E-Insight

May 2004

DOVes Make a Difference

Life is busy, busy, busy. But that didn’t stop a dedicated group of people in the dean’s office from volunteering their time and energy to help make a difference on national Make A Difference Day. Their efforts were recognized in USA Weekend’s annual Make A Difference Day Awards, published on April 16.

Dubbed the Dean’s Office Volunteers (DOVes), the group’s efforts went toward helping the Northern Colorado AIDS Project. NCAP had recently purchased a permanent home for the organization at 400 Remington Street in Old Town Fort Collins – but it was a bit of a fixer-upper. The DOVes took on refurbishment of NCAPs new facility for their volunteer project. On Make A Difference Day, the DOVes did all the preparation work at the location such as masking and repairing walls, as well as the painting. The team removed some built-in seating and took care of the resultant wall repair. The team also held a series of bake sales in the two months prior to Make A Difference Day to help raise money to offset the cost of materials. A total of $285 was given to the NCAP to help with paints and other supplies purchased for the project.

In a letter to the DOVes, Christiano Sosa, Executive Director of NCAP, wrote:

“On a personal note, I am thrilled to have been able to get to know the team on a fun and personal level. Being a non-profit, NCAP struggles to either find the time, or funds for this sort of capital improvement project. Due to your team’s time, treasure, and talent, the whole place has been made over.”

This is the second year that DOVes has participated in Make A Difference Day. Volunteers this year were Opal Baca, Jamie Bethel, Larry Cobb and his daughter Julia, Erin Fendrich, Andrea Linton, Trudy Nicholls, Regina Schoenfeld-Tacher, Marti Stokes, Linda Tarnoff, Liz Turney, Ruth White, Megan Zweegman, and Jo Campbell. The team worked before and after work hours, and during their lunch times, to coordinate activities, make and sell baked goods, and plan their work for NCAP. We honor your volunteer efforts and commend you for the national recognition your work received. For additional information on Make A Difference Day, and to see the DOVes listing, go to www.usaweekend.com/diffday.