Whether organizing a school supply drive for Orleans Parish public schools, painting hopscotch courts or helping at state parks, students participating in Volunteer LSU stayed busy this semester.
“The main purpose of Volunteer LSU is to provide service to areas that are in need and to support and improve the quality of life in the area around us,” said Claire Reuter, Volunteer LSU special events coordinator.
Kyle Homan, Volunteer LSU director, said the program was formed after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He said it is a student-run entity within the Union Program Council. He said students wanting to participate in service should contact Volunteer LSU and organizations looking for volunteers can ask Volunteer LSU for help.
Darien Dabney, Volunteer LSU associate director, said membership is free and open to students, faculty and staff. He said Volunteer LSU has a database of approximately 1,300 volunteers who are periodically informed of volunteer opportunities in the community.
Chancellor Sean O’Keefe said he has been impressed with the willingness of University students to serve those in need.
“There is nothing more rewarding than to see the impact of what you personally can contribute, and you can see what the difference would be if you hadn’t done so,” O’Keefe said.
O’Keefe said students can serve those in need based on the concentration of their studies.
“I think it’s a responsibility on LSU’s part to provide the richest experience we have for every student at LSU [and] to prepare students to meet the social, economic and cultural challenges of the 21st century,” O’Keefe said. “And a solid service-learning experience contributes to that.”
Keithen Hall, Volunteer LSU associate director of internal affairs, said Volunteer LSU has made it easier for students to participate in service.
“It is our responsibility to help those who are not as fortunate as us,” Hall said. “Service-based education is very important because being well-rounded should mean more to us than taking a couple classes outside of our majors. Helping the less fortunate gives us a much more vivid image of problems and the needs for solutions within the community as well as the world.”
Volunteer LSU collected school supplies for Orleans Parish public schools during October. The supply drive was tied into the Summer Reading Program book for the class of 2011, “Breach of Faith” by Jed Horne.
“The school supply drive allowed students a hands-on application to the book,” Dabney said.
Volunteer LSU sponsors projects in five specific areas of focus: Baton Rouge restoration and beautification, civic and social awareness, disaster relief and emergency preparedness, health and wellness outreach and youth programs. Homan said each area chair strives to hold at least two service projects throughout the semester.
“We wanted these focus areas to hold smaller, more frequent projects for students, faculty and staff,” Homan said.
During the community bound project held in late August, more than 300 volunteers worked in Old South Baton Rouge. Work – including painting and landscaping – was completed at seven schools in the area.
During “The Big Easy Fix-Up” in October, 175 volunteers traveled to New Orleans where they worked at an elementary school. The group painted murals on outside walls and hopscotch and kickball courts on the asphalt school yard.
A focus area project sponsored earlier this month brought students to Sam Houston Jones State Park in Lake Charles. Students protected the park from the Chinese tallow tree, an invasive species that threatens other plant species and destabilizes the ecosystem.
“Students cut down and pulled up these trees, ultimately removing them from the park and ensuring its well-being for the future,” Dabney said.
Abby Hart, Volunteer LSU communications director and biology senior, said all students should consider participating in Volunteer LSU.
“Volunteer LSU is one of the easiest ways to help out the community without needing to be committed because VLSU doesn’t require points or meeting attendance to be a member,” Hart said. “I think individuals in their first year are looking for their niche beyond academics, and VLSU can help fulfill that.”
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]