NATCHEZ &045; In today’s USA Weekend Magazine, Adams County’s On-the-Move 4-H Club and more than 500 other groups nationwide will be recognized for their volunteer efforts.

Each year in April, the nationwide magazine &045; carried in newspapers nationwide, including The Natchez Democrat, each Sunday &045; names hundreds of groups who conducted projects in their areas on Make a Difference Day.

In today’s insert, the On-the-Move 4-H Club will be listed along with several other groups that conducted volunteer projects on the most recent Make a Difference Day, Oct. 23.

On that day, the On-the-Move 4-H Club recruited more than 60 volunteers from 15 groups that adopted county roads to clean up.

They picked up trash, raked leaves, cut grass and cleaned and painted more than 300 fire hydrants, painting them red for safety and visibility.

The club also planted flowers at the Police Department, the Natchez Association for the Preservation of Afro-American Culture’s downtown museum and other areas.

The club came up with those project ideas we its members &uot;started thinking about keeping Natchez and Adams County beautiful,&uot; group leader Hattie Kelley said at that time. Kelley could not be reached for comment late Saturday afternoon.

&uot;We looked around and saw trash on the road, fire hydrants that were rusty, leaves everywhere, and it made (the county) look bad, so we decided to do something that could make a difference. These children need a clean environment to grow up in.&uot;

In 2004, 3 million people volunteered in their communities as part of Make a Difference Day.

In Natchez, Make a Difference Day projects in recent years have ranged from cleanup at the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society’s shelter to canned good drives to clearing trees and debris from a local cemetery.

The next nationwide Make a Difference Day is Oct. 22. To get ideas for a project you or your family, business or organization might tackle that day, visit www.makeadifferenceday.com.

That Internet site includes profiles of past projects plus an &uot;idea generator&uot; to help you think up your own ideas for a project.