On September 8, 2006, United Way of Northwest Georgia awarded Brookwood Elementary School a Make a Difference Day grant to transform the school’s courtyard into an outdoor learning lab. The learning lab installation will be one of the local projects taking place on October 28, 2006, as a part of Make a Difference Day. United Way’s investment in local schools is a part of the organization’s strategic plan, which focuses on education as a vital component of a healthy community. Will Esters, Principal of Brookwood Elementary, wrote the grant for his school, expressing an emphasis on hands-on learning and on developing a long-term resource for current and future students. “Children learn best by doing something important to them that challenges their sense of wonder. Essentially, legitimate learning is achieved when meaning is constructed from a variety of related questions, ideas, actions and answers. The Outdoor Learning Lab will provide an important backdrop for children’s learning,” Esters said.
Esters expects the learning lab to have a tremendous impact on the school for years to come. Each year, approximately 460 students will experience math, science, social studies, wellness or art in the outdoor setting. Upon completion of this project, Esters projects that students will be seen calculating the area of garden plots, measuring erosion and plant growth, conducting soil and water experiments, recording observations in nature journals or making leaf prints, all in the privacy of the school’s enclosed courtyard.
Local Make a Difference Day projects are made possible annually through the generous sponsorship of Mohawk Industries. Robert Webb, Mohawk’s Director of Corporate Communications, was particularly excited about this year’s projects. “We are delighted to make these investments in our community in partnership with our friends at United Way. We value and trust United Way as a positive catalyst for change in this region,” Webb said. “We are particularly pleased to be supporting projects at area schools because both current and future students can reap the benefits of the efforts made on this Make a Difference Day. I'm looking forward to bringing my shovel and volunteering on this great day.” Margaret Zeisig, United Way’s Director of Community Solutions, sees the annual Make a Difference Day volunteer experiences as magnets for new volunteers. “Each year, hundreds of local students and adults share their time, energy and talents with us on Make a Difference Day,” Zeisig said. “Many of them are volunteering for the first time because they tag along with a friend or are just curious about the event. For some of them, it’s the first of many projects they’ll tackle because they discover the true joy of giving back to the community.” Webb echoed that by noting that Make a Difference Day projects can inspire new volunteers and re-energize long-term volunteers. “These events bring together great groups of people, all of whom bring enthusiasm and energy to the project,” Webb said. “From the beginning, we have strived to make the events fun for the volunteers and to express our appreciation for the time they invest in making this area a better place to live. Esters expressed his appreciation for the grant, and he commented on the importance of the event in terms of connecting the school to the community. “The school isn’t separate from its neighborhood, from its city,” Esters said. “We want our students and teachers to feel connected to the community, and we want the community to feel connected to our school. We welcome partnerships with local businesses, non-profit organizations and individual volunteers. We all benefit from working together in collaborative efforts.” The Make a Difference Day grant to Brookwood School is one of two grants made to local schools, the other grant is to New Hope Middle School. United Way of Northwest Georgia awarded our community’s newest middle school, New Hope, a grant for $2,000 for their Make a Difference Day volunteer project, “Be a Ground Breaker”. Forty-five students, parents, and teachers volunteered at New Hope Middle this past Saturday to literally break the ground. Volunteers helped spread mulch and prep the landscape for future student-lead environmental projects. Janet Crumley, a science teacher at the school, wrote the grant and oversaw the project. George Kopcsak, Principal at New Hope Middle School, commented on the importance of the event in terms of teaching a lesson about teamwork. “We want all of our stakeholders to see New Hope Middle School as a vital part of this community. We want our children to understand the importance of working collaboratively with others to truly “make a difference!” Ground Breakers is a program for at New Hope Middle for groups of students involved in a variety of environmental service projects around the school campus. The program operates as an extension of the school curriculum which incorporates hands on experiences in science fro sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. The program emphasizes the impact of humans on the environment and human responsibility in the conservation of the environment. For more information about Make a Difference day projects and volunteering in Northwest Georgia contact Andrea Dobbins at 706.876.1580. Created by USA WEEKEND, Make a Difference Day is an annual volunteer event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October. Millions of Americans across the country will spend Saturday, October 28 - the 16th Make a Difference Day - doing volunteer projects to improve their communities and helping neighbors in need. The day is the largest community service effort in the nation, symbolizing the ongoing volunteer efforts of corporations, government leaders, charitable organizations and concerned citizens by focusing on projects that can be implemented on that one day. | 
Active Nov 2, 2006 to Apr 2, 2007
