Make a Difference Day was on October 20th, and East Leyden students and faculty participated by doing multiple projects around the Leyden area to benefit the community.

Over 115 students and 17 staff volunteers helped with six activities throughout the community including a food drive in Leyden Township, a cereal drive in Rosemont, helping the residents at Elmwood Cares Nursing Facility, hosting Bingo with residents at Villa Scalabrini, yard work for senior citizens, and working with the Village of Franklin Park to clean up the tracks at 25th and Belmont.

“Congratulations to all participants on an extremely successful Make a Difference Day,” said Student Activities Director, Dominic Manola, who was in charge of coordinating the various Make a Difference events for East Leyden’s students and staff.

Senior Kailyn Wnek volunteered for bingo at Villa Scalabrini.

She believes that “the day went amazing; the residents at Villa Scalabrini seemed to love the help with bingo, and we definitely liked doing it.”

Senior Justin O’Donnell, who volunteered at the food drive in Leyden Township, exclaimed, “I enjoyed the experience because the people I was with, and the people I was helping made the time fly.”

“I plan on volunteering more because I like to see how happy it makes everyone,” O’Donnell mentioned.

“Other students should volunteer because it benefits the entire community, and you can’t beat the feeling you get afterward,” Wnek remarked.

Mr. Manola encourages everyone to keep an eye out because “over the next few weeks, we will be putting together some videos of the events that we will be sharing.”