NATCHEZ &045; From the looks of things, no one had to tell members of the Caring and Sharing Ruriteen Club what to do &045; they just jumped in and did it.

Starting Saturday morning, the children and teens were still working well into midafternoon, mopping, cleaning and clearing debris and stored items from the Ruriteen headquarters at the Sadie V. Thompson High School building.

Cleaning the room is important because is used for tutoring, parenting classes, camp activities and other services, said Ruritan Zone Governor Arella Bacon.

Since water damaged the room last fall, the group has had to find alternative locations for its activities.

&uot;We need to keep the tutoring program and have it reach more kids,&uot; said seventh-grader Charmaine King, one of about 50 volunteers who did heavy-duty cleaning as part of Make a Difference Day activities.

&uot;Without it, the kids may stay in trouble,&uot; said King, who added that Ruriteen programs have taught her &uot;how to act when I go places and how to motivate others with their character, too.&uot;

Bacon was all smiles as she surveyed the job the youth, their parents and other volunteers, including 4-H members, had done.

&uot;They really made a difference today,&uot; Bacon said.

But they weren’t the only ones volunteering Saturday throughout the Miss-Lou as part of the nationwide Make a Difference Day observance.

Among other events, activities included students, parents and staff members installing playground equipment and a tennis wall and sprucing up flowerbeds at Vidalia Upper Elementary. And the Retired Senior Volunteers Program and Adams County Girl Scouts collected pet food and cleaning supplies for the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society.

But one didn’t have to go far from the Ruriteen headquarters to find other Make a Difference Day projects.

On the other side of the Thompson School building, Mayor’s Youth Council members and other volunteers repainted the cafeteria of the Boys & Girls Club of the Miss-Lou.

That room is used by the club as classroom and meeting space, a place for the children and youth to eat their snacks and an extension of the club’s game room and as a space for dances and other activities, said Executive Director Faye Minor. &uot;We got an estimate on painting this room, and it came in at $3,000, so this definitely helps out,&uot; Minor said. &uot;It was looking kind of drab, so we thought we’d paint it and liven it up a little bit.&uot;

Two groups of volunteers &045; 30 people in all, in shifts due to ACT testing that morning &045; came to help out, said council President Carly Turner.

In addition to helping meet needs, volunteering helps council members experience different parts of their community, she said.

&uot;And I think it’s our duty as individuals to help take care of our community,&uot; said council member Amelia Morris.