During an Alternative Breaks trip to Atlanta, Ellen Beverly and a group of CU Boulder students volunteered at the Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition.
Among the activities students worked on included helping organize the client center, the small food bank and clothing closet. In the process, they learned about HIV/AIDS in the community and why it was so prevalent in Atlanta.
“The service and education on the trip inspired me to volunteer weekly with the Boulder County AIDS Project,” said Beverly, a senior majoring in physiology with a public health certificate.
The eye-opening experience is what led Beverly to become an event coordinator for the Volunteer Resource Center, which helps CU Boulder students find volunteer opportunities and ways to connect with the community. The Give-A-Day program is one of the opportunities that the Volunteer Resource Center has to connect students with service and volunteering.
Beverly was drawn to the Give-A-Day program because it gives students an opportunity to connect with organizations that fit with their skillsets or interests.
“The Give-A-Day program is a good opportunity for students to get a taste of what different organizations do and how what we do for the community we live in matters,” she said. “It’s about building a culture of volunteerism across the campus.”
Ellen Beverly and Max van der Sande, who is also an event coordinator for the Volunteer Resource Center, set up volunteer activities through the Give-A-Day program with a variety of organizations to give students choices.
van der Sande is a junior with a major in psychology, a minor in math and a certificate in technology, arts and media and is passionate about mentoring kids.
“The events we plan are a really good way for students to work with organizations for one day before committing more of their time,” she said. “You’re there with other students, so you feel more comfortable than you would going in on your own.”
For students looking for volunteer opportunities, the monthly Give-A-Days are an easy way to engage in service. There are typically eight Give-A-Days during the academic year, with 10-20 students participating at each event. Some examples of upcoming Give-A-Day activities are outdoor decorations with the Butterfly Pavilion, putting together holiday gift donation boxes with Imagine!, sorting food with Community Food Share and mentoring children in the Dreamers program with the “I Have a Dream” Foundation.
Taking part in such activities can not only make an impact on those who receive assistance, but also, as Beverly found, profoundly influence a person’s views and directions in life.
Volunteering, in addition to giving back to the community, exposes students to new perspectives and helps them develop new skills and interests outside of what they study.
“We try to implement the Volunteer Resource Center’s service philosophy of education, direct service and reflection into all of our programs, so that students get the full experience out of the service project,” Beverly said.
Give-A-Days are open to faculty, staff and students. For more information about the Give-A-Day program and how to volunteer, go to the Volunteer Resource Center website.
