National Make a Difference Day occurs on the fourth Saturday of October and this year, the date lands on October 24th. In the difficult, seemingly never-ending year of 2020, Make a Difference Day comes as a unifying force for Americans, offering us a weekend to participate in well-needed community service. In case you have never heard of this holiday, it was created in 1992 by USA WEEKEND magazine in order to rally volunteers and organizations, as well as raise awareness about the significance of volunteer service in our communities. Make a Difference Day focuses on volunteer service and highlights an often-unrecognized leadership style; that is, servant leadership.
What is Servant Leadership?
Servant leadership appears on the surface to be a rather contradictory statement. How is it that we might lead when we are serving instead of directing? In fact, these two ideas can be true simultaneously. Servant leadership recognizes the value of focusing on others first. This takes the attention away from the leader and applies it to the service or value they are providing for others. One can still lead while being a servant, yet this method asks the leader a healthy degree of humility with an emphasis on uplifting others. A leader who employs this style effectively can unlock the highest potential in others and allow them to flourish as they serve their roles within the group or organization.
How Does this Relate to Community Service?
Servant leadership and community service are often found hand-in-hand. Servant leaders embrace the belief that leadership is best performed when in the service of others. It’s no question, then, why great servant leaders regularly engage in some form of community service. These leaders are evident throughout history in the form of significant cultural leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa. Their humble, faithful, and service-oriented lives have left legacies and offer shining examples of dedicated servant leaders that we can hope to emulate. Through their legacies, we are reminded of the crucial work we can perform to enhance and enrich our communities for all.
How Can I Get Started?
The simplest way to get involved in community service is to think of the service you would like to offer, and then search for a local volunteer
opportunity. For students and local community members of The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Office of Volunteer Programs provides numerous ways to get involved. Check out their website at https://union.illinois.edu/get-involved/office-of-volunteer-programs. For those hoping to make an immediate impact for Make a Difference Day, the Champaign Public Library’s website is offering the chance to make blankets for those in need this fall/winter time. Check out their website at https://champaign.org/event/make-a-difference-day-2150873. Servant leadership opportunities are everywhere if you know how to find them. In committing yourself to a volunteer cause, no matter how frequent, you are committed to developing yourself as a servant leader and contributing to your community members most in need of help.
