THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE; ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH NAMED TOP STATE PROJECT IN U.S. MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY

The news came as a welcome surprise for volunteers from St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau. Marillac's Moveables, a charity program at the church, was named the local winner in the national Make A Difference Day program.

Last week, a half dozen volunteers gathered at the small garage where furnishings are stored to have their pictures taken, but they couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a little work done.

Suddenly, the honor seemed less important than the job to be done.

Marillac's Moveables provides furnishings, including beds, couches, tables and chairs, to the needy.

Denis Rigdon, who co-chairs the program with Connie Eichhorn, discussed plans for the next delivery with Chad Heuschober, a junior at Notre Dame High School. Heuschober recruits high school volunteers.

Eichhorn and Helen Stroder talked about what items were still needed for the delivery run. And Bob Stroder got out his toolbox to make a few repairs to a secondhand chest of drawers.

This dedication is what won Marillac's Moveables a place in today's USA Weekend magazine.

On Oct. 25, the magazine urged people across the country to do something to make a difference in their communities. Today's issue of the magazine outlines many of the things people did.

The honor comes just as the local community gears up for another campaign to make a difference in the community -- Random Acts of Kindness. Sign-up for Random Acts of Kindness is under way. Participants are asked to pledge to perform a kind act during the week.

Last fall, on Make a Difference Day, the St. Vincent's volunteers loaded up delivery trucks and took furnishings to a mother with seven children who had lost everything in a fire.

They also took a bed to a mother-to-be who had been sleeping on the floor, and delivered a bed and dining room set to an arthritis victim who had been sleeping in much pain on her couch.

Their acts, which made a difference that day, also earned the group $100 and national recognition.

Church volunteers have been operating Marillac's Moveables for four years. Among other similar projects are Vincent's Vittles and Catherine's Cabinet.

Marillac's Moveables provide furniture to those in need. Often recipients are women leaving the Safe House for Women who have left all their possessions behind. Others are victims of fires or needy families trying to make a fresh start. The program delivers only to families or individuals referred by counseling centers or churches.

"You would be surprised how many people in this community don't have a bed or a chair," Rigdon said. "When we learn about a family, they might ask for a bed, but when we get there, they don't have anything."

"We try to cover the basics," Eichhorn said. "We want them to have a bed to sleep on, a couch to sit on, a chair to sit in, a skillet to cook in."

Furnishings are donated by individuals and businesses. Volunteers, like the Stoders, visit yard sales and flea markets looking for bargains.

Businesses have been supportive, Rigdon said. Warehouse space has been donated. Businesses donate the use of delivery trucks for deliveries. Furniture stores often donate mismatched or slightly damaged items. Sometimes, the program is able to give stoves, refrigerators, washers and dryers, depending on the need and donations.

In the past year, the program assisted an average of 20 families a month. In addition, about 50 volunteers have participated. Some of them are high school students looking for a way to make a difference, explained Chad Heuschober.

"There are a lot of people who want to work," he said. "All I have to do is ask people personally. They don't like announcements or the P.A. They want to be asked personally. But I've been really pleased at how many people will help."

The program is named for Louise de Marillac, who started the Daughters of Charity in France. The order was dedicated to working with the poor and encouraged others to help the poor.

Helping the poor was also the mission of St. Vincent de Paul, explained the Rev. Joseph Williams, pastor at the St. Vincent's parish.

"This project is in response to us being a Vincentian parish," Williams said. "Our mission is to serve the poor. In this upper-middle class parish we sometimes need a little reminder that the poor are here and in need of our help."

Rigdon said the support of parish priests has aided the success of the program. "They have been willing to stand up and tell what needs to be done. We have been able to step out of our lives and get involved in other people's lives."

And for those who work with Marillac's Moveables, the project has made a difference in their own lives as well.

Rigdon remembers one family in particular. A group of 10 men had delivered an entire household of furniture to a family who had just left the Safe House. A 3-year-old boy looked at those grown men and said, "Oh boy! I get to sleep in a bed tonight."

"Ten men left with tears in their eyes," Rigdon said. "We made a difference for that family."

Donations and volunteers are always welcome. Contact the church at 335-7667 to help.