Community Corner

Almost-Sleepover Project Named Finalist For Award

Created by sisters from Guilford and their friends, the nationwide almost-sleepover united more than 1,200 kids in 26 states in support of more than 100 charities from Connecticut to California, including kids in Guilford, Madison, Killingworth, Clinton.

 

Shoreline kid-created nationwide almost-sleepover project named finalist for $10,000 national award

 USA WEEKEND magazine has chosen the Shoreline kid-created USCS Make a Difference Day Almost-Sleepover community service movement as a finalist for the national 2012 Make a Difference Day All-Star Award, presented to a single past national honoree who has continued to make a difference in his/her community. The winner of the All-Star Award will be decided by a daily public online vote from February 15 to February 29 at www.makeadifferenceday.com and will receive a $10,000 donation to the charity of his/her choice.

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 Created by sisters from Guilford and their friends, the nationwide almost-sleepover united more than 1,200 kids in 26 states in support of more than 100 charities with community service-filled almost-sleepover events from Connecticut to California this past year, including kids in Guilford, Madison, Killingworth, Clinton, Southington and Voluntown. The girls and their project are the only Connecticut finalist and the only kids in the competition—which includes a nationwide college fraternity and an entire town. The Make a Difference Day All-Star Award winner will be decided via a daily public online vote, beginning February 15 and continuing through February 29, at www.makeadifferenceday.com . One vote per person, per day is allowed (kids 12 and under should ask their parent/parents, family members and friends to vote).

 The nationwide community service project was the idea of Guilford sisters Delaney and Addie Kenney and friends Willow and Rosalie Coleman and Marlah Hohlfelder of Guilford; Sophie Marnin of Madison; and Isabel Kessler of Killingworth who held an almost-sleepover with friends in their hometown of Guilford, Connecticut, in October 2010, and won a National Make a Difference Day Award and $10,000 for charity from Newman's Own for their efforts. After the success of their local event, the girls wondered if other kids might be interested in making a difference in their communities, too. In 2011 the girls launched their own community service organization, The United States of Community Service., Inc. (www.uscsnow.org ), and took their almost-sleepover idea nationwide.

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 The winner of the online vote will receive a $10,000 donation to the charity of their choice from USA WEEKEND and the Gannett Foundation. If the girls win, they’ll be holding a random drawing to select the name of a nonprofit organization supported by one of their almost-sleepover hosts nationwide.

“Our project is a finalist for this award because of the 1,200 USCS kids and their parents, grandparents, teachers and scout troop leaders who joined with us to make a difference last year, including groups of kids who held almost-sleepover events in Guilford and Madison,” said Delaney and Addie’s mom, Laurie Kenney. “What better way to say thank you than by giving one of our almost-sleepover hosts the chance to surprise their charity of choice with $10,000 donation, should we win the online vote.”  

 To help the kid-created almost-sleepover movement win $10,000 for charity, please vote daily February 15 through February 29 at www.makeadifferenceday.com. For more information on how you can get involved in the 2012 USCS Make a Difference Day Almost-Sleepover, visit www.uscsnow.org.

 About The United States of Community Service Make a Difference Day Almost-Sleepover

The USCS Make a Difference Day Almost-Sleepover is a nationwide quest to unite kids in community service, shine the spotlight on local charities, and empower kids to make a difference nationwide to celebrate Make a Difference Day, our country’s largest day of service. The event is the first project from The United States of Community Service, Inc. (USCS) an organization (501c3 nonprofit status pending) dedicated to getting kids involved in and excited about community service and empowering them to make a difference in their community, their nation and their world by providing opportunities for families to get involved in community service and working with and supporting the efforts of other nonprofit organizations. For more details, visit www.uscsnow.org.


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