All over the state, they pounded, painted and patched. They humored the homeless, aided the disabled, and comforted the confined. Together, they made a loud noise, they made Hawai'i shine, they made many smile.

In all, they made a difference in Hawai'i.

Make A Difference Day — a national day of doing good deeds — is an annual event created by USA Weekend magazine. It happens on the fourth Saturday of every October.

Yesterday, on O'ahu, one of the more massive Make A Difference Day undertakings occurred at Farrington High School, where swarms of students fanned out across campus to tackle projects from weed whacking to wall scrubbing, curb painting to gum scraping.

Student activities coordinator Theresa Ellis said the word went out that the school was looking for 200 student volunteers to participate — a tall order considering it would mean devoting a large chunk of their weekend to manual labor.

Yet, in the end, a total of 300 Farrington students signed up. One hundred non-student community volunteers also joined the party.

"They've covered our whole campus," said Ellis as she scanned the flurry of activity around her. "The whole goal was to beautify our campus. But we've taken it a step further. We're trying to get the kids to take ownership of the school. We're trying to restore the beauty of the front lawn to what it used to be."

Entire teams of students were devoted to landscaping the school's front lawn to restore it to its former glory.

Faculty and student leaders mobilized class councils, student clubs and other school organizations, which all worked in partnership with New Hope Christian Fellowship to coordinate and oversee the project, said Trevor Drinen, director of the fellowship's O'ahu Spirit of Aloha Outreaches program.

Four months ago Drinen began teaching a leadership principles and skills class at the school.

Farrington junior Angel Tuioti, 17, was one of the student leaders from that program who recruited classmates for yesterday's project. She said what made the most difference was the majority of the work was being done by Farrington students themselves.

"The kids will look at the school differently after this," she said. "These projects make a difference, but often the kids don't realize all the work it takes. But after this, since they are involved, they'll know."

Farrington High School principal Catherine Payne said the school has had successful Make A Difference Day events before. But yesterday's turnout went beyond all expectations.

"The work is great, and we need it all," she said. "But what really makes my heart soar is seeing all these different kids from all different backgrounds coming together to work. And, a lot of teachers and parents came out with them."

Meanwhile, on a smaller scale in Wahiawa, two dozen volunteers rose bright and early and descended on Silvercrest Senior Housing project at 520 Pine St. Their mission: clean screens, wash windows.

Most in the task force were members of the Leileihua High School Leo Club, a service organization sponsored by the Wahiawa Lions Club. The rest of the cleaning crew was four National Guard members and five Lions Club members.

Jack Kampfer, with the Lions Club, came up with the window-cleaning project five years ago because folks at the project, all elderly, would otherwise have to scrub their own panes or face the world through dusty screens and clouded glass.

Cleaning the building's awning-type windows presents a challenge. It can be difficult reaching around the edges to get the leverage to apply the proper amount of elbow grease. But Leo Club president Jason Austria, 16, said there is a trick to cleaning the windows from inside an apartment on the upper floors:

"Don't fall out."

To do the job more efficiently you break the volunteers into "runners" and "cleaners," he said. It's tough work, but there are rewards.

"The fun of it is talking with the residents," said sophomore MelissaAnn Pa'ahana, 15, who was completing her second year of window and screen cleaning at Silvercrest. "They're always appreciative. They say thanks and give us breakfast and snacks."

Felicidad Ratonel, 79, was one such smiling resident.

"I couldn't do it myself," she said as she passed out chips and sodas to her helpers. "I have a pacemaker."

As resident Dale Bennett on the fourth floor put it with a chuckle, "If they didn't do it it wouldn't get done. We're all old here. Plus, the price is right."

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.