ETSU students and members of the community who want to participate should get involved in the nationwide service holiday Make A Difference Day on Oct. 28.
Volunteers across the nation will participate in this 10th anniversary event to benefit the community.
Teresa Brooks Taylor, Service-Learning site placement coordinator, said Make A Difference Day is when millions of people across the United States go out and serve in their community.
Locally, several projects are available for participants to choose from. Projects will take place in areas of Washington and Hawkins counties, and on the ETSU campus.
This Saturday, volunteers can participate in establishing a butterfly garden at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City.
“Basically, we are constructing the garden, and planting plants that will attract butterflies,” Taylor said.
The garden will be used as a teaching tool for children who tour the park and for other outdoor parks and recreation department programs, Taylor said. The planting will run from approximately 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Another activity will take place with the Science Club at Boones Creek Middle School on Oct. 28 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Volunteers will work with students to landscape the front grounds of the school.
Volunteers can also participate in the Johnson City Housing Authority landscape projects or help the Johnson City Alter-native School establish a new library.
“A group of students are going to be going out on the 23rd and the 24th to help the librarian organize the library, (and) catalog and record the books so they can start a check-out process,” Taylor said.
Also on Oct. 28, volunteers will be updating the Mount Carmel City Park in Hawkins County. Taylor said the project consists of painting, scraping, carpentry work, landscaping and a general cleaning of the grounds.
However, students looking for projects closer to campus may want to consider participating in the Make A Difference Day Homecoming activities.
Taylor said the university has a campus beautification program wherein students will paint trash barrels that will be displayed throughout the campus. The painting will take place directly after proclamation, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
“They are going to be provided information about issues of campus beautification, how much trash we generate,” Taylor said.
Joy Fulkerson, ETSU’s coordinator for community service programs, said one-day service projects act as springboards for more students to get involved. People tend to look at service and volunteerism as a long-term commitment and never get involved, she said.
“One day service projects generally are ways for us to let students try out service,” she said. “Then it turns into ways that they can get involved with other things.”
Fulkerson said everyone struggles with time, and if students can spare an hour it is enough to benefit the program.
For more information, call the Student Life and Leadership office at 439-5675.

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