Students looking for an opportunity to build their resumes and work in areas they are interested in should visit Volunteer ETSU.
Volunteer ETSU offers students a chance to find volunteer activities suited for almost every interest.
Students also gain a better understanding of their local community and get to meet fellow students.
With the recent terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, volunteerism and charity have become important to students.
However, students often overlook the problems that exist in their own community.
Volunteer ETSU is aimed at allowing students to find those problems.
“There is a need to educate our students about the local needs that exist,” says Joy Fulkerson, coordinator for community service programs.
“They can make a difference here, that in the long run is affecting lots of other people.”
Volunteer ETSU currently has some programs that are continually active, including Adopt-A-School, which allows students to work with local elementary school students in areas the volunteer is interested in, and Habitat for Humanity, where students aid in the building of houses.
Other activities of the fall semester are Into the Streets, which includes serving breakfast to the people who are homeless, trail maintenance at a local park, and activities with the elderly.
Also the group sponsors an Angel Tree, where students give clothing and gifts to local youths of low-income families.
Spring semester activities include: Martin Luther King Day of Service, which promotes interracial cooperation and youth anti-violence initiatives; Alternative Spring Break; College Bound, which introduces forth and fifth grade students to higher education; and the Special Olympics.
“We also serve as somewhat of a clearing house, in that we have a listing of lots of different agencies,” Fulkerson said. So students who have a specific interest can find an organization in the area that needs their help.
These opportunities range from working with the Humane Society to working with the Boy Scout or Girl Scout programs.
For information about how to find a suitable program, contact Fulkerson at 439-5675 or by e-mail at fulkersj@etsu.edu

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