Gov. Bill Lee recently appointed ETSU’s Nathan Farnor to the Volunteer Tennessee Commission. Farnor serves as the university’s coordinator for Leadership and Civic Engagement.

“There is a process. It’s something lots of people can get involved in, not just for this board but any boards, and I would definitely, heavily and highly encourage it,” says Farnor.

The Volunteer Tennessee Commission is part of a network of appointed boards from each state that serve to encourage volunteerism. The Volunteer Tennessee Commission consists of 25 elected citizens appointed by the governor who “oversee AmeriCorps programs, manage the Tennessee Serves Network, promote service-learning opportunities and foster community service initiatives and partnerships in which people of all ages and backgrounds engage in addressing the educational, public safety, environmental and other human needs in the volunteer state,” according to the Volunteer Tennessee website.

When asked about what he was looking forward to working on, Farnor responded, “I think for me it’s trying to think through how we diversify and bring in some new voices into the volunteer work. . . trying to think through how do we get more people your age involved in volunteerism, how do we get more young adults and young professionals involved in volunteerism? How do we give people the resources, the skills, the knowledge, the support and the empowerment to want to get out there and make the world and their communities a better place?”

Farnor, who in his role at ETSU has had a hand in various volunteerism and community service initiatives, underwent a several month-long journey to be selected for commission. This includes an application and interview process, as well as taking an oath. Commission members are selected either as a general citizen or as a representative from an organization. Farnor will serve in his position until the end of 2024.

Photo of Nathan Farnor. (Contributed/Nathaniel Farnor LinkedIn)

“Whatever it is you care about, whatever it is you’re passionate about, whatever it is you’re good at, whatever those skills are, even as a student. . . there are groups and organizations out there that can benefit from your skills, from your passion, from your expertise if you’re willing to put your name out there. So just do it, you know what you’re good at, let other people know what you’re good at and use it to make people’s lives a little bit better,” says Farnor.

To learn more about Volunteer Tennessee visit https://www.tn.gov/volunteer-tennessee.html.

 

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