Whenever I think about "making a difference" I think of the parable of the starfish, where a cynic sees a child rescuing starfish from a beach after a storm and says, "It's no use kid. There are hundreds. What you're doing isn't going to make a difference." The child gently picks up another starfish, sets him in the water, and then smiles up at the cynic, saying, "Made a difference for that one."