Katie Paysinger

News editor

On Oct. 25, 170 Linfield students participated in Make A Difference Day, a national community service outreach program, to help 13 local community organizations.
“In previous years, we did service events,” Community Service Coordinator Jessica Wade said. “But to my understanding, it has been nothing on the scale of what we have been able to accomplish this year and last year.”
Last year, for the 150th anniversary of the college, 200 participants took part in the
effort, but Wade said having 170 during a non-anniversary year is outstanding.
This year’s event created four new community partners and was the first year that students themselves took the reins in planning events. Wade organized the initial legwork and then put student project leaders in contact with the organizations; they were then responsible for communicating with and recruiting more students.
“The goal for things like Make A Difference Day is to create an interest from students in those various organizations and in volunteering over a longer period of time,” Wade said.
Freshman Lindsey Thomas, volunteer chair for Grover Hall, organized an event for all of Grover’s residents to participate in. They worked with a local Girl Scout troop, collecting and sorting more than 400 coats for Rainbow Family Services. The group also organized and counted coats at Care for Kids, a local childcare facility.
The Grover Hall residents collected various cold-weather clothing for a few weeks before the event.
“Since it was the Girl Scouts, and we’re all girls, and some of us were even Girl Scouts, I thought it was a really great event to participate in,” Thomas said. “They invited us back to volunteer again. Once you’re a Girl Scout, you’re always a Girl Scout.”
Various Greek organizations also participated in Make A Difference Day.
Sophomore Dulce Kersting helped organize the Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority Third Street Clean Up.
“Phi Sigma Sigma has always had a strong commitment to community service, and we wanted to give back and support the community that supports us,” Kersting said.
Kersting pointed out that Greeks care about the community, and Make A Difference Day was a great way to demonstate that.
Sophomore Sam Callender, a member of Alpha Phi Sorority, participated in the Kids on the Block event at the McMinnville Community Center. They organized various board games and helped clean away clutter at the center.
“Especially in smaller colleges and smaller communities, it’s important to get involved in the area that surrounds them,” Callender said. “That is what makes the college experience a good one.”