From trimming back cattails to cleaning and organizing supply closets, more than 100 volunteers are needed to participate in Make a Difference Day.

An annual service event started by USA Weekend that encourages people to spend a day volunteering in their community, Make a Difference Day is Oct. 22.

This year, the United Way Roger Hill Volunteer Center has identified 11 projects. Those projects include sprucing up school landscapes and other outdoor recreational areas, doing housekeeping work for a number of facilities at social service agencies, and recycling at the Kansas University football game.

Most all of the tasks require unskilled labor and are family-friendly, said Shannon Reid, a volunteer coordinator for the Roger Hill Volunteer Center.

Local nonprofits have enough work to keep 138 volunteers busy that day, Reid said. And he’d like to see groups, such as churches, service organizations or businesses, sign up to tackle individual projects.

Most of the projects are expected to take between two to three hours, and many are scheduled for the morning.

Among the organizations that need the most volunteers is the Hidden Valley Camp, a day camp for Girl Scouts. Camp manager Durand Reiber said they depend on volunteers to help maintain the grounds, which benefits both wildlife and children.

“We’ve been there for over 50 years, and most of the camp has been developed and maintained by volunteers,” Reiber said.

This year, the camp would like to see between 10 and 24 volunteers help them cut back cattails that have infested the wetlands area and to cut down honeysuckle shrubs, which are an invasive species. So far just one volunteer has signed up.

Dozen of volunteers are needed to help with fall cleanup projects at Schwegler and Woodlawn elementary schools.

“I think a lot of agencies look forward to this day of service so they can get big projects done in a matter of few hours,” Reid said. “They don’t have the resources to spend on it or the number of volunteers to do it.”

To register for a project, go to volunteerdouglascounty.org or call the volunteer center at 865-5030.