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Office of Volunteer Services
Make A Difference Day 2000

The City of Stockton worked with America’s Promise and San Joaquin County Office of Education to “Make A Difference” in Stockton, California. Over 1,500 volunteers touched the lives of people in our community.

	The day kicked off with Mayor Gary Podesto, and culminated with a barbecue lunch and music provided by First Night Stockton. Listed below are the many projects and the wonderful volunteers.
Downtown Clean-up sponsored by First Night Stockton Because Stockton takes pride in our First Night Stockton, family oriented, New Year’s Eve Celebration, a big effort was made to clean up the downtown area it will take place in. Volunteers planted flowers & grass, picked up trash and painted over graffiti in Stockton’s Downtown.
	First Night “Hot Spot” Project Teen volunteers painted murals that will be used in the “Hot Spot” teen area of First Night Stockton. Storm Drain Stenciling Girl Scouts stenciled city storm drains with a green fish caring a message for the Municipal Utilities Department. The message advises people the water, along with pollution, flows to our rivers.
Park Clean-up The LDS church cleaned up one of the City’s Community Centers, a High School and a Children’s Shelter. They painted walls and benches, washing windows, scrubbed kitchens, planting bushes, repaired lights and much more.
	Can Food Drive The City of Stockton Parks & Recreation After School programs, throughout Stockton, had a Canned Food Drive for the Emergency Food Bank. The kids, kindergarten through sixth grade, collected 1228 cans of food for families in need. FREE Halloween Safety Fair The Stockton Police Junior Cadets held a “family oriented” Halloween Safety Fair at a Stockton Community Center. With the assistance of the Stockton Police Reserves, and VIPS - Volunteers In Police Service, they taught the kids and their families about Halloween Safety.
Pet Awareness Fair The Stockton Animal Shelter Friends and Valley SPCA held a Pet Awareness Fair at PetSmart. The day included pet adoptions, information on responsible pet ownership and the introduction of a new program to help finance the spay and neutering of animals for low income households.
Magnolia/Midtown Neighborhood Improvement Meeting A planning meeting was to “Make A Difference” in the future of Midtown Stockton. Neighbors, along with advisory members, gathered to discuss plans for better streets and transportation, more recreation, a safer neighborhood and a program to fix up homes in Midtown Stockton. Plans are in motion to make a long-term difference in Midtown Stockton.
Some of the Volunteer Groups AmeriCorps Members – National & State, LDS Church, First Night Stockton Volunteers, Local High School & College Clubs, City of Stockton Employees & Volunteers, All State Insurance, Delta Rotary, Girl Scouts, Youth from the Parks & Recreation After School Program, California Conservation Corps, San Joaquin County Parole.
	See the 2001 report See the 2002 report