Vermonters Make a Difference

Participating in your government through voting is one way you can make a difference. Although you may not be old enough to vote, you can have an impact on the elections.

Think of what would happen if students took their parents to the polls on Election Day. Voting in the 2000 Presidential Primary increased 17 percent in St. Albans City for that very reason. Imagine if students talked to three other adults and encouraged them to vote on Election Day. What if you discussed the issues that matter most to you with adults and encouraged them to vote for the candidates who will address those issues. If you do just one of these things you WILL make a difference.

After Election Day, there are plenty of opportunities to continue making a difference. Here are some examples of Vermonters who have made a difference in their community, their state, their nation and the world.

IN WASHINGTON: Once elected to office, do our leaders make a difference? Vermont has a tradition of electing leaders who leave their mark in Washington. George Aiken is one example.
George Aiken's long and distinguished record of public service began in his own community where as a farmer he organized his County Farm Bureau. His career in public service went on to include serving as a state representative in the Vermont Legislature, lieutenant governor, governor and senator.
Aiken's background played a significant role in his approach to shaping our nation's agriculture policy during his tenure in the senate. He helped move the federal government from agricultural policies based on production to policies focusing on distribution. This policy shift was instrumental in creating the National School Lunch Act and the Special Milk Program. His theory of agricultural distribution had international effects as the Food for Peace Program was one of the first initiatives to provide American agricultural surpluses to less fortunate countries.

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Aiken's 43 years of service to Vermont and the nation produced an extensive list of accomplishments. But before making a difference in the lives of many, he began by making a difference in the lives of a few fellow farmers in his community.

IN OUR WORLD: Through passion and commitment, there are Vermonters who have made a difference in our world. Jody Williams has had a global impact through her work to end the use of land mines, a weapon that kills or injures three people every hour.

Hired by a Vietnam Veterans group, Jody helped build a coalition of more than 1,000 organizations and gained the support of such notable figures as Nelson Mandela and Norman Schwarzkopf. Her hard work and determination paid off with 125 nations signing the Ottawa Accord, a pledge to ban the use of land mines. Her efforts were recognized with one of the highest humanitarian awards, the Nobel Peace Prize.

IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS: Making a big difference usually begins by taking small steps to help those in need. Rita Markley, executive director of Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS), demonstrates this concept well.

Markley wanted to be a writer but took a part-time job working for an organization that helps the homeless in Vermont. This part-time job has turned into a life's calling. She is a respected community leader and has gained a national reputation for her innovative programs to address the problems of the homeless in Vermont.

Beyond providing beds and meals, COTS helps with job training, child care services, health care and counseling, and more. Providing these support services may be why 70 percent of the people who use their training programs have stable housing and a job within a year. This approach has earned national praise for its effectiveness.

Today, more than 150 businesses provide support to the COTS program and each year more than 1,000 people gather together to help raise money by walking for COTS. Markley is proof that individuals can make a big difference in the lives of others.

A farmer, an organizer and a writer: three very different Vermonters with three very different sets of accomplishments. Yet each of them has made a huge difference and in the process demonstrated strength, courage and passion for their cause. There are many more Vermonters like them. Why not try and identify other Vermonters who have made a difference. Who are they, what have they done and why do you admire them? Now ask yourself one thing you could do to make a difference. Start today, that's how George, Jody and Rita made a difference.

20 WAYS YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Every day you can make a difference in your community in just an hour or two. Here are some ideas...

* Pick up one piece of trash every day for a month.

* Introduce yourself to someone in your community you don't know.

* Donate blood at a local blood bank.

* Babysit your neighbor's kids while they volunteer.

* Call or visit your neighborhood school to ask how you can volunteer.

* Tutor someone.

* Find someone doing a good job for your community and write a thank-you letter.

* Register to vote and register a friend, too.

* Host a foreign student for a semester.

* Take food to a local homeless shelter.

* Clean out your closets and take old clothes to a charity.

* Volunteer for three hours a week in a school, hospital or youth center.

* Start a "play group" for bringing families together.

* Rake and bag leaves for a homebound friend or neighbor with disabilities.

* Organize a tree planting day.

* Ask at least one person a day for their opinion on community issues and what problems they'd most like to see changed.

* Run errands for single parents.

* Find at least two other people for a clean-up/fix-up day at a nearby school.

* Serve food on Thanksgiving at a homeless shelter.

* Organize a food or clothes drive