Volunteerism Continued from Page 33
Coatesville Make a Difference Day With no surprise, the Coatesville Youth Initiative jumped in as the leading force behind Make a Difference Day in the City of Coatesville. The mission of the Coatesville Youth Initiative (CYI) is to contribute to a vibrant future for Coatesville by engaging youth in experiences that support their success in school and in life, and by uniting a wide range of partners to make the community better for everyone. You may have seen CYI around the city – volunteers picking up trash, erasing graffiti, planting flowers and working to make Coatesville a better place. If you take a closer look at these groups, you will see a diverse mix that includes city council members, CYI youth, local law enforcement, neighboring families and local businesses. This group recognizes that beautification has a direct correlation to economic growth. The Coatesville Youth Initiative takes great pride in supporting all efforts to make the Coatesville community a cleaner and safer environment. The organization relies on hundreds of volunteers each year to fulfill its mission and contribute to Make a Difference Day. In 2017, over 140 volunteers gathered for the Coatesville Make a Difference Day and contributed 560 hours of service to beautify our community.
A recent 2018 Back-to-School Event convened 12 community organizations and 141 volunteers donating over 675 combined hours of service. Thanks to these volunteers, 1,437 backpacks were filled with school supplies and distributed to Coatesville youth. For the remainder of 2018, CYI will focus its efforts on partnering with local law enforcement to expand the presence of the Prescription Drop Box Program. The drop boxes keep medications out of our waterways while ensuring that youth do not have access to them.
Parkesburg Make a Difference Day
Parkesburg Area Business Association (PABA) unifies Parkesburg businesses and advocates for the promotion of the community. National Make a Difference Day took shape as a community service event in 2017 hosted by PABA in partnership with the Parkesburg Point and the PTO for Octorara Area High School. This year, PABA is planning to create an event that highlights the efforts of the Keystone Valley Fire Department (KVFD). KVFD formed in early 2013 through the consolidation of the former Parkesburg, Atglen and Pomeroy fire companies. These three former companies recognized that their individual efforts would be vastly improved through coming together as one entity, thus forming a stronger, more effective
Winter Coat Drive at a Honey Brook Community Partnership Make a Difference Day.
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——Fall/Winter
2018 • Volume 3——