As a high school student, Brooke Gomez thought the food drive at St. Theresa of Avila Catholic Church was a natural place to volunteer. She also babysat children with disabilities as part of her volunteer efforts.
When Gomez attended LSU, she majored in psychology, worked for the Tau Center at Our Lady of the Lake and volunteered for the First Steps program at Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana. There, she realized the difference between psychology and social work.
“Social workers have more direct effects on people,” she said. “I look at the social work profession as paid volunteer work.”
Gomez, who now is a senior, is assistant program director for PCAL, an affiliate of Prevent Child Abuse America. She encourages students on campus to volunteer their time through the First Steps and Helpline programs.
At a time when a college degree is not enough to secure a job, students, especially those in the social sciences, are finding volunteer work not only personally rewarding but also invaluable experience for graduate school and career opportunities.
David Sultan, a sociology professor, has referred many students to the Prevent Child Abuse program. He said volunteerism has nothing but positive rewards.
“By the time [the students] go through the training, they come out completely aware,” he said. “They have firsthand experiences. The students who have gone through the program, no exceptions, are either graduated or are in graduate school.”
The volunteer training program for Prevent Child Abuse involves the First Steps and Helpline programs.
The First Steps program sends volunteers to local hospitals to provide first-time, teen and at-risk mothers with childcare information. It requires a 15-hour training period, and volunteers commit themselves for two days a month.
Desiree’ Couvillion, First Steps coordinator, said she has had a positive response with her volunteers.
“It’s all about our volunteers,” Couvillion said. “We are responsible for managing the programs, but the volunteers do the programs.”
Helpline requires 30 hours of training and, according to Gomez, was designed as a hotline for stressed-out parents. They also receive calls, however, from children and reports of child abuse.
“We would like more stressed-out parent calls because that is preventing child abuse,” Gomez said. “We are providing information other than lashing out or hitting.”
According to PCAL’s recent data, Louisiana ranks among the worst in the nation, with child abuse allegations for 2001 totaling nearly 13,000 cases and 30 deaths.
Gabriel Price, a Helpline volunteer and general studies senior, said the experience has made him more empathetic and patient.
“We don’t think how blessed we are until we hear someone else’s situation,” Price said. “It’s not often that we take the time to listen to other people’s situations. There usually isn’t a quick fix, because it involves more than just one person. It’s a process.”
The personal rewards extend into a volunteer’s career as well.
“If I see someone with a year’s experience wit h a 3.0, I would take them over someone with a 4.0 with no experience,” Sultan said. “And you can quote me on that.”
The hands-on experience, he said, is more valuable than any classroom education, no matter what the student’s major.
“Even if you’re splitting atoms, you still have to live in society,” Sultan said.
After graduation, Gomez hopes to attend graduate school in social work. No matter what, she will be volunteering somewhere.
“I love my job,” she said. “I love volunteering. It’s not that hard. It doesn’t take that much time. I can give two days of my time for something that will help someone forever.”