Almost 900 volunteers woke up bright and early last Saturday to meet at Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) to grab a warm cup of coffee and addresses to over 150 local residents in Portage County. A bright-eyed team of 12, including myself, packed into two cars loaded with rakes and garbage bags ready to clear needy residents yards of leaves.
We raked two yards in Plover over the course of the morning, and we had a blast! Our team was comprised of Marathon Runners of UW-Stevens Point members taking a break from running and doing some yard work! We even joked how runners have leg strength, not arm strength … yet there we were raking away! (Oh runner humor …) It was a beautiful morning, not even that cold! We had the yards cleared in no time. See the picture with the feet? We even had time to play around … and one nice resident even gave us fresh, local apples for our service! Mmm!
Make a Difference Day falls on the same weekend in October every year and is sponsored by the United Way of Portage County. It’s inspiring to see how many people packed the halls of SPASH that morning to lend a hand to neighbors in need of assistance. MRC had a great time spending the morning outside in the fresh air; we were proud to be part of such a great annual event! This is the first of many other volunteer projects Marathon Runners of UWSP will be taking part in this year, and it was a great start!
-Courtney
Courtney Cerniglia is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point majoring in business administration and Spanish.
