Make a Difference Day occurred Saturday, Oct. 24. Make a Difference Day is a chance for students to give back to their community and spread positivity through acts of kindness. It always lands on the fourth Saturday of October. At NMU, the day is put on by Superior Edge and the Center for Student Enrichment and students help rake lawns.

“MADD is a nation-wide annual day of community service and volunteerism,” said Maggie Pung, a volunteer center coordinator for Superior Edge and the Center for Student Enrichment. “Here at Northern, we pair up with NMU volunteers and members of the community who need their lawn raked. On the day of the event, we provide students with a t-shirt, breakfast and rakes.”

Pung said that students were able to use this event to show appreciation for the community. She explained that “volunteers gain an appreciation for helping others and reap the benefits of performing acts of service.”

In addition to feeling great for contributing to the community, students were able to gain official service hours. These hours are added to various forms students need to be filled out for programs that require community service. According to Pung, students can get two or three hours from Make A Difference Day. “They are then able to log the event under the Citizenship edge in our Superior Edge Program,” she added.

The event started at 8 a.m. and ran through the “late morning to early afternoon,” according to Pung. She said to keep an eye out for the event “next year on The Hub or posters around campus.”

According to CNN, you can participate in Make a Difference Day in many ways other than through the NMU event. CNN says this can be done in a few ways like giving someone a compliment, giving a small gift or doing something for someone they’ve been putting off for a while. The important thing is that you did at least one small act of kindness for someone else. It doesn’t have to be monetary. It’s about getting out there and making a difference no matter how small that difference may be.