Make a Difference Day activities set for April 22

April 18, 2016

With the weather warming up, an upcoming event will provide University of Wisconsin-Whitewater students a chance to enjoy spring and to make a difference in two area communities.

On Friday, April 22, more than 200 students will partner with volunteers from Janesville and Whitewater to tackle several major projects in their respective cities.  

In Janesville, students will work from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to clean up and beautify various locations, including the downtown, the 4^th Ward neighborhood, the Tallman House and a portion of the Ice Age Trail. Volunteers will be working in conjunction with the Neighborhood Services Department, Parks Division, Downtown Development Association, Janesville Police Department and Rock County Historical Society.   

"Nationally, it's a day of helping others, a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Locally, we've partnered with area communities to identify projects that wouldn't otherwise be accomplished and pair student and community volunteers with those projects," said Josh Tepps, coordinator of the UW-Whitewater Make a Difference Day effort. "I know the event gives students an opportunity to connect with the Janesville and Whitewater communities in a way they might not have before."  

In Whitewater, students will work on projects from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the City of Whitewater, Whitewater Unified School District and Downtown Whitewater Inc., cleaning up sidewalks and parking lots, painting sign poles, and enlarging a raised bed garden at LINCS Elementary School.  

Students will also help prepare for an expanded Whitewater City Market, due to open for the season May 3, by touching up the event's signature brightly colored Adirondack chairs and painting picnic tables to match. Volunteers will also paint yard signs to promote the community event, which draws more than 1,000 attendees weekly.  

"Students at UW-Whitewater are part of our community, and fostering a mutual investment in Whitewater's future is very important," said Courtney Nelson, Downtown Whitewater's executive director. "Seeing students downtown volunteering to better our public spaces and themselves through responsible citizenship is inspiring."  

City staff and community leaders in Janesville and Whitewater will treat their student volunteers to a lunch as a sign of appreciation for their hard work and dedication. In Whitewater, Toppers Pizza, founded by UW-Whitewater alumnus Scott Gittrich, will contribute to the meal.  

UW-Whitewater has been coordinating Make a Difference Day events since 2005. To date, 4,500 volunteers have given over 14,000 hours of service.