National Make a Difference Day is an annual community service event held on the fourth Saturday of every October. This year, that day falls on October 26th. Millions of people unite across the country with the common mission of making the lives of people around them a little bit better. This blog is your guide to a number of ways you can help your community, which will, in turn, improve the lives of both the people you work with as well as yourself.

Be a Part of Something Bigger

Make a difference in your community by planning a service project and become a role model for those around you. If you’re eager to get started but aren’t sure where to begin, input your ZIP code into this Points of Light search engine and to find a service project going on near you. Or, gather up some friends and take matters into your own hands! Call up your local parks and recreation department and ask about the process of volunteering to beautify a public park. By putting effort into making a shared space more enjoyable, you’ll improve the mood of everybody who passes through the park, which will without a doubt find its way back to you!

Work Close to Home

If you’re going to work to make a difference in the lives of those around you, it makes sense to try and benefit those who are around you the most! If you have a green space in your community, get in contact with your HOA and see about converting a part of that area into a shared vegetable garden. Eating fresh produce can really brighten up your mood and add some color to your diet, and there’s no better feeling than taking a bite of bell pepper that you picked yourself! If you have children in your community, getting them hooked on the delicious taste of fresh fruits and veggies early in life is key to making sure they have a healthy diet and lifestyle as an adult.

Whether you’re working on improving a public park for strangers to enjoy or making it a point to make a difference at home, volunteering your time is an incredibly rewarding way to improve the lives of those around you. While National Make a Difference Day is only one day a year, there’s no reason why you can’t keep the spirit of volunteerism alive and spend your evenings and weekends continuing to give back to your community. For more ways to improve your community, be sure to like Lennar on Facebook.