On Oct. 24, hundreds of Saint Louis University students, faculty and alumni will meet in the Wool Ballrooms of the Busch Student Center and then head out to take part in SLU’s largest day of service: Make a Difference Day. Established in 1998, this is the 11th annual Make a Difference Day.

Robert Wassel, program manager for Center for Leadership and Community Service, is familiar with the event’s origins.

“Bernie Shaefer, the director of Community Outreach, got word of this kind of national day of service sponsored by USA Today and the Hands on Network, and he said, ‘Hey, let’s make SLU a part of it.'”

In the past, the types of service have included activities such as working in soup kitchens, taking children with disabilities to the zoo, repairing the homes of low-income families, painting murals at St. Louis public schools and visiting elderly in nursing homes.

Wassel maintains that the types of service have not changed much since the program’s first year.

“The needs for service have remained somewhat constant over the years-the elderly always need visiting, the hungry always need to be fed,” he said.

When the program started in 1998, it only reached about 25 agencies. According to Wassel, the service provided by the participants of Make a Difference Day now reaches “over 100 non-profit agencies, schools, churches and homes.”

“For the first nine years … between 1,000 and 1,500 people participated,” Wassel said. “[In 2008], we had 2,600.”

Though participation has increased over the years, Wassel still has goals for Make a Difference Day 2009.

“We want everyone to have a positive experience, and we want participants to walk away with a better understanding of the needs of the community, as well as with a desire to continue to serve,” he said.