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When you volunteer as part of your vacation, your trip takes on a whole new meaning. Voluntourism is a unique opportunity to contribute to the place you’re visiting while learning about and creating an individual connection with its inhabitants and environment – that’s why we call voluntourists "Change Ambassadors." This page is a chance for all Change Ambassadors to write about your experience and tell fellow travelers about the kind of impact voluntourism can have and what you learned along the way. Thank you for taking the time to share your story!
In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, our winters see extremely cold temperatures. The Keewenaw Community experiences very cold and violent winters. Last winter, over 200 inches of snow fell. The “Turn on the Heat” benefit, which is sponsored by Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, will assist in heating the homes of the community during these cold and snowy winters. During Make a Difference Day 2...
Ali J. (Houghton, Michigan, United States)
I wanted to set up a food pantry for pets that are going hungry. I was sadden to learn that many pets are being abandoned because families can't feed them any more. I also wanted to get enough food to help peolpe feed their families too. I e-mailed, went door to door to collect food and put up posters all over the community for weeks and got my school to help too. My friends and I worked very h...
Shannon G. (Maspeth, New York, United States)
The University of Akron has been organizing a Make a Difference Day for 4 years now. Each year we organize around 700 students, faculty, staff, and community members volunteers to complete various projects throughout the city of Akron. One of the projects this year was at a local childcare facility called KidSpace. One of the students actually works there during the year and so she organized he...
Kristin (United States)
I am a student teacher at Rochester High School in Rochester Hills, Michigan. My Child Development Class decided to participate in "Make a Difference Day" because sadly, more than 300,000 children across America must be rescued each year from dangerous home environments. That is over 34 children per hour! Traumatized by the events leading to their rescue these children will be able to have someth...
Lindsay J. (Rochester Hills, Michigan, United States)
Saturday morning, dreary, gray clouds rolled across the horizon, not at all matching the spirits of everyone rolling into the parking lot of the Fort Fisher Recreation Center. These spirits were higher, more like the sun trying to shine its way through and onto the pile of fishing poles ready to reel, the pole-holders set down the shoreline and of course, the eyes of the volunteers eager to grab a...
Annie A. (Wilmington, North Carolina, United States)