Today’s post comes from Berry College Volunteer Services.

When I first heard about Make A Difference Day, I pictured maybe 50 to 75 students going out to participate in one or two service projects.  It didn’t take long to figure out that the numbers would be far larger than I had imagined.

At 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday, I watched over 200 students of different races, religions, and interests file in with the united purpose to “make a difference.”  As they headed out for their various locations, I couldn’t help but wonder how many of them have ever actually made a connection with someone outside of the “Berry bubble.”

So many students go all four years without ever knowing that there are countless people with needs that often go unmet just outside our doors.  Nevertheless, on this cool October morning they were ready to do something for others.

Besides the free kids carnival we put together on behalf of an after school community program, we also sent teams out to help the organizations we call our “community partners,” including local schools, food pantries, parks, and a number of others. We also had one group help an individual move; another did construction, while another helped out at a local arts festival.

The feedback was incredible!  The local organizations were more than thrilled by the overall volunteer enthusiasm, and it seemed as if every student that came back had some sort of positive story to tell.

I was personally privileged enough to experience the carnival, a room lined with tables where games like “knock down the cans” and “go fishin’” practically begged kids to come play.

For those who wanted to add a little color to the day, we had booths with face painting, hair coloring, fake tattoos, cookie decorating, and even good old-fashioned picture coloring.

And for the ones that just needed to let loose some energy, there were games like football toss and mini-baseball, as well as the ever-famous inflatable jump house just outside.

While it wasn’t the fanciest or most high tech carnival one has ever seen, it held enough enthusiasm to really engage the children that came.  Even if it took a handful of college students doing the Electric Slide in the middle of the carnival arena (some of us not so well), we were determined to make the most out of limited resources.

After the festivities had ended and the projects were done, my peers and I gathered for lunch to reflect on the day: Was it a success?  Were there enough kids at the carnival?  Did everyone get to serve enough?  Just as these questions began to shape some disappointments at what we wish could have been better, one of my friends said something that struck me.

“Today wasn’t about what we could do or how much service we could give, it was about doing the best we could with the goal that somehow, we made a difference to someone.”

Did everything turn out just right?  No.  Was there something we could have done better?  Probably.  Did we make a difference?  Yes, I think we did.

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Get HandsOn Tag Challenge Update!

Yesterday’s Get HandsOn Tag Master was Laura Urbie!  Laura has won a pair of round trip tickets on JetBlue, $25 for herself, and $100 for his favorite charity!

Today’s Celebrity Tag is ! Tag Christina for swag!