Each year United Way of Larimer County helps connect volunteers to organizations in their community that need help. For this month's Make a Difference Day the week of October 23-29 we will be following several leaders in the community to learn how they make a difference.

Last Month we were introduced to Melanie who is a Volunteer Project Leader (VPL) with the W.O.L.F. Sanctuary. The sanctuary is moving locations and needs help preparing their new site and relies on volunteers like Melanie to make this happen. With Make a Difference Day quickly approaching, Melanie had the opportunity to meet with the W.O.L.F. sanctuary staff and start making preparations for the move. "The next step is to continue to recruit volunteers! I have been really pleased with the number of people that have shown interest so far. With the initial list of volunteers I have, I'm going to work on getting them registered with United Way of Larimer County and on getting liability forms signed."

The Volunteers that participate will have an amazing opportunity to help make the wolves' home the best it can be. Melanie said the preparations for the new sanctuary were something that suprised her after meeting with W.O.L.F. staff. She told us "They [W.O.L.F. staff] have been taking time to remove any dead trees so that there isn't a chance they will fall on the dogs, and they are clearing away brush and low-hanging branches from the base of the trees to minimize the impact of a fire. Depending on how many volunteers we get and the progress that is made on the enclosure, the volunteers will get to help out with what's left to do around the grounds for this safety effort." As a VPL, Melanie has to work hard to make sure the event goes well. This includes organizing carpools for the volunteers, providing them with snacks for Make a Difference Day, and working with sanctuary staff to make sure volunteers have what they need.

"Bob, the maintenance manager at W.O.L.F., is handling getting all of the tools and materials for the project lined out, but I'm going to continue to stay in touch with him on whether he needs me to do anything else to prepare for the event." Volunteer Program Leaders are a key part of Make a Difference Day and helping organizations like the W.O.L.F. sanctuary have successful projects. It requires strong leadership and passion for helping the community. "I'm really excited to get back up there and to get to work at the site with my volunteering team! There is not much more satisfying than working hard all day and seeing the fruits of your labor. It will be a nice change of pace for my coworkers and I who are stuck at a desk most days."

Follow the United Way of Larimer County blog to 'Follow the Leader' and read more about Melanie's story as a Volunteer Project Leader for Make a Difference Day. Applications for Volunteer Project Leaders are closed; however, if you have interest in the program please email Beth Bunde at bbunde@uwaylc.org.

You can make a difference in the community by volunteering for a Make a Difference day project. Click the link below to view current projects and register as a volunteer!

			McKenna Wood McKenna Wood is a Community Impact Intern with United Way. She is currently a senior at Colorado State University studying communications and history. In her free time McKenna enjoys painting, yoga and looking at pictures of dogs on the internet.