By Patrick Quigley
With an increasing amount of work, it’s easy for some college students to leave their previous endeavors with community volunteerism at the wayside. Some students say they are unaware of their options or don’t know where to start. One recent event served to alter that mindset.
About 100 college students and community members attended the sixth annual Community Volunteer Fair, sponsored by Fidelity Investments and organized by Boston Cares, held outside of City Hall yesterday. The event allowed attendants to browse a bevy of different volunteer groups – many of which boasted flexible schedules – to give back to the city through service.
“Because I’m an athlete and had a lot of school work, I couldn’t volunteer before,” said Francie Shafer, a middler communication studies major. “But I’m trying to get more involved.”
Before, Shafer said, she was unaware of opportunities to give back to Boston. But at the fair, Shafer staffed a table for the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation of Boston as part of her first co-op, and reached more potential volunteers.
Through community volunteerism, students can grow just as much as when they are studying, one Northeastern official said.
“By volunteering and being an active member of our communities, we are able to gain a better understanding of the neighborhoods that we live and learn in,” said Sarah De Ritter, associate director and program coordinator at Northeastern’s Department of Government Relations and Community Affairs. “It allows us to celebrate the assets while providing support to critical concerns or needs in a meaningful and mutually beneficial way.”
But De Ritter also said that the benefits of volunteer work can extend beyond the immediate community. Students use community service as a vehicle for personal growth and leadership, which “can encourage and inspire others to become active and responsible members of our communities. And it makes an immediate positive impact through the direct service projects completed.”
Many college students already set an example for community volunteerism, said Rich Wallwork, associate director of Boston Cares. Boston Cares claims to be the largest organization in New England dedicated to team oriented volunteering, with about 4,000 members. About 40 percent of Boston Cares members are college students, Wallwork said.
“We post a calendar of events, available to volunteers who are looking for any work,” she said.
The Boston Cares Calendar Program offers more than 100 team oriented volunteer opportunities each month. “Volunteers have the flexibility of signing up for projects as their schedules and interests allow,” the Cares website says.
Most of the members of Boston Cares fall within the 18-28 age group, Wallwork said. The main goal of Boston Cares is “to help people who want to give back to the community but don’t know where to start to find volunteer organizations,” he said.
According to the Boston Cares website, the group lists its most important values: Volunteerism is a force for positive social and personal change; Every level of volunteering commitment has value; Volunteerism at its best incorporates accessibility and diversity.
Other organizations represented at the event included the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, the American Red Cross and the Make a Wish Foundation. One program, the Youth Enrichment Services, serves to take inner city children on outdoor trips.
For more information on volunteering the Center for Community Service will sponsor its annual Fall Volunteer Fair, Sept. 19, at 11:30 a.m. on the Krentzman Quad.
