Robert Chapman, 8, wrestled with a strand of tangled Christmas lights on Saturday morning. Chapman, along with his dad, Richard Chapman, and brother William Chapman, 6, worked together to string up colored lights in the common area as part of the national Make a Difference Day on Saturday.
“It’s nice to help out the country,” Robert said. “And I needed something to do before I do trunk or treat.”
At last tugging the lights free of a knot, Robert began carefully wrapping one of many Christmas trees that will light up the fall and winter nights for the holiday season.
The decorating was one of 15 projects tackled by more than 70 volunteers on Saturday as part of Make a Difference Day, which was hosted by the First United Methodist Church and coordinated by church member Doris Higgins, of Niles. Higgins said she is passionate about volunteering and perhaps equally passionate about helping others find their own calling in helping the community.
“There’s a lot of volunteer opportunities, but there is not always the chance for families to volunteer together and it’s kind of instilling those values that’s important,” Higgins said.
Volunteers divided into teams and spent the day making cards for veterans, deep cleaning the food pantry at Red Bud Area Ministries, assembling and installing bike racks along McCoy Creek Trail, playing bingo or visiting with residents at Buchanan Meadows and cleaning up parks, to name a few.
For Richard Chapman’s family, helping his sons to realize the importance of volunteering is one of the reasons they decided to participate.
“They are both in Cub Scouts and we wanted to show them how to serve and to help other people out,” Chapman said. “They were excited about coming out today. They wanted to come out and save the earth and help the earth out.”
Because the family frequents the common area, Chapman felt it would be a project his sons could take pride in.
“When we bring them back for Christmas they will get to know that they were a part of that and tell their friends that,” Chapman said.
Just down the block, Rose Reybuck, of Buchanan, worked with her sons Alan, 9, and Colton, 11, in the garden outside of the Tin Shop Theatre on Roe Street. Gardening tools in hand, they weeded around a bush where a few pink flowers held out against the autumn chill.
Reybuck said the family participates every year and she likes the opportunity to get the children outside and away from video games and TV. They chose to weed because the family has a garden at home where they grow cauliflower, cucumbers, tomatoes and squash, among other types of produce.
“It’s second nature to them,” Reybuck said.
Her sons seemed to agree.
“It’s awesome,” Alan said of the experience.
“Especially in the end because there are doughnuts,” Colton said.