Make A Difference for Pleasanton Festival

From the Pleasanton Unified School District:

The mission of Pleasanton Unified School District states, “Our students will make a better world.”

One way to get a head start on this noble goal is by planning to attend the FREE Make A Difference for Pleasanton Festival on Saturday, October 27 (which is National Make A Difference Day).

After you attend, the awesome Foothill Band Review parade down Main Street in the morning, take a short walk south to the Senior Center at 5353 Sunol Boulevard (one block beyond Bernal Avenue).

There you will find dozens of exhibits focusing on Community Service, Community Safety, and Community Wellness. Families and individuals can find ways to “Get Connected and Stay Connected” through meaningful volunteerism. There will be take-home tips on how to be prepared for emergencies before they strike. A variety of exhibits will demonstrate how you can “Change 1 Thing” for a healthier lifestyle. All visitors to the festival will be given wallet-sized cards that list the six steps to effectively change one’s habits.

The festival hours are 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Presenting sponsor Pleasanton Community of Character Collaborative will provide a barbecue lunch as a fund-raiser for the Juanita Haugen Memorial Scholarship, given annually to graduates of our three high schools. That would make a great lunch stop between the Band Review and the field show competition held later in the evening at Foothill High School. Pleasanton Unified School District is a co-sponsor, along with ACCUSPLIT, City of Pleasanton, Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, and Pleasanton Weekly.

Two events will precede the festival’s opening hour: Teams of volunteers will do a clean-up project at adjacent Hearst Elementary School and Pleasanton Middle School campuses between 8:30-10:30.

Volunteers should bring their own gloves, hats, shovels, hoes, and water. Teens wishing community service credit should check with their instructors and bring the forms with them. Volunteers will be encouraged to walk over to the Senior Center’s Great Hall afterwards for refreshments and to browse
the exhibits.

Also, the weekly (free) World Walk to Wellness will take place from 9-10 a.m., starting at Centennial Park adjacent to the Senior Center and ending back at the festival. Participants are encouraged to be ”Green Walkers,” picking up litter as they go in order to ”leave places better than they found them.”

The volunteer “Walk Star” leader that morning will be Ward Belding, well known locally for his portrayal of Uncle Sam at Fourth of July and Veterans Day events. All are welcome.

Don’t miss this opportunity to Make A Difference for yourself and our community!