Volunteer Fair proves popular with students

3:22 p.m., Sept. 26, 2005--UD’s MBNA Career Services Center sponsored a Volunteer Fair held Sept. 14 in the multipurpose rooms of the Trabant University Center. More than 47 organizations were present at the fair.

Students from all majors came to see how they could get involved. Kelly Carney, a freshman early education major, said she decided to check out the fair with her roommate.

“I’m still getting used to being at Delaware, and I’d like to get more involved in the community. I figure there’s no better way than volunteering!” Carney said.

Students whose majors require them to complete service hours found many opportunities at the fair. Students in UD’s Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management (HRIM) program, for example, are required to complete 100 service hours before graduation.

“My time to volunteer is very limited. This fair helped me get in contact with a lot of organizations in a small amount of time,” Sarah Garodz, a junior HRIM major, said.

The organizations represented at the fair offered a wide variety of service opportunities. Donna McCaffery of New Castle County’s CHILD Victim Advocacy Program said that many UD students have interned or volunteered with her in the past.

Many volunteer opportunities are located close to campus so that students without a car can volunteer. Deanna Martin, the director for LOVE Inc., a Christian outreach group that provides basic needs for the underprivileged, said students are the best candidates for volunteer work since they have flexible schedules and a willingness to work with young children.

Katie Hobday, a senior psychology and sociology major, said, “There is such a vast selection of volunteer organizations to choose from. I really feel that there is something for everyone.”

Hobday, who said she hopes to become a school counselor one day, said she feels that volunteering will be rewarding and educational experience that will help when she graduates in May.

Some volunteer organizations were looking for groups of students to participate in service activities. Many volunteer projects require a large number of people, such as Habitat for Humanity and First State Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC & D).

William Bell, a coordinator for RC & D, said many UD groups have volunteered their services in the past. “We work directly with some fraternities and other groups on campus to organize group service days. It boosts group morale when an organization participates in a volunteer activity together.”

Career Services Center staff said they were proud to see how many students came to check out the fair. Representatives of volunteer organizations at the fair said they, too, were impressed.

“We’ve had a very enthusiastic response from the students. I hope that UD will continue this fair in the future. It can do nothing but benefit our community,” Janet Chin of Read Aloud Delaware, a nonprofit organization that organizes one-on-one reading to school children, said.

A complete list of volunteer organizations that participated in the fair can be found at [www.udel.edu/CSC/volunteerexpo.html].

Article by Kim Sharrah, AS ’06
Photos by Kevin Quinlan

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