Making a difference; fueled by innovation Published April 17, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Trevor T. McBride 48th Fighter WIng Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- You may be only one person ... Stemming from last year's Liberty Pride Day, the 48th Fighter Wing is hosting not only a day, but an entire week of dedicated to volunteers fueled with innovation April 19-25 in the newly-named Make a Difference Lakenheath event. According to Catherine Locke, MADL chair person, the intent is to bring the military community together in a focused effort to make a difference in the community in which it lives and works. MADL shows that doing simple positive acts can lead to a more positive community. You may not have much time ... "It could be painting an office with a more cheerful color, smiling when spoken to, holding open a door, picking up litter, stopping to listen to someone, spring cleaning or mowing your neighbors lawn that can help positively affect those around us," said Locke. The MADL campaign's motto is "Participate, Nominate, Collaborate, Communicate, Celebrate." Locke said the motto reminds RAF Lakenheath families who may be dealing with career transitions, deployments or everyday situations that they can still make a positive impact on those in the community. "MADL is a great opportunity to get the community involved with fixing problems we can find," said Senior Airman Isaiah Whittaker, 48th Logistics Readiness Squadron MADL representative. "When people get involved, it shows a sense of pride in ourselves." You may not know where to start ... MADL is open to any anyone who is committed to showing individual random acts of kindness as well as formal group projects. In addition, for the first time, Department of Defense Dependent School students are involved. "We plan to build a [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] garden into an outside corner of the [Lakenheath Intermediate School]," said Edward Gravlin, DODDS instruction system specialist. "The garden will have a small plastic pond, plants and benches, and will hopefully be visited by birds, insects, etc. The initial stage of the project is to fence the area in. We plan to have adult volunteers assist with this component during MADL." Liberty Wing members are encouraged to sign up as participants or submit ideas for projects located on or off base. "Projects [that can be submitted] can range from focusing on kindness for the day to a project spread over the entire week," said Locke. "Our hope for off-base projects is to join other local projects, since many of the people on base live, shop and even send the kids to school off base." You don't need a reason ... Whittaker said that his unit will be picking up trash along the base's perimeter. Students have learned that bats in the RAF Lakenheath area are having difficulties living, so for MADL, Gravlin's goal is to have boxes mounted high on buildings around the base, he said. This will support bat populations while reducing the number of unwanted pests like mosquitoes, a favorite bat food. "This is a way to give back to our host nation in a positive way," Locke added. To close out MADL, there is a celebration planned for April 25 at 12:30 p.m. for anyone who made a difference in 2014. There will be food, a brag board, slide show, bouncy castle, games/activities and the presentation of awards. ... You can make a difference. Lastly, Locke encourages Liberty Wing members to post selfies and project photos to the official @MakeaDifferenceLakenheath Facebook page throughout the week, whether a project is officially registered or not. To learn more about MADL, volunteer or to register projects, email makeadifferencelakenheath@gmail.com.