Staff and students at Rugby High School are going to make a difference.

The character counts committee at the school will kickoff the Make a Difference Day campaign on Wednesday, December 9. The purpose of Make a Difference Day is to encourage and recognize volunteerism in the community as well as to provide awareness about issues that impact our lives. The issue for this year’s Make a Difference Days will be cancer.

The school will observe Make a Difference Day one Wednesday each month. Students will have the opportunity to record hours of volunteer activities, which are then tallied and used for recognition at the year-end school awards ceremony.

Another aspect of the day will be to educate and raise awareness of the different kinds of cancer. Staff members will wear a colored button, chosen to represent a type of cancer that has impacted them. This will be a way for students and staff to talk about cancer on a personal level, and to realize how many people are affected by the disease.

There will also be a volunteer bulletin board on display in the commons area of the school. Organizations, churches or businesses in need of volunteer help are asked to contact the school to have the activity listed on the bulletin board. Students are then able to see what is needed in the community and can decide how they would like to volunteer and “Make a Difference.”