The Day’s Community Impact in 2019

While The Day's coverage varies day to day, certain features are anticipated by readers. One can expect to see snow day fun in the winter, smiling seniors and tossed mortarboards in June, and from Thanksgiving to Christmas, one little section at the bottom of page A1 makes holidays a little brighter for area residents who are struggling.

The annual "Make a Difference" series, which just completed its 10th year, features an individual or family who could use a little help for the holidays, selected by one of more than two dozen local social services organizations.

In some cases, the featured people have disabilities that prevent them from working, or they experience a tragedy or other unexpected hardship that leads them to seek assistance. Whatever the case, the organization posts what they are looking for or need and how readers can donate.

The series is a newsroom-wide effort, with each reporter working around their other journalistic obligations to pick an organization or two, often but not always related to their beat. Some organizations even reach out to us before we set up the schedule to ask if they can submit a family for the series. Others are harder to track down, and every year the schedule changes several times as the entries come in or organizations join or sit out.

While it can be a logistical challenge, especially during a time when people are on vacation, the outcomes for the organizations and the families they serve are worth it.

Data from 2019 wasn't available at the time of printing, but in 2018, the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeastern Connecticut collected more than $4,800 in cash, checks and gift card donations for their featured client, a single father undergoing cancer treatment who wanted to give his teenage daughter a proper Christmas despite his recovery.

And even the smallest contributions make a big impact. A family of seven featured by the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center framed a note they received from a donor who apologized for such a small donation because they were touched by the generosity of strangers.

The participating organizations repeatedly tell us they are amazed by that generosity and the opportunity Make a Difference gives them to highlight the needs of people in the community.