Washington, D.C. - AmeriCorps members, RSVP volunteers and service-learning participants across the country will spend Saturday, Oct. 27, making a difference within their communities as they participate in a host of service projects. Landscaping, trail maintenance, and food distribution are among the activities that members and volunteers will undertake for national observance of Make A Difference Day.

“As thousands of Americans gather to make a difference in their communities for this annual event, they demonstrate the integral role that community service plays in our country,” said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Their accomplishments are necessary to making our communities healthy and safe places to live.”

Henry Lozano, the recently appointed director of USA Freedom Corps, and Elizabeth Seale, the Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, will join hundreds of volunteers serving at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington. The volunteers will organize, clean, and catalogue books.

More than 1,000 projects are slated for a single state, Ohio, which has led the nation in the number of service projects for eight consecutive years.  Make A Difference Day Ohio is the largest single day of volunteering in the state. Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland and Jim Tressel, head football coach of Ohio State University, work with the Ohio Community Service Council and a statewide steering committee to lead efforts to provide information and recognize outstanding volunteers throughout the state.

Other projects across the country include:

• Los Angeles—City Year Members will partner with a Los Angeles elementary school to paint murals on blacktops, clean and organize the library, and remove graffiti from school walls. Volunteers will assist in the clean-up effort of the school, and will also take part in planting a ‘literacy garden’ on the school grounds.

• Maryland—AmeriCorps Director Kristin McSwain will be on hand for the 13th Annual AmeriCorps Launch, when more than 800 new AmeriCorps members be sworn in. In celebration of Make A Difference Day, 150 AmeriCorps members will join Volunteer Central at Our Daily Bread in Baltimore to begin their year of service by improving facilities of organizations throughout Baltimore city that make a world of difference to the homeless and hungry.

• Beatrice, Neb.—Foster Grandparents will be collecting food in to donate to boost supplies at the region’s food pantries.

• Fort Pierce, Fla.—AmeriCorps*NCCC will team with St. Lucie Habitat for Humanity. In addition to leading volunteers to clear lots for future houses, they will be continuing builds and working at the main office for its renovation.

• Story County, Iowa—AmeriCorps*VISTA members will be assisting the Story County Coalition for Energy Efficiency to weatherize and make energy improvements to homes in Story County, Iowa. The homes, belonging to elderly and disabled citizens, will become more environmentally sustainable due to the work.

• Bergen, N.Y.—RSVP volunteers and AmeriCorps members will team with students from the Byron-Bergen Emergency Response Team (BBERT) to deliver approximately 70 emergency preparedness "grab 'n go" backpacks (filled with useful items) to local senior citizens.

Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of helping others, is sponsored by USA WEEKEND Magazine and its 600 carrier newspapers. This marks the nation’s 17th annual Make A Difference Day, which is held in partnership with the Points of Light & Hands On Network. More information, including a listing of all projects across the country, is available at www.makeadifferenceday.com.

Through its programs, the Corporation is spearheading an effort to increase the number of volunteers nationally to 75 million by 2010. National days of service are an integral part of increasing that effort. In addition to its involvement in Make A Difference Day, the Corporation is charged by Congress with encouraging service on Martin Luther King Day each January.

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The Corporation for National and Community Service improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering, providing service opportunities for millions of Americans of all ages and backgrounds. Corporation programs include Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. For more information, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov.

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