More than 7,232 volunteer hours were invested into the Fort Leonard Wood community Saturday, as more than 1,200 participants combed the area to make a difference.
"Good things can and do happen every day -- especially on the fourth Saturday of every October," said Rhonda Hutsell, Army Volunteer Corps coordinator. Hutsell coordinated the efforts of the volunteers to make Make a Difference Day a success on Fort Leonard Wood.
Make a Difference Day is a nation-wide coordinated effort where volunteers gather to give back to their communities.
"I want to help the community and this is our way to return the favor for all Fort Leonard Wood does for us," said Sgt. 1st Class Christian Davalos, 55th Mobility Augmentation Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.
Davalos and members of his company spent the morning beautifying the grounds around Wood Elementary School.
"We get help from (Army Community Service) and many other organizations, so this is our way to show that we do care and we are here to make a difference too," he said.
Along with beautifying schools, participants spent the morning weeding flower beds, raking leaves, mulching, sweeping curbs, picking up trash, cleaning up parks, working at the animal shelter and other assigned projects. Soldiers, service members, Family members and area residents all took part in the event.
Helmut Nemetz, a military spouse, and daughter Nicole, spent the morning painting curbs at Williams Elementary.
"My wife asked me if I wanted to come and 'make a difference' today, and here we are," Nemetz said.
Nicole said she jumped at the opportunity to participate.
"I am a Girl Scout cadet, and I wanted to come out here and get some community service in," she said.
Capt. Daniel Millican, 787th Military Police Battalion, said his organization normally does a lot of volunteer work for schools both on and off post. He said when Make a Difference Day came up, he knew that was something they were going to participate in.
"We coordinated through ACS. They said go out to these schools and see what they need and here we are," Millican said.
The morning ended with groups gathering together at ACS for lunch provided by the mobile USO of St. Louis.
Hutsell said the event was a big success for Fort Leonard Wood.
"The quality of life on Fort Leonard Wood is exceptional because of the difference these individuals make," Hutsell said.
"It was a great day, and we want to thank the leaders for supporting the program," she said.
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