Students looking for volunteer opportunities found them Tuesday at the Volunteer Fair. Volunteer LSU and the Career Services Center hosted the event in the Student Union’s Cotillion Ballroom. Three hundred people attended the fair, which showcased volunteer opportunities to students looking for experience in a certain field or just looking for ways to help out. Fifty-two campus and community organizations set up booths at the event. Organizations including Mid City Dance Project, St. Joseph Hospice, Habitat for Humanity and the Girl Scouts distributed pamphlets and set up tables in the room. About 10 more organizations attended the fair this year compared to years past.
“We definitely have more than last year,” said Courtney Pierce, experimental education coordinator for the Office of the Dean of Students. “After Hurricane Katrina, you see more and more students wanting to give back.” Pierce also said volunteering has several practical benefits that students can gain. “Volunteering helps students gain experience who may not have had it,” Pierce said. “They can transfer the skills to their resume to find jobs.” Some of the people who manned the booths were volunteers who know the benefits of helping out in the community. Emily Debo was at the Mid City Dance Project booth. She is currently working on her internship for her master’s of social work program. “Volunteering can expose you to different people,” she said. “It takes you out of your comfort zone and helps you learn from other people. If you are interested in doing something in social services, it is good to do things like this.” For organizations like the Girl Scouts, volunteers are essential to the survival of the program. “They ensure that Girl Scouts continue to thrive,” said Cynthia Dyson, director of membership and marketing for the Girl Scouts Audubon Council. “A lot of times we have girls but no leadership. Volunteers play a very significant role in being able to recruit other volunteers. As an organization, we just promote volunteerism.” Many students who attended were there to seek opportunities that would give them experience for jobs. “I’m looking for anything dealing with social services that will help me gain more knowledge and education,” said Aretha Catchings, general studies senior. There were also opportunities for students interested in subjects other than social services. “I want to find possible things to do on the weekends, and I would also like to find places to work in Baton Rouge for the summer,” said Ronak Shah, biology junior. “I want to go to medical school, so those are the types of things I’m looking for.” Volunteer opportunities are also available at the University for non-traditional students. Alyssa Forbes is a freshman concurrent student who takes sociology and trigonometry at the University in the morning and goes back to Port Allen High School in the afternoon. She was at the fair looking for ways to get involved on campus and meet people. “I joined Volunteer LSU when school started because I want to feel like I help people,” Forbes said. “I’m the only one from my school doing this.” The impact University students have on the community by volunteering was evident. “The Mid City Dance Project is almost entirely volunteer-run,” Debo said. “We are a grassroots organization, and without volunteers we wouldn’t be in existence.”
—-Contact Joanna Brown at [email protected]