Commissioners Issue Proclamation for Make a Difference Day
(Douglas County, Ore.) Douglas County Commissioners Chris Boice, Tim Freeman, and Tom Kress issued a proclamation today at the Weekly Business Meeting calling upon all citizens of Douglas County to observe the month of October as the National Month of Community Service and Make a Difference Day, which is celebrated every year on the fourth Saturday of October. The proclamation was presented by Commissioner Boice, on behalf of the Board and acknowledged that “We are committed to supporting community projects that promote civility, kindness, and respect for everyone. We aim to collectively act on this commitment by actively encouraging our residents to serve others through volunteerism.” A copy of the video presentation can be found on the Douglas County Government Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DouglasCountyeGovernment.
The Commissioners honored the work being done by our local Make a Difference Day campaign committee, their community partners, volunteers, and project sites. Make a Difference Day – Douglas County will take place on Saturday, October 26, 2024, and marks the third annual day of service in Douglas County. Since 1992, Make A Difference Day has been recognized in October as a national holiday dedicated to volunteering. It is the largest National Day of Community service in the United States and is a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. In Douglas County, several non-profit organizations, area businesses, and faith-based community groups have come together with the hope of revitalizing the spirit of volunteerism in Douglas County. This year they have secured 25 project sites with over 150 volunteers signed up to serve.
Commissioner Boice presented Make a Difference Day proclamation certificates to the Make a Difference Day – Douglas County Committee Spokesperson Mick Schofield, as well as attending planning committee members, service groups, support agencies, volunteers, and project location site representatives.
2024 Planning Committee Members: Jerry Medler-Chair; Tim Juett-Community Member; Jennifer Coalwell-JustServe.org; Chelsea Duncan-Roseburg School District; Mike Schofield-Roseburg Family Search Center; Julia Anselmo–UCAN; Bryan Trenkle-Greater Dougals United Way; Debbie Blocker-Community Member; Rebecca Warren–Thrive Umpqua; Jane Maritz–Sunrise Enterprises; Ken Madison-Community Member; Rachelle Mills–UCC; Billie Maddux–Kiwanis of Roseburg; Tracie Maddux-Kiwanis of Roseburg; Jessica Saxton-Community Member; Erik Wood-UCAN; and Richard Mabie–Salvation Army.
2024 Project Locations: Sleep in Heavenly Peace (Mike Hall); American Red Cross (Katelyn Dzialowy); Phoenix Charter School (Hope Assink); Adapt Integrated Health Care - Prevention & Education Program (Sidnee Hedrick); The FISH of Roseburg Jenn Reida); Family Development Center (Jeff Retke); Paw Patch (Dakota Carter); FAmily Faith And Relationship Advocates (FARA) (Alvaro Ortega); Winchester Elementary School (Meghan Pirtle); Glide Elementary School (Dakota Carter); Fir Grove Elementary School (Katrina Hansen); Green Elementary School (Tammy Rassmussen); Eastwood Elementary School (Jake Hughes); Umpqua Valley Farm to School (Erin Maidlow); The Roseburg Rescue Mission (John Roy); UCAN Head Start/EHS/Preschool Promise (David Comer Jr & Julia Anselmo); HIV Alliance (Dusty Merrill); Sunrise Enterprises (Jane Maritz); Saving Grace Pet Adoption Center (Ernie Brown, Jennifer Barta, & Cynthia Demers); Roseburg Family Search Center (Mike Schofield); Roseburg VA (Traci Palmer); Callahan Village (Lisa Fields, Leah Germond); Housing First Umpqua; and Roseburg First Presbyterian Church (Connie Johnson).
“I would like to thank all of you for participating and once again thank Tim Juett for bringing this idea to Douglas County. Congratulations on the projects over the last four years. I’ve seen some of them and the comments made today are absolutely correct. A lot of the work that gets done through the County government gets done with the help of volunteers. and we couldn’t do it without them. We have a considerable volunteer workforce that not only works for us, but also does great work in the Community,” commented Commissioner Boice.
Make a Difference Day – Douglas County is still in need of volunteers for October 26, 2024! The Commissioners invite our residents to sign up and join the cause as they celebrate the spirit of volunteerism and make improvements in our county. For more information or to sign up to volunteer visit their website at: https://makeadifferenceday.org/ or call (541) 492-3523 or email info@makeadifferenceday.org.
“I would like to express the committee’s appreciation to each of you for your support for this important service activity. Again, it seems as we serve, both the giver and the receiver of the service become better. As we do better offering volunteer services in our community, we become better citizens. Better citizens in our community then create a better community,” commented Mike Schofield, Make a Difference Day – Douglas County, Committee Spokesperson.
The proclamation presented today is a reminder and encouragement for our residents to volunteer in our community, with service projects that make Douglas County a better place to live, work and play.
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Media Contact: Tamara Howell, Douglas County Emergency Communications & Community Engagement Specialist,
Douglas County Public Affairs Office | Office: (541) 957-4896 | Cell: (541) 670-2804 | Email: tamara.howell@douglascountyor.us
Proclamation and Photo Collage Attached. Photos © K Trenkle/Douglas County.