(Published Thursday, September 27, 2007 11:21:37 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Carla McCann cmccann@gazetteextra.com
WHITEWATER
City residents and UW-Whitewater students will join forces for the third annual Make a Difference Day on Friday, Oct. 5.
"It's a tremendous town and gown activity that brings community residents and students together to participate in a variety of projects," City Manager Kevin Brunner said.
Activities planned include picking up litter around the city, cleaning the dog park and painting.
More than 600 volunteers participated in last year's event, Brunner said.
"We're hoping to surpass last year's numbers and bring out even more of the best our university and community have to offer," he said.
The campus community sees Make a Difference Day as a chance to showcase students' talents and energy as they work side-by-side with city officials and other community residents to make improvements to the community, said Sandi Scott-Duex, assistant director of university housing.
The event also allows for work to be done that couldn't normally be handled with only a few people, Scott-Duex said.
The city and university recently formed a 10-member campus/community liaison committee that has been involved with organizing the event, Brunner said. Because the university is an integral part of the larger community, both entities need to work from the same page to solve any problems they may have together, he said.
Many student organizations, athletic teams and new student seminar classes already have signed up to participate, Scott-Duex said.
The hope is that other projects will be developed to bring the city and university together, Brunner said.
Meanwhile, Make a Difference Day continues to benefit the entire community, Scott-Duex said.
IF YOU GO
The third annual Make a Difference Day in Whitewater will begin at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at Cravath Lakefront Park.
Volunteers are encouraged to register at www.uww.edu/ leaderdev/MAD. Additional information on planned projects and activities are also listed on the site.
For more information, call Whitewater City Planner Ryan Garcia at (262) 473-0540, Ext. 241, or e-mail rgarcia@ci.whitewater.wi.us.
