BOISE, Idaho — A group of volunteers kicked off their week-long efforts to make a difference in the Treasure Valley on Saturday afternoon.
"I Heart Treasure Valley" is a valley-wide community service outreach program designed to present and promote unconditional acts of kindness to those in need in the community.
This is the event's fourth year of service, but this year they're holding a week-long event of service for the first time.
The event kicked off on Saturday and will continue until Saturday, April 6.
Volunteers started the event by painting U.S. maps at some schools around the Treasure Valley and held beautification and garden projects. They completed a total of four projects on Saturday.
They have 38 more projects to complete during the service event.
"The Treasure Valley is an amazing place to live and I don't want to just talk about it, I want to help prove that, 'Hey we're gonna go out and serve our community because we love our community,'" Mark Thornton, the director of I Heart Treasure Valley, said. "So there are some needs that we meet that might not otherwise be met and that's why we exist."
While the event may only be one week, Thornton hopes that the program will make a lasting impact that will continue throughout the year.
"The goal isn't just one week out of the year, the goal is to engage the community to serve maybe once a quarter or once a month," Thornton said.
Other projects that the group has planned for the week include painting more U.S. maps at other schools and a community egg hunt.
To cap off the event, the group will do a mini-home makeover for a single mother and her three children in Caldwell.
They hope to have more than a thousand volunteers throughout the week.
If you'd like to volunteer, you can sign up on their website.