Representatives from a wide range of volunteer organizations spent last Wednesday morning and afternoon at Volunteer ETSU’s Scoop on Service, a biannual event that helps students find ways to serve the community.
Organizations present at the event included the Girl Scouts of America, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Girls Inc., Dawn of Hope, Asbury Place and Broadmore Assisted Living.
The American Red Cross Bloodmobile was also present, providing the ETSU community with the opportunity to donate blood.
Events like Scoop on Service are great for both students and volunteer organizations, said Misty Hawk, public relations assistant and volunteer coordinator for Dawn of Hope, an organization that works with mentally challenged adults. “I think it’s a great way for students to get involved and see all of the opportunities in their community to volunteer,” she said.
Nikki Hughes, assistant executive director for Girls Inc. in Johnson City, agrees with Hawk. “We depend a lot on ETSU and Milligan students,” she said. “[Events like this] are very beneficial for us.”
Barry Simmons, marketing director for Broadmore Assisted Living in Johnson City, came to the event hoping to find some young volunteers who enjoy spending time with the elderly.
“Our residents really enjoy younger people and love having them around,” Simmons said. “You will get just as much from them as you give them because a lot of them have wonderful things to share and interesting stories about their lives.”
“It’s very good for [students] to do things for other people,” said Peg Pickens, the Upper East Tennessee area coordinator for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of East Tennessee. “In this day and age, so many people are so self-centered that they just don’t reach out and understand all that goes on in the world.
“[Volunteering] gives them an appreciation for the broader spectrum of the population, and doing good for others is such a wonderful experience not only for the individual but for the community,” Pickens said.

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