National Youth Service Events

National Make a Difference Day

What is Make a difference day?
Make a difference day is the largest national day of helping others - a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. This service event was created by USA WEEKEND magazine. In 1997, 1,300,000 people care enough about their communities to volunteer on that day.

When does it occur?
It is an annual event that takes place on the forth Saturday of every October.

How can I get involved?
Contact the following at:

Website: www.usaweekend.com
e-mail: diffday@usaweekend.com

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Day of Service

(It's a Day On, Not a Day Off!!)

Challenge
The King Holiday is unique in that it challenges Americans to remember, celebrate, and most importantly, act to address those issues for which Dr. King and others gave their lives. Those issues include the violence jeopardizing our families and communities,, the devastating effects of fatal and debilitating diseases, the problems of poverty and homelessness, and many more.

How can I get involved?
For information about grants for the 1999 on MLK Day of Service contact:

Corporation for National Service
1201 New York Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20525
Telephone: 202-606-5000
e-mail: mlkday@cns.gov

Kindness & Justice Challenge

What is the K&J Challenge?
It is a nationwide effort that encourages students to perform acts of kindness (helping others) and justice (standing up for what is right) in the two weeks leading up to the Martin Luther King Holiday.

When does it occur?
The K&J Challenge occurs during the two weeks leading up to the Martin Luther King Holiday. This year it took place from January 5 - 19, 1998.

How can I get Involved?
For more information you may contact:

Address:	Do Something/
	Kindness & Justice Challenge
	423 West 55th Street, 8th Floor
	New York, NY 10019
Telephone:	(212) 523-1175
Fax:	(212) 582-1307
Website:	http://www.dosomething.org
Or	http://www.kjchallenge.org

National Youth Service Day

What is NYSD?
National Youth Service Day (NYSD) was founded in 1988 by Youth Service America, an alliance of 175 organizations committed to community and national service. During the last ten years, millions of hours of service, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, have been performed on NYSD.

NYSD has three primary goals:
1. To recognize the year-round service & volunteering efforts of millions of young people nationwide;
2. To recruit a new generation and cadre of citizens that are both participants & supporters of youth service organization;
3. To promote young people as resources, rather than problems.

When does it occur?
NYSD is recognized during National Volunteer Week in April. National Volunteer Week is usually celebrated during the third week in April each year. Last year, NYSD was commemorated on April 21.

How can I get involved?
For more information on NYSD contact:
Youth Service America
1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: 202-296-2992 FAX: 202-296-4030
   E-mail: NYSD@ysa.org
   www.SERVEnet.org

The Big Help

What is The Big Help?
The Big Help is Nickelodeon's ongoing, pro-social campaign to connect kids to their communities through volunteering. Each year Nickelodeon sponsors help-a-thon to promote to The Big Help. The Big Help a-thon is an eight-hour live TV extravaganza that generates calls from millions of kids who want to pledge hours of service.

What are the primary goals of The Big Help?
The Big Help serves as a public service campaign to motivate, inform and inspire volunteerism among kids.

When does it occur?
It occurs year-round.

How can I get involved?
For more information on The Big Help contact:
Address: The Big Help
Box 929
New York, NY 10108
Big Help Hotline: (212) 258-7080
Website: http://teachers.nick.com/supplies/shows/big_help.html

Earth Day

What is Earth Day?
For many years prior to Earth Day, it had been troubling to me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of our country. The President, the Congress, the economic power structure of the nation and the press paid almost no attention to this issue, which is of such staggering import to our future. It was clear that until we somehow got this matter into the political arena -- until it became part of the national political dialogue -- not much would ever be achieved. The puzzling challenge was to think up some dramatic event that would focus national attention on the environment. Finally, in 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to get the environment into the political limelight once and for all.

What are the primary goals of Earth Day?
Your children and grandchildren will own these lands, too. So it is our job to take good care of these places. Learning about the national lands and their wildlife--and how we can protect them--is one of the purposes of Earth Day. When I came up with the idea of Earth Day more than 27 years ago, the country was not doing enough to protect our planet. It turned out that millions and millions of people cared about our environment, and the nation has celebrated Earth Day every year since then.

In the meantime, you may want to write or e-mail the men and women who represent you in Congress and encourage them to make sure our lands are treated well. I know that when you visit "your" lands, you will treat them with respect and leave them just the way they are.

When does it occur?
It occurs on April 22nd of each year, but "Every day is Earth Day."

How can I get involved?
For more information on Earth Day contact:

The Wilderness Society
(202) 833-2300
Website: www.wilderness.org