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Make a Difference Day Make A Difference Day logo
Saturday, October 27, 2012

Every year, elderly and disabled residents in our community struggle to rake their yards in preparation for winter. Each Make A Difference Day, United Way Volunteer Connection coordinates the largest raking project in the area, helping give these residents peace of mind.

Community volunteers come out in force to help with raking, but they don’t stop there. Projects taking place at the National Guard Armory in Wausau on Make a Difference Day include:

	Leaf Raking and Hauling Leaves to the Waste Site - Rake yards for the elderly, frail or disabled who do not have family to help them. If you have a truck or trailer, take bagged leaves to a yard waste site. Check back in September for volunteer sign-up online.
	Donation Collections - Bring in non-perishable food items collected by the Marathon County Hunger Coalition to help feed neighbors in need. Supply winter outerwear through the Kiwanis' Coats for Kids collection and see that youngsters and their families are prepared for the upcoming winter. Workplace Volunteer Council collects and distributes toiletries for those in need.

2011 Results

This year 2,008 volunteers came together with rakes and trailers to clean up the yards of residents in the greater Wausau area. Through a follow-up survey of these residents, 96% responded it would be difficult or very difficult for them to find another way to get their yard raked. These words from a resident after volunteers raked her yard expresses the gratitude felt by many:

“I don’t know what I would have done without these great people. I just wish I could adopt them, they were so wonderful. I volunteer at North Central Health Care and now I got volunteers. This just shows that what goes around comes around.”

Make a Difference Day 2011 (click on image to enlarge)