Although I have been part of the Bellingham community  for the past four years as a student at Western Washington University, my first Make A Difference Day experience was this year as a component of my internship at the Whatcom Volunteer Center.  As an active volunteer back in my hometown of Olympia I was excited to contribute to an event that focused primarily on giving back to the local community.

  All of the planning and preparation that happened at the Volunteer Center leading up to Make a Difference Day gave me the impression that this was going to be a pretty big event.  That said, on September 25,th  when I saw the volunteers all in one place having breakfast together I was absolutely blown away by how many members of this community chose to take time out of their busy lives to lend a helping hand. 

                I visited several of the project sites after the kick-off breakfast to photograph volunteers at work and discovered that the best part about being an observer was getting to see how working towards a common goal brought all sorts of people together.  Church groups, teams, Boy Scout troops, community organizations I didn’t even know existed came out of the woodwork to tackle projects that required teamwork and communication.

At  Squalicum Creek Park  I saw preschool-aged kids running around, helping their siblings and parents to make the park more beautiful by planting trees.  At the American Museum of Radio and Electricity a large group of college students and community members worked together to construct new shelving units.  It was a rare and inspiring site to see seniors, college students and children interacting and working side by side to give back to their community.  Not only was the atmosphere at every site that I visited was extremely positive and up-beat, I don’t remember hearing a single complaint!

                I am extremely glad that I was able to learn about and be a part of Make A Difference Day.  I have not been as active of a volunteer as I could have been during the time I have been at college and being a part of Make A Difference Day this year reminded me why I started volunteering in the first place.  The only thing I would change about next year is my status from an observer to an active participant on the actual day!