Imagine the impact millions of Reddit users could make if they stepped away from their computers for one day and helped out their real life communities.
This is what Reddit administrators hope to accomplish this Saturday, Sept. 22, as part of Reddit’s Dedicated Day of Service (rDDoS).
“This is the perfect excuse to join up and meet new friends, do something fun, and give back to your community,” wrote Reddit staffer jenakalif. “Beer tastes even better after doing something awesome for your community.”
The day of service was partly inspired by a Sept. 8 meetup in Clarksville, Tenn., where 13 redditors renovated a shelter for mentally disabled adults. Starting at 8am that day, the group worked hard tearing up old linoleum, capping a chimney and drenching the entire house in paint.
Giving back to the community has been an important cornerstone of Reddit over the last seven years. From laying wreaths on the graves of fallen soldiers to helping to erect a wall in Kenya to protect a children’s home, Reddit has become more than just a social news site filled with funny images.
“I’ve always tried to ‘make the world suck less,’” Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian told the Daily Dot in March, “but neither [Reddit cofounder Steve Huffman] nor I started Reddit explicitly to do good in the world.”
In preparation for the Dedicated Day of Service, redditors are encouraged to visit their local subreddit to find more information on volunteer opportunities.
“In case you are on the fence about earning IRL karma [Reddit’s internal mechanism for rating influence], redditors across the globe are going AFK [away from keyboard] to meet other redditors in their local areas,” jenakalif wrote. “ Share your pics and stories on redditgifts.com or your local subreddit. We have a pile of reddit gold to give out to participants.”
Photo via /r/clarksville