Make a Difference Michiana has assembled a list of projects: just go to makeadifferencemichiana.org to find the list!
We invite all participants to join us at Buffalo Wild Wings in Mishawaka after they volunteer to celebrate the huge impact of the day. Participants will receive 6 free wings! Please join us from 6-8PM on Saturday October 10th!
Yesterday began my final week with Make a Difference Michiana.
I've learned a lot about the ins and outs of the non-profit sector and Make a Difference itself. I've learned a lot about specific non-profits that I've met with over the summer. I've learned a lot about advertising and website management.
The list of things that I've learned could go on for pages, but what I've come to realize is that my personal gain is only really important to me. People don't want to read about that. Instead I've decided to write about the role of Make a Difference Michiana in our community and how that translates into real, tangible contributions to the community.
Make a Difference Michiana does many things for the non-profit sector. It provides an easy, user friendly way to advertise and receive donations. It recruits and coordinates volunteers for various opportunities through the seven counties we serve. It networks together several non-profits who would not otherwise know about eachother.
But what problem is MDM working to solve? One of the most ignored yet important, ongoing problems within the entire non-profit sector is the volunteer demo-graphic. It is widely accepted common knowledge that the vast majority of volunteers are over 50 years of age. R.S.V.P was formed especially to utilize this great resource. And while it is great, it won't last forever, and the needs of the community have not decreased.
In a meeting I attended this summer, one of the other folks there was talking about ow volunteering used to be a social activity. Young adults would volunteer in order to meet and make new friends. However, as technology advanced techniques for recruiting did not. Unfortunately, volunteering has taken on a more utilitarian purpose. Young people will use it to boost their resume or application. While the service is still good, it does not have the permanence or connection that it use to.
This is the problem MDM needs to address and in some ways already is. Right now it serves as a resource for the community to find opportunities. But in the future it will hopefully bring the opportunities to the community. There has always been a cultural divide between age groups and unfortunately volunteering became one of the differences. So in order to take a pro-active approach to solving this problem MDM has started re-evaluating its own techniques.
Make a Difference Day this year will hopefully prove to be one of the best. We are holding two competitions: one for Make a Difference High School of the Year and the other for the Make a Difference Business of the Year. This is only one of many new approaches MDM will be taking to once again make volunteering a social, meaningful thing to do.
Make a Difference Michiana will play an integral role in the modernization and outreach of the non-profit sector.
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