(April 18, 2008) PCM's Kristyn spent a few moments chatting with CMT's Diana DeGarmo about her role as spokesperson for this year's Global Youth Service Day. Read on to find out some ways you can actively participate in helping build a better community one person at a time!

Diana DeGarmo: Hi Kristyn, it's Diana DeGarmo.

Kristyn: Hi Diana, how are you doing?

D: I am good! How are you doing?

K: Not too bad!

D: Good, Good!

K: Have you been doing a lot of interviews today?

D: I have done a few, but the good thing is you are our last one. It has all been good and a lot of fun, talking about a good subject.

K: Well, that is great! Can you tell me how you first became involved Global Youth Service Day?

D: Well, it started out with me being involved with CMT, with Gone Country, the TV show that I had done for them that aired back at the beginning of the year. We had such a good time working together that their publicity firm and publicist there we just had a ball with the radio tours and all the interviews. I guess they circled through and found out that I had been a spokesperson for different charities in the past, I had done a lot of different things but it has all be community service. And they asked me if I would like to be the spokesperson and kind of be the face for Global Youth Service Day this year and I was more than honored, and definitely humbled that they would choose someone like me. I figured I am not doing anything else at the moment, so why not? It sounds like fun! (laughs)

K: That is great! So can you our readers a little bit about the event?

D: Well, actually it is funny, they call it one day, The Global Youth Service Day, but it is actually a weekend and it has become such a big thing, we are trying to make it even bigger. It is going to April 25-27th and we are just trying to encourage anyone, they say youth 5-25, but I like to say anyone with a youthful heart and able hands to go out there and help out their communities. If you go to CMTOneCountry.com, you can type in your zip-code and there on the website come up all the different types of non-profit organizations in your hometown or area that you can help out with! Because that is kind of the big thing I know that from when I was a teenager, people say" You gotta do community service", but if you are not always involved with it, sometimes you don't even know where to begin, but CMT One Country just lays it all out right there and gives you plenty of ideas to help you get involved in your city or community.

K: You are right. I mean, I checked out the website the other night and I was amazed at all the volunteer opportunities right here in my own hometown. It is definitely worth checking out.

D: I think it is one of things that people don't really know about it, because if you are not directly involved in the community, community service, or non-profit organization then you just don't know. I think that has been the best thing that CMT One Country could have done, by breaking it down and making it as simple as possible. Nobody has an excuse for not getting out there and doing something this coming weekend!

K: Yes, the site was incredibly easy to navigate, so I can definitely vouch for the ease of use on the site.

D: Plus on the website you can check out information on all the other charities that CMT One Country is supporting

K: That is awesome! What are some ways that you feel that today's youth can get out there and make a difference? What are some ways that we can all give back to our communities?

D: Well, I know some things that I have done in the past. My mom and I go out every holiday season to downtown Atlanta to feed the homeless and I have been doing that ever since I can remember. That is the best thing my mom has ever gave me, I mean I did not grow up in the biggest house, with the most expensive things or brand new items, but as a teenager, you kind of go " Awww…my mom could be so much better, I have it so rough" you know with us teenagers and our emotions. It really makes you realize that there are people worse off than you in this world and especially just in our hometowns. In this country that we are living in, there are some many things that you can do, I have done things in downtown Atlanta, there have been old areas of town that became kind of overgrown and looking dingy, but with a few hours of hard-work whether you just take out some gardening tools, and the next thing you know you have a beautiful little park. It does not take very much to make a big difference!

K: Wow, well it definitely give the youth, I think, a way to put themselves in others shoes for a little while and I think that is truly important!

D: I agree completely! Like I said, with our emotions we get so involved in our own little world and it is usually day to day, but when you get out there and you get involved with your community you see these other people that are around you and you realize that there is a much bigger and brighter world going on around me and I just think that is so important with our youth especially with this young generation coming up that I am even a part of we have kind of been bombarded with a lot of crazy things, sometime we just need to kind of break it down and look at the people who are around us and help out those in need and it can make a big difference.

K: Definitely. You were named as an excellent role-model for the youth of America, and that is quite an honor. What has that been like for you?

D: It has been great to know that people look up to me and I know that most of my fans are young females between the ages of 11 or 12 up to their late teens and that is my big basis. Nowadays there are some many celebrities out there in the world that are not somebody that I would want my kids to look-up to

K: Right

D: or my nieces to look-up to, cause my nieces are young and they are setting up to get into Disney and Miley Cyrus and they love Hannah Montana and all those things. It is good that there are a few out there, but there is not many, so for me to be considered one of those is a really huge honor.

K: Well, congratulations! (laughs)

D: Thanks, Thanks you're making me blush (laughs)

K: So are there any other types of youth service events or charities that you feel strongly about?

D: One in particular that I have worked with for a few years, and will hopefully be working with again in the near future is the USO. I come from a long line of people in the military, and having a brother overseas, even though you are not directly doing community service right here at your hometown, it is more of a broader aspect with the USO because they are the people that are giving you the community that you are helping out, they are the ones keeping us safe, so I hold the USO pretty deeply to my heart. There are so many that CMT One Country works with such as Boys and Girls Club of America and Habitat for Humanity, things like that which I know, I have friends in Atlanta that have specifically dealt with and have been given homes from Habitat for Humanity and I have seen how much it has helped them, so I think they are a great charity.

K: Yes, definitely. While on CMTOneCountry.com I saw a ton of Boys and Girls Club volunteer opportunities. I used to work in daycare, so that one definitely interested me personally.

D: Oh, that would be really cool! It is so funny because sometimes you just really don't know how to get involved or don't really know what to do, but it doesn't take much effort to make such a really big difference in somebody's life whether it be Boys and Girls Club or cleaning up somewhere in your hometown or feeding the homeless. Plus if you really don't know what to do, you can donate clothes to charity, I know every year they are always looking for new things, new clothes every season to help out. It just comes to down to the fact that little things make a big difference.

K: Agreed! I certainly hope the trend continues, and I see this is the second year in a row that CMT One Country and Youth Service have come together for the campaign. Do you feel that it will continue into the future?

D: I definitely think it will continue into the future! Just because it is such a great collaboration and it is one of those things that I have been very, very pleased to work with everyone, and they have all been fabulous. All the volunteers that help out are also really great, that help just kind of spread out the word about Global Youth Service Day. I am just excited that they are getting the word out to a generation that I think, could use a little more advice in the community service department (laughs)

K: Well, I am just about out of questions for you, but is there any final message or comment you would like to add or share with our site readers?

D: Well, the big thing that I have just been kind of harping on is, I mean I know they say Global Youth Service Day, for ages 5-25, it is kind of the big thing about youth, but what I say is, what has kind of been my stigma and quote for my time being the spokesperson is youth can be as long as you have a youthful mind, a youthful heart, and you have able hands just go out there and make your community a little better!

K: That is very well put!

D: Thank you!

K: Thank you very much for speaking with us today, Diana, and we certainly wish everyone success with the campaign.

D: Wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help! Bye

K: Bye

Diana DeGarmo - Global Youth Service Day Promo
by DianaDeGarmoWire