AUGUST 15,2005
OFF THE HILL
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
VOLUNTEERING
7D
Kerri Henderson/KANSAN
Whitney Tolliver, Wichita sophomore, serves a guest with a smile as Christopher Wilson, Lawrence junior, starts serving the next guest in line at the Jubilee Cafe.
Lending a helping hand
BY ASHLEY MICHAELS
amichaels@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
The Lawrence community is home to a wide variety of volunteer service opportunities, but finding the right one to fit your passions and time constraints can be hard to do. To make the process easier, the University of Kansas Center for Community Outreach offers its services to help students find their perfect fit in the volunteer community.
The Center for Community Outreach is a student-run, nonprofit organization designed to provide volunteer opportunities to students and they also act as a referral agency if one of their 15 programs doesn't fit the student's interest. It began in 1990 and has logged more than 30,000 community service hours annually and claimed about 7,000 volunteers each year.
One of the most popular volunteer services among students is the Jubilee Café, said John Wilson, director of the Center for Community Outreach. The
Jubilee Café volunteers serve breakfast to the needy in Lawrence every Tuesday and Friday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. at 946 Vermont St.
"The volunteers really enjoy it because they get to cook," Wilson said. "But the real joy comes from visiting with individuals who may or may not be homeless and learning their life story."
Wilson said the Center for Community Outreach is looking to expand its program for this upcoming school year. The main focus of the expansion process will be targeting academic departments and talking with deans about how they can integrate service with what they are doing in the classroom, a concept called service learning, Wilson said.
The Center for Service Learning will open in the fall. Its goal is to get students to realize that service and education can coexist and be strengthened by each other. Wilson said.
feel like they had enough time, but there are many different volunteer opportunities that don't take much time at all. Something as simple as sitting with a child and visiting for 30 or 45 minutes, like they do in Bigs Students, sponsored by the Big Brother, Big Sister foundation. Wilson said.
Wilson said that a major factor in students' decisions not to volunteer was that they didn't
"We have such a diverse group of people on campus with great talents, there's no sense in not using those talents towards service opportunities." Wilson said.
Veronica Pastore, Wichita seniior, said she was enjoying her volunteering experience.
"I think it brings together great people who are motivated to help the community." Pastore said.
To get involved with the Center for Community Outreach you can sign up on the Web site. To get information about the different programs that interest you, Wilson said the staff encouraged students to come in and talk to see what they wanted to get out of their volunteer services.
- Best Buddies: Pairs KU students with high school students or high school graduates with developmental disabilities in order to provide friendship and educational support.
+ CAAS (Concerned, Active and Aware Students): Working for social change by dealing with social problems.
Center for Community Outreach volunteer services
VOLUNTEERING INFO
GROW Community Garden Project: Working with youth to tend small organic gardens.
- Hawke for Health: Places student volunteers in community health care facilities.
- HUG (Helping United Generations):
Working with local retirement homes and seniors in the community.
— Edited by Erin M. Droste
- Into the Streets Week: A week-long event dedicated to community service.
- MILK (Mentors in the lives of kids): Volunteers mentor elementary children as part of after-school programs.
- Jubilee Café: Provides breakfast for in-need community members.
- Music Mentors: Volunteers provide free private musical and vocal lessons.
- Natural Ties: Facilitates activities and builds friendships between volunteers and people with developmental disabilities.
- Students Tutoring for Literacy: Helps native and non-native English-speaking youth and adults get their GED.
- EARTH (Environmental Action to Revitalize the Heartland): Repairs and protects local natural environments.
- CREATE (Community Resources Engaging in the Arts Through Education): Volunteers serve the community by providing services focused on art, theater, music and dance.
Lifeline: Working with high school students to gain life skills through hands-on experience.
♦ Project Bridge: Working with people whose second language is English.
For a more detailed look at the available volunteer opportunities and/or referral opportunities visit the Center for Community Outreach Web site: www. ku.edu/~ccoi/.
"So you wanna volunteer Hawk Week info sessions
MONDAY AUGUST 15
- Lewis Residential Unit 1$^{th}$ Floor (Entry Level) Lobby
Recreation Center
+ Addison Center
11th Floor (Eiry Level) Lobby
♦ K.K.Amini Scholarship Hall
Main Floor Lobby 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Main Floor Dining Area 3 to 3.45 p.m.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 16
1st Floor Lobby Noon to 12:45
Lobby 2 to 2:45 p.m.
GSP-Corbin Residence Hall
♦ Jayhawk Rover towns
Bird's Neat (Entry Level-North Side)
- Jefferson Commons Apartments
3 to 3:45 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17
- Watkins Scholarship Hall *
Main Floor (Entry Level)
Noon to 12:45 p.m.
Delta Chi Fraternity
Entry Level Dining Area
Entry Level Dining Area 1 to 1:45 p.m.
Oliver Residence Hall
◀ Oliver Residence Trust
1" Floor (Entry Level) Commons
♦ Hawks Nest
(KS Union) 1st Floor
3 to 3:45 p.m.
Source: www.ku.edu/~cco/
Kerrl Henderson/KANSAN
Paul Shipley, Olathe junior, flips pancakes while volunteering at Jubilee Cafe. Individuals are welcome to show up at First United Methodist Church, 946 Vermont St., Tuesdays or Fridays from 6-9:30 am to help.
kansan.com
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Sunday Worship: 8:30, 11:00
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Weekday Classes, too.
www.firstpreslawrence.org
785-843-4171
2415 Clinton Parkway
Lawrence, KS 66047
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