PEOPLE: COMMUNITY 'MAKES A DIFFERENCE'

Leah Shrum, a parent, knows that kids love to play, but as a mentor she also knows that many children don't have the toys, games or sporting equipment for outdoor play.

So Shrum and members of the Community 2000 Prevention Resource Center at Southeast Missouri State University developed a plan that could make a difference for area children.

They are collecting used sporting equipment for a Community Youth Mentoring Chest as a project for Make A Difference Day.

It was one of several area projects that were planned on the national Make A Difference Day. The day is sponsored by USA Weekend magazine and the Points of Light Foundation. More than 2 million people were expected to participate in community projects Saturday.

Illinois Gov. George Ryan said the talents and energies of volunteers continues to be one of the nation's greatest resources. "Volunteers are truly America's unsung heroes. Having a nationally recognized day gives everyone a chance to be a hero and give a helping hand to those in need."

Ryan declared Saturday the 10th annual Make A Difference Day in Illinois.

In Cape Girardeau, a group had collected a box of baseball bats, basketballs, roller blades, jump ropes and a croquet set in just a few hours. "We're just looking for any kind of sporting equipment," Shrum said.

Everything from soccer balls, board games and bicycle helmets are needed to make the project work. The outdoor equipment will be split so that some is housed at Arena Park and some at the Osage Community Centre.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department donated 10 bicycles to the chest Saturday. The bikes will be stored by the city's Parks Department.

"We wanted to develop a chest so that the mentors weren't always spending their money," Shrum said. The volunteers already devote time to the child they mentor and many are college students and don't have the extra money, she added.

The idea for a community chest is a great place to start, said Alison Staggs, director of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program locally. "It will be great because it's a place for their brains to get going when they want to do something with their 'little,'" she said. "We will encourage the matches to use the donations and to donate items to the chest."

The Community Youth Mentoring Chest will be available for recognized mentoring programs in the community and lets them check out equipment to use with the children.

There are about eight different youth and child mentoring programs in the community. During surveys by the Area Wide United Way, mentoring was noted as a project worth developing in the community, Shrum said.

A group of people from the United Way, university, Caring Communities, parks department and police department and the area schools worked to put together a plan that would address that need: the Community Youth Mentoring Chest.

The community chest also includes a bank of coupons, gift certificates and other awards that can be distributed through mentoring programs. Area businesses donated to the coupon bank.

To make donations of sporting equipment or gift certificates, contact the resource center at 651-5153 or Big Brothers Big Sisters at 339-0184.