Make A Difference Festival provides Volunteer Opportunities

January is a time for new beginnings. One way to have a brighter 2025 is by discovering the joy of helping others. Saturday, January 18, is THE day in Pleasanton to explore the many ways you can volunteer.

That’s when the annual Make A Difference for Pleasanton Festival takes place at the Senior Center, 5353 Sunol Boulevard, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Dozens of non-profit organizations will have tables set up with information on how you can “Get Connected & Stay Connected” with your community through volunteer service. There are volunteer opportunities for adults, families, and teenagers.

“In one day, visitors to the festival can learn the many ways local organizations are working year-round to make our community even better,” said W. Ron Sutton, founder of the event. “Visitors also can get valuable tips about safety and emergency preparedness, plus wellness.”

For high school students seeking community service hours, there will be special designations guiding them to those organizations that can use their help in the future. Examples include Special Olympics, Museum On Main, Valley Humane Society, Planting Love Project, Go Green Initiative, and the City of Pleasanton Library and Recreation.

The festival also offers an opportunity for teenagers who sign up in advance to get an hour (or two) credit on the spot by completing tasks such as sorting color crayons for The Crayon Initiative (which melts them down to form new crayons for distribution to children in hospitals); or by tying fleece blankets (for distribution to area homeless); or by creating greeting cards (for distribution via Pleasanton Military Families to those serving far from home); or by assembling sets of safety pins (for use as bib holders next November at the Tri-Valley Turkey Burn). Please note, however, that spaces are limited for these projects: sign up early at www.bit.ly/2025-festival.

Would you like to help prepare and serve meals to neighbors in need? Comfort dogs and cats awaiting their forever homes? Assist a newcomer learning English? Help visitors learn local history? These are but a few of the volunteer opportunities that await festival visitors.

Produced by Make A Difference, Today & Always, a local 501(c)(3) non-profit, the festival is co-sponsored by the City of Pleasanton, Pleasanton Unified School District, the Community of Character Coalition, ACCUSPLIT Make a Difference Programs, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and Karlsson & Lane Accounting Services.

In the festival section on Safety & Emergency Preparedness, visitors can find out how to prepare a 72-hour survival kit, store water, protect important documents, and prepare for the next earthquake. Pleasanton Police Department will provide police dog demonstrations throughout the festival. A fire truck from Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department will be parked outside.

Wellness exhibits will include American Red Cross, Alan Hu Foundation, and Donor Network West.

Visitors will be encouraged to take the “50/50 Pledge,” which states, “I pledge to spend at least 50 hours in community service, and to spend 50 more hours with my family in the next year.” They also can sign the historic banner from the very first local Make A Difference Festival more than a quarter of a century ago.

The website, www.MakeADifferenceForPleasanton.org , will continue to update the list of participating organizations. The website has links to each organization’s mission statement and volunteer needs.

The festival is free of charge, as is the parking at the Pleasanton Senior Center. All are welcome.

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SIDEBAR: EXHIBITORS WILL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING (A PARTIAL LIST, BASED ON EARLY REGISTRATION):

ACCUSPLIT Make A Difference Programs

Agape Villages

Alameda County CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates)

Alan Hu Foundation

Amador Valley Lions Club

American Association of University Women

American Red Cross

Assistance League of Amador Valley

Be SMART for Kids

Big Bay Ray

Blankets for Kids

Culinary Angels

Donor Network West

Eden I & R (Information & Resources)

Goodness Village

GoGreen Initiative

Hively

Just Serve

Just Serve High School Clubs

Little Miracles, Inc.

Livermore-Amador Valley Garden Club

Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department

Lynnewood United Methodist Church

Make A Difference, Today & Always 501(c)(3)

Make A Difference for Pleasanton Programs

Museum On Main

NAMI Tri-Valley (National Alliance for Mental Illness)

Open Heart Kitchen

PG&E

Planting Love Project

Pleasanton Community of Character Coalition

Pleasanton Library & Recreation

Pleasanton North Rotary

Pleasanton Police Department

Pleasanton Puppy Raisers/Guide Dogs for the Blind

Pleasanton/Tulancingo Sister Cities

Pleasanton Unified School District

PPIE (Pleasanton Partnerships in Education)

Special Olympics

Spectrum CS (Community Services)

Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley

Sunflower Hill

Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve (EBRPD)

Sutton Family Make A Difference Programs

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Three Valleys Community Foundation

Tri-Valley Haven

Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance

Tri-Valley REACH

Valley Humane Society