Posts Tagged ‘USA Weekend’

C&S Wholesale Grocers Makes A Difference

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Gina Goff, C&S Wholesale GroceryToday’s post about a Make A Difference Day project comes from , Director of Community Involvement – C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc.

With so many pressing needs in our communities, can one day of volunteering really make a difference? You bet it can. And C&S volunteers are living proof. Each year, hundreds of our employees take action on “Make a Difference Day.” They pack groceries at food banks, clean up parks, paint recreation centers, stock shelves at a community kitchen, and more. And at the end of the day, the world is a just a little better.

C&S Wholesale Grocery Volunteers in Hawaii, 2010I’ve rolled up my sleeves alongside my colleagues on Make A Difference Day since 2003 and have seen the connections and have felt the celebration that happens when neighbors help neighbors.  Some of our projects have been small, some of them have been transformative.  All of them have brought us closer as a team, and given us the sense of accomplishment that comes when a group of people lend a hand together and get things done.  Our projects have involved sweat, concentration, laughter and purpose.

This year we tackled 19 different projects at community-based organizations where we do business.  To name a few of the organizations we partnered with:  Habitat for Humanity in New York, a homeless shelter in Hawaii, a children’s hospital in Alabama, food banks in Maryland, Pennsylvania and California, and a Ronald McDonald House in South Carolina.

C&S Newburgh, NY and Habitat for HumanityAnother wonderful aspect of our participation in Make A Difference Day is that our company covers the cost of all supplies needed to accomplish projects….it wouldn’t be right if the nonprofit groups were impacted financially, now would it?  So we reimburse for items like paint and rollers, bushes and flowers, lumber or whatever was needed to make the project happen.

While it means a lot to me to give back on this special day of service I know we are also having a business impact.  Our volunteerism initiatives like Make A Difference Day and Dollars for Doers offer the following business benefits:

  • Create healthier communities
  • Attract talented employees to C&S
  • Strengthen relationships with regulatory officials
  • Improve employee morale and satisfaction level
  • Enhance pubic image of C&S
  • Provide training and teamwork opportunities for employees
  • Align with C&S brand and values
  • Establish community networks

C&S Grocery, Maudlin, South Carolina Make A Difference DayWe all have talents, skills and time to give. I believe we have the opportunity to make a difference by volunteering and getting involved whether in groups, as families or as individuals.  Let’s keep the momentum going to make a difference, to serve, and to be hands on!

Gina Goff has the wonderful job of creating the vision, strategic direction and alignment of community involvement initiatives across C&S Wholesale Grocers, the largest wholesale food distributor in the United States. She leads pro-active philanthropic investments including financial, in-kind and service-based in four core focus areas: HUNGER, Children & Community, Environment, and Volunteerism-Civic Action.

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generationOn–Empowering Kids to Better Their World

Monday, October 25th, 2010

This post originally appeared on The Huffington Post on October 25, 2010.

Michelle Nunnby Michelle Nunn, CEO, Points of Light Institute and Co-Founder, HandsOn Network

This past Saturday hundreds of young people joined together to launch generationOn, a global youth service movement that encourages all kids to discover their power and potential to solve real world problems through service.  Powered by Points of Light Institute and supported by Hasbro, we officially kicked off this global movement in the heart of Washington, DC, on Make a Difference Day, the nation’s largest day of volunteer service.  It was the culmination of a week’s worth of activities that involved more than 26,000 young people in service ranging from book drives to adopt-a-shark programs — imagined and executed by kids.

Filling out pledge badgesThe kick-off event involved young people, from pre-school through 12th grade, in a “service walk” along the Points of Light Extra Mile Pathway. They learned about how service leaders such as Clara Barton, Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Susan B. Anthony created social change movements and how all change begins with the spark of an individual.  As political commentator Cokie Roberts said as she spoke to the young people, “Each one of you has the power to change the world and to make your mark,” just as these heroes have done.

And as members of this new generation reflected upon their power, they rolled up their sleeves to act.  They made hats and scarves for the homeless, painted reusable canvas tote bags, wrapped toys to donate for the holidays and wrote letters to armed service members.  Over the course of a few hours, they wrote 375 letters to the military, wrapped 200 Hasbro toys and put together 310 winter warming packages for the homeless.

Actors Corbin Bleu (High School Musical) and Madison Pettis (The Game Plan, Cory in the House) joined us in service, lending their support and encouraging the young people to get involved.  “We start a movement and help make the world better,” said 12-year-old Pettis.  Bleu echoed that thought and brought excitement and inspiration as he shared his passion about the power of service and giving of yourself to create more good.

Corbin Bleu and kids thumbs up for service

Hasbro Community Action Hero Cole Layman performed with his family’s band “In Layman Terms”, embodying the generationOn creative spirit of giving.  Cole, 12, started the Paws for Peace Kids Care Club in Tampa, which he led in 20 projects.  When he moved to Virginia last year, he volunteered to help younger students who needed academic and social help.  He also helped the school establish its first annual Random Acts of Kindness Week.

