Saturday a chance to get outside, Make a Difference

Volunteers have a variety of ways to benefit and beautify the community on national Make a Difference Day on Saturday. The event, always held on the fourth Saturday of October, began in 1992 and has become the largest annual community service day in the nation.

All of the events are outside, so volunteers should dress for the weather and wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes and bring gloves, water bottles and hand tools. Minors will need to have a parent sign a consent form available at each service site. Those volunteering at a city or county park can also download the consent form at www.parkhero.org/Documents/CityCountyMinorConsentMADD.pdf.

• Uptown Village cleanup and award ceremony: This event kicks off at 9 a.m. at 1919 Main St. with the presentation of the Ryan Woods Grassroots Community Award, which is being given to Hector Hinojosa. Afterward, volunteers will clean up Uptown Village by weeding tree wells, removing graffiti, cleaning windows and picking up litter. For more information and to sign up to volunteer, contact Jill Brown in the mayor’s office at 360-487-8641 or jill.brown@cityofvancouver.us.

• The Butt Stops Here parks cleanup: After a 10 a.m. orientation at the Luke Jensen Sports Park, 4000 N.E. 78th St., groups of volunteers will comb parks and public areas around the county in search of cigarette butts and litter. Volunteers will need to provide their own transportation to the cleanup sites. At 12:30 p.m., everybody will return to the sports park to weigh the litter bags and eat pizza donated by Blind Onion. For more information, visit www.cityofvancouver.us/MADD.

• Tree-planting at Leverich Park: From 9 a.m. until noon, volunteers will work with the Vancouver Watersheds Alliance and the city’s Greenway Sensitive Lands Team to plant about 4,000 trees in Leverich Park. There is a short hike to the planting location from the park’s parking lot at East 39th Street and East Leverich Park Way. Volunteers should meet at the covered area. There will be refreshments and snacks for volunteers. To sign up for this volunteer opportunity, email jeannie@vancouverwatersheds.org.

• LeRoy Haagen Memorial Park invasive plant removal: From 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., volunteers will help remove invasive English holly and shiny geranium at LeRoy Haagen Memorial Park on Northeast Ninth Street, just west of Northeast 136th Avenue.

• Washington State University Vancouver tree-planting: Clark Public Utilities’ StreamTeam will be planting trees starting at 8:30 a.m. at the college, 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave. To sign up to volunteer, call 360-992-8585 or email streamteam@clarkpud.com. Refreshments and lunch will be provided for volunteers at the event, which wraps up by 1 p.m.