Beginning this week, students can expect to see a slew of bright orange cones and caution tape popping up around the West Virginia University campus. They arent part of a new construction project but a WVU Center for Civic Engagement volunteerism campaign, which kicks off tomorrow (Aug. 28) at the Mountainlair.
The cones will be featured on signs and flyers along with the theme of the campaign,Caution: Students at Work.The goal, Kimberly Colebank said, is to get young people excited about volunteerism.
Colebank heads the WVU Center for Civic Engagement, which promotes and coordinates service-learning and volunteer opportunities for students. She and her staff have a series of events planned this week to help spread the word about the importance of community service and recruit students who want to give their time and experience but may not know where to start.
Each day, students are invited to drop by the centers booth to visit with staff and pick up informationand giveaways such as magnetsfrom 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in front of theLair.
Stop by Thursday, visit with us, get information on upcoming service projects and cool down with a popsicle,said Brett White, administrative assistant at the center.
The staff will also be throwing its second annual open house from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 29) at the Center for Civic Engagement in 109 White Hall.
There will be pizza and refreshments, sign-ups, giveaways and all sorts of fun things,White said.Its an opportunity to meet the staff and find out what opportunities there are in the community. Students can sign up to be on our listserv, meet staff, browse brochures and learn how they can submit service hours online (the center currently has about 300 students in its database).
Other upcoming programs and events that the Center for Civic Engagement is involved in include the WE CAN (WVU Environmental Conservation Awareness Now) initiative; WVU s Week of Engagementcampus groups and students take part in a service challenge; Random Acts of Kindness Week in conjunction with the United Way; the Presidents Volunteer Service Award ceremony;Move Mountains,the West Virginia Student Service and Civic Engagement Conference; the annual Student Organization Forum at Blaney House; and Amizade international service-learning trips.
On the Net:http://cce.wvu.edu/
* WVU students making a difference*
Last year, hundreds of WVU students contributed to nonprofit agencies. In fact, over 180 student volunteers reported donating more than 51,000 hours collectively during 2006, Colebank noted.
And thats a really low estimate. Its difficult to know exactly how many are involved in community service,she said.
The Center for Civic Engagement has increased its number of community partners from 50 to 70 since last year, she added. These include the American Red Cross,Big Brothers Big Sisters, Energy Express,Mountaineer Boys and Girls Club,Scotts Run Settlement Houseand many more.
That means 70 different sites have agreed to supervise our students,Colebank
said.Why is that important? The agencies rely heavily on volunteers. They could not provide their services to the community without our students.
In addition to providing important services, students get satisfaction from helping others, great job experience and contacts for future employment.
Volunteering among college students is up,Colebank said.Service and volunteerism were taught to this generation early in junior high and high school. Some schools even require service credits to graduate.
When our students share their time and talents, they make Morgantown a better place to live,President-elect Mike Garrison said.Students not only help the community; they have fun in the process. Learning by doing is part of the whole Mountaineer experience.