And finally, each young person pledged a commitment to service to fulfill over the next year.  Their pledges were to “feed the homeless and sing”, “help my community”, “inspire”, “create a recycling program” and many more.  Their aspirations symbolized the power and inspiration of what generationOn is about — igniting the power of all kids to make their mark by creating meaningful change in the world.  We hope these commitments will grow to encompass millions more across the nation and the world.

generationOn brings together a variety of leading youth service resources under one umbrella, including the programs of “Children for Children” and The League and the philanthropy curriculum “Learning to Give”.  It also includes 1,800 Kids Care Clubs and thousands of schools that reach more than two million young people in all 50 states and around the world.

The Hasbro Children’s Fund, the philanthropic arm of Hasbro, Inc., is supporting generationOn with a generous $5 million gift, enabling us to offer a continuum of resources to students, families, schools, and teachers through, among other things, a new interactive website.  We are bringing the fun and inspiration of unique assets and properties to bear in creating a unique movement to engage the power and energy of kids.  Key program initiatives include a national youth leadership program, recognition programs, a club model that allows kids to participate in service around the globe, a signature kid-powered volunteer week, youth service grants, and significant support for the non-profit and education fields.

Historically, change has often been driven by the idealism, passion, and energy of young people — from the civil rights movement to the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia.  We have never had a greater need for creative action in the world, and we have never had a more willing and ready new generation that stands ready to meet them.

Please visit generationOn.org to see the amazing resources available for parents, teachers, and kids to make their mark on the world.

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Change Notes: Make A Difference Day 2010

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010

"Volunteer"Friends,

Twenty years ago, USA WEEKEND magazine created Make A Difference Day, and since then Points of Light and its mobilizing arm HandsOn Network have partnered with it for this largest national day of community service.  This unique day captures the amazing power of the circle of giving.  Over the years, millions of volunteers have served millions of others and, in so doing, have transformed their own lives.

Circle of Giving

One of my favorite stories of last year’s Make A Difference Day is Olga El Sahamy, who read about the nation’s mayors calling for people to volunteer and about Make A Difference Day. She decided to help the homeless of New York City by providing hot meals.  Olga, her husband, and teenage son stayed up until 2 am cooking 50 servings of rice and chicken and packaging them with fruit and dessert. Early the next morning they drove into Manhattan and distributed the food to those living on the streets of New York.

Their story reflects that circle of giving – when Olga’s huband Mostafa immigrated here from Egypt 32 years ago, he had very little money. He ended up homeless on the street for eight days, depending on the kindness of strangers.

Upcoming Highlights of This Year’s Make A Difference Day

This 20th anniversary of Make A Difference Day on October 23 will be an extraordinary day of service.  Here are just a few highlights:

Points of Light Institute will launch generationOn, our new youth division, by celebrating the day with hundreds of youth volunteers of all ages at the Extra Mile – Points of Light Volunteer Pathway in Washington, DC.  At this event, hosted by The Hasbro Children’s Fund, the philanthropic arm of Hasbro, Inc., and managed by our affiliate Greater DC Cares, kids will bring with them their personal commitments to service and participate in service learning activities inspired by the work of American volunteer pioneers.  The Pathway honors service giants such as Cesar Chavez, Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Also in DC, will join forces with White House staff, White House Fellows alumni and representatives from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to build a KaBOOM playground at the new home of the Hyde Leadership Public Charter School.

Citi is joining us as a Make A Difference Day sponsor and will engage an extraordinary 45,000 of its employees who will volunteer in 950 projects across 77 countries.

The NBA and NBA Players Association are promoting the Day through ESPN, ESPN.com, and individual players’ social media accounts. Shaquille O’Neal of the Boston Celtics said in USA WEEKEND,  “My parents taught me: If you can help someone, do it. Why? Because it’s the thing to do.”  Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns said earlier this month, “We all have the opportunity to take action in a way that shares our vision for a better world…Make A Difference Day is a chance for all of us–kids, teenagers, adults, even NBA players–to get started.”

More than 1,000 volunteers with the Volunteer Center of Greater Milwaukee will winterize the homes of several hundred older adults.  HandsOn North Texas will host its second annual Volunteer Challenge, involving more than 700 volunteers in 25 projects across three counties.

New York Cares is mobilizing 700 volunteers to refurbish 100 public schools. Volunteers with HandsOn Central California are repairing the homes of low-income families and seniors.

Singer Melissa Etheridge, who teams with Hard Rock for its Pinktober breast cancer awareness campaign, will make her benefit concert available for download (taped last month) on Ustream on Make A Difference Day.  The video includes a shout-out to Make A Difference Day volunteers.

To capture stories of service, Cisco Systems has donated 100 Flip Video cameras to project leaders, who will upload the videos to .

If you have not already done so, please join us in Making A Difference this Saturday. You can create a project or register for projects throughout the country by clicking here.

In Service,

Michelle Nunn

CEO, Points of Light Institute and Co-Founder, HandsOn Network

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