Published: October 28, 2007 10:58 pm         

Community comes together to make a difference

We made a difference Saturday.

Thanks to the efforts of volunteers working some 27 projects as part of Make a Difference Day, several Enid residents have something nice to look forward to.

Thanks to Enid AMBUCS clubs, some 30 children and teens have new Amtrykes. Under sunny skies at David Allen Memorial Ballpark Saturday morning, AMBUCS members handed out approximately $9,000 in Amtrykes to some excited children.

The kids smiled, they clapped and they rode. The Amtrykes are specially built three-wheeled trikes that help people with disabilities learn better coordination and get physical exercise.

The kids rode their new trikes around the infield at David Allen Memorial Ballpark to claps and cheers from crowds of volunteers who had gathered to have lunch following a morning of service.

But, the kids weren’t the only ones who had their lives impacted for the better on Saturday.

Thanks to Integris Northwest Health Foundation, hundreds of people had medical screenings, received information on better health or got flu shots at a health clinic Saturday morning.

Organizers reported a steady crowd throughout the morning that started with people lined up waiting to get into the health fair at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

The health fair was so successful, organizers are thinking about making it an annual event.

Thanks to Garfield County Republican Women, preschool children in the area will have new books to read.

Thanks to Modern Woodmen of America, children taking shelter at the YWCA domestic abuse shelter have new hats, gloves, mittens, scarves and diapers. Thanks to members of First United Methodist Church and a group of Vance pilots, a family hopes to be in their new Habitat for Humanity home by Christmas. Thanks to Oklahoma Home and Community Founda-tion, YWCA also has new quilts to give to people seeking assistance at the shelter. Thanks to 4-H members, YWCA also has personal hygiene items to hand out.

Enid firefighters spent the morning checking out local homes for working smoke alarms, and if someone didn’t have one, they received what they needed free of charge. The firefighters also held a car-seat safety check at their station in the afternoon.

Local student groups got in the act by helping out programs. Northwestern Oklahoma State University psychology club put together candy bags for Youth and Family Services. And students at Emerson Junior High School and Taft and Coolidge elementaries did projects for their schools.

Groups large and small gave a little of their time Saturday. Others have ongoing projects that will help people throughout the year.

The Enid News & Eagle raised more than $700 Thursday to provide local school counselors some discretionary funds to help provide basic clothing items for students they see in need. Then on Saturday, a rummage sale at the newspaper raised more than $400 for the local Food 4Kids backpack program.

Some local hair stylists gave part of their paychecks and tips Saturday to help friends in need.

Other groups working as part of Make a Difference Day included The Arbors Assisted Living Cener, Rotary Club of Enid, Bass Construction, Bobsfarm, Lavicky Sand Co., Security National Bank, Waverly Historic District, The Tuesday Night Rippers, City of Enid Transportation Services, TPI Staffing Service, NWOSU Enid Leadership Council, Enid Beautiful, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center and Central National Bank.

All these groups created projects aimed at helping provide a community service.

That’s the purpose behind Make a Difference Day. It’s a day set aside each year — the fourth Saturday in October — to allow people to be of service to others. Thousands of community service projects were conducted nationwide Saturday.

Thanks to the hundreds of Enid volunteers, we made a difference Saturday. And, hopefully, that difference will make someone else’s life just a little bit better.