Newspaper Page Text
* MAKE A DIFFER
For the first time, USA WEEKEND pairs with the National Football League
to tackle a big cause helping others. Here’s a preview of next Saturday’s action! »
FI OR THE 17TH YEAR, millions of
I Americans are gearing up to help
their communities on Make A Dif
ference Day, America’s largest day
of volunteering. Will you join in the
j powerful tradition?
In Clayton, N.C., 14-year-old Nick
Marriam returns for a sixth year. The dy
namo plans to fill 600 gift bags with books,
crayons and collected stuffed animals. He’ll
deliver them to sick children, including some
at Duke University Hospital. Why? Nick, off treatment
for nearly six years from lymphoma, remembers how it
felt to receive goodies that took his mind off his illness.
In Las Vegas, Nikki and Tbny Berti are back for a
fifth year. The couple, along with 200 other volun
teers, will provide new shoes to 1,500 disadvantaged
kids from area Boys & Girls Clubs.
Many volunteers are banding together in massive
efforts. More than 300 Girl Scouts, led by the Savan
nah Morning News and the Second Harvest Food
Bank of Coastal Georgia, are conducting a huge food
drive. This week, Scouts hand out grocery bags to
neighbors, churches and classrooms with a request:
Fill them with canned and non-perishable goods. On
Saturday,
Oct. 27
You can join
the team!
Make A
Difference Day
makeadifferenceday.com
Difference Day, newspaper staffers will deploy to a
“Hands on Savannah’’ home improvement project.
One of the largest efforts takes place across Ohio,
where many thousands of volunteers, including first
lady Frances Strickland, will tackle nearly 1.000 proj
ects in every county in the state. The Seal of Ohio Girl
Scout Council in Columbus is mobilizing Scouts state
wide to volunteer and earn a patch. In Dayton, 50 Cro
chet & Knit-A-Thon volunteers will deliver handmade
hats, mittens and scarves to shelters and missions. In
6
USA WEEKEND • Oct 19-21,2007
Oct. 27, the Scouts will collect
the bags and bring the dona
tions to a block part\ r in down
town Savannah or to one of
several drop-off points. The
newspaper sent e-mail invita
tions to its online readers and
has been running promotional
ads and radio public service
announcements. On Make A
. jSSBL BF’ . 4
--- r
/ | >
BAILEY MIXES IT UP WITH KIDS
uring my time in the NFL both in Washington
Uwrth the Redskins and now in Denver with
the Broncos l've tried to give back to
the community. I've donated jerseys and helped
my teammates by volunteering with their J
charities. But I never dedicated myself to one J
cause until last year, when I started visiting The A
Crossing, a transitional housing facility for the |
homeless run by the Denver Rescue Mission.
Now I'm hooked. I can relate l've never been I
homeless, but I have been poor. I know what it's
like to wonder where you'll get the next meal.
And I like to think that with a little help, others
can succeed just like I have.
What touched me the first time at the facility
was how many kids were there. You hear the
statistics, but until you see it it's not real, it
definitely opened my eyes. I thought "These kids I
don't have to be in this position. I can help.”
One way I do that is by visiting regularly. The
Crossing has a youth center where kids play games
and read books, and that's my focal point I also
started Champ's Vitaminwater Volunteers to get
young people, ages 13 to 23, involved in helping
the mission. The turnout has been great.
Make A Difference Day is your chance to do
something great. Visit a lonely neighbor, serve food
at a soup kitchen, become a tutor. You can't save
the world by yourself. But if each of us takes action
on this special day, imagine the impact
BY CHAMP BAILEY, Denver Broncos comerback
Champ Bailey with his winning team
of brownie bakers at The Crossing.
Cover and cover story photographs of Bailey and Roethlisberger by Peter Gregoire for USA WEEKEND
I I I MB
•Tv/
I x/ ■ : ■
f SUNDRV
NIGHT
TTBB.
m **#&_*,
Watch for a
special message about
Make A Difference Day
this weekend during NBC's
broadcast of Sunday Night
Football. The Pittsburgh
Steelers take on the
Denver Broncos.
I National Football League
The National Football League is the official on-air
teammate for USA WEEKEND'S Make A Difference
Day 2007. The NFL has served communities
nationwide since its founding nearly 90 years ago.
To learn more about the NFL's commitment to