The Student Engagement Office and the Mitchell-West Center for Social Inclusion put on a Fall semester Volunteer Fair for students on Sep. 16 in the GUC Atrium.
The event featured many non-profit organizations and businesses looking to help students get involved within the community this fall, in addition to the spring. The spring event is Lions Lend a Hand, which is more leadership-focused, said Matthew Jones, Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development.
“[Student Engagement] wanted to make sure we still give our students an opportunity to get involved with different organizations from around the Shoals community and UNA community,” he said. “To really get them the opportunity to volunteer at those organizations and give back.”
Many students at UNA attend the fair each year and enjoy the experience, like junior Zuleima Sanchez.
“I come to it every year, I love it,” she said. “It’s just a good way for the organizations in the community to come here and ask for volunteers and also just spread, like, what the organization does.”
Lindsey Crider, the nursing director at the CaringPlace of the Shoals, an adult day service, said their clients get to come hang out, eat and play games with them throughout the day. Students would get to come and enjoy the day as they volunteered. Other organizations were in attendance.
“[We have] Big Brother, Big Sister of the Shoals, the Healing Place, we’ve got Habitat for Humanity, and Alabama Hospice here,” said Jones. “We have about 16 organizations.”
The fair offers volunteer opportunities, not for just required hours, but also as a resume building experience.
“I’m looking for volunteer hours, and looking good on my resume for my senior year,” said Lana Alaskari. “I think [the fair] is a good way to be involved with certain things in the community.”
Events put on by Student Engagement and other on-campus offices are put on to help students, especially those not from this area, to go out and get connected in the community.
“It’s not just students going to class and then going back home,” Jone said. “It’s students going out, getting to know more people, getting to know different organizations and focusing on that. Because that’s how purpose is created. How passion is created.”
Sanchez, a Social Work major, said these events are important for more than for majors like hers.
“I think it’s important,” she said. “A lot of students have to get volunteer hours, rather it be for, like, Greek life or anything else. So, learning about the organizations and the opportunities is really beneficial, but also just for the students to know about because, like, they don’t know when they’ll need those resources or when they might want to work with it.”
Jones said students are at school to get their degree and a job.
“You know, we can create that passion in academic settings,” he said. “How do we get them outside of just working in their life? You know, after college, this is really that starting point for them to get involved.”
