Difference Day focuses on foreign aid

By Katie Dooling

An event geared toward helping countries through foreign aid last weekend gave students and Bay Area residents an idea of how to effect change on the global scale.

Make a Difference Day, a national effort created by USA Weekend magazine, annually connects people from around the country to develop philanthropic programs for peoples in need abroad.

The list of participants included a collection of specialized organizations to everyday people from around the Bay Area, such as the Center for New Futures and Global Giving.

The event was primarily sponsored by the Center for New Futures, a small organization that specializes in helping others to reach their goals through seminars and other classes, said Center for New Futures associate Cate Sabatini.

Dennis Whittle, CEO and Chairman of Global Giving, said the organization is "the eBay of aid and philanthropy" because the money donated goes directly to the projects that people want to give to. For Make a Difference Day, Global Giving set up 11 different projects for the participants to discuss and plan how the money needed for each project could be raised.

The programs ranged in cost from a clean water project in India which needed $7,370 to a youth center in Poland which would require $133,650.

Focus groups were created with the purpose of coming up with logical solutions and realistic time lines to accomplish particular fund raising goals.

Although many participants had interest in continued involvement with the projects after the seminar, some said doing so would be overwhelmingly difficult due to their busy schedules. Sabatini, however, said that all reactions are acceptable and that commitment is completely up to the individual.

"No one is required [to continue helping with their projects] when they leave," Sabatini said, "but we hope they do."

Participants in Make a Difference Day attended for many different reasons. Kim Daly decided to participate because one of her friends was an organizer of the event, but also because she was interested in finding a way to help aside from just donating money.

"Sometimes when you want to get involved, you don't know where to begin," said Daly, who came to Make a Difference Day to find out how someone can effect change on a global scale.

Others in attendance came because they had been associated with the Center for New Futures and had good experiences. Monica Pal, a participant of the event, credits the Center for New Futures with changing her life.

"What you do and say changes how you see the world," Pal said, "by bringing this method to solving world problems, its scary what could happen."

Of the many community members involved in Saturday's event at Santa Clara, very few were students. Sophomore psychology major Kate McAvoy, who was in attendance, said although she had hoped more students would have participated, she enjoyed the event nonetheless.

"I'm so excited to be in college and learn more about what can be done in the world," said McAvoy.

McAvoy also said she hopes to continue helping with the Global Giving project she was working on at Make a Difference Day, which involves staying in contact with the other members of her group and working to accomplish their goals.

Make a Difference Day also brought many speakers to share about their experiences with Global Giving and to motivate those in attendance.

Carol Realini, a speaker who took the Center for New Futures course and now works with Global Giving spoke about her experiences with poor children in Congo and how important it is to help countries in need.

"The kids [in Congo] are just like our kids, there's no difference," Realini said in her speech. "There's the same human experience."

Barry Posner, the Dean of the Leavey School of Business, also gave a speech with the simple message of thinking "radically" to change the world.

"Leadership isn't a place or organization â€" it's an attitude," Posner said in his speech.

Make a Difference Day at Santa Clara rendered mainly positive responses from event organizers.

"I would've always liked more [people to attend Make a Difference Day]," Sabatini said, "but the spirit people came in with was so generous - they dove in head first."

Contact Katie Dooling at (408) 554-4546 or at kdooling@scu.edu.