Posted on: Friday, September 13, 2002

Many ways to Make a Difference in Hawai'i

By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Religion & Ethics Writer

Maria McKinnon has 43 days left to prepare for her Make a Difference Day project.

The St. Patrick's Catholic School third-grade teacher is organizing a book drive to help stock a school in Castillejos, Philippines.

Several of the Hawai'i projects already on the Web site (makeadifferenceday.com) lean toward the environmental, a regular theme for the Islands, notes Make a Difference Day editor Pam Brown of USA Weekend.

But it's still early yet, Brown said. New projects are being added every day and as of yesterday, the number was up to 14.

Last year, Hawai'i logged 50 projects that were registered and entered to try for one of 10 awards of $10,000, financed by Paul Newman and his company, Newman's Own. Several groups were written about in the USA Weekend's follow-up report in April.

One of the four Hawai'i efforts recognized was a project by 70 volunteers from seven environmental and community groups who helped the Ala Wai Watershed Association with a stream cleanup. They collected 135 bags of trash, plus bed frames, shopping carts and tires.

To register a project for the 12th annual Make a Difference Day, participants log onto the Web site, a national database listing thousands of local project plans. There's a form to fill out, which asks for a contact number and lets potential participants know if volunteers are being sought.

A sampling of those listed for this year's Make A Difference Day, Oct. 26:

• Painting and refurbishing schools and school playgrounds around O'ahu.
• Creating a path by He'eia Stream.
• A children's fair at Kuhio Park Terrace.
• Cleanup of Waimanalo Beach.
• A book drive for schools on the Wai'anae Coast.

On the Big Island:

• Aloha Kids 4-H Club "Project CRIB" (Creating Readers in Babies) literacy project.
• Hilo domestic-abuse shelter renovation.