Ball State Student Voluntary Services will have its spring Volunteer Recruitment Fair Wednesday morning in the L.A. PIttenger Student Center Ballroom.
Graduate Assistant Amanda Robinson said there are plenty of opportunities for students to volunteer, and the recruitment fair is a good place to start.
"This is a big event," she said. "Students look forward to this event to become volunteers."
Robinson said the fair will have information about volunteer opportunities, student volunteer recruits.
"Agencies that we send volunteers out to will come set up a display of their agency for each volunteer," she said.
Robinson said the fair will group volunteers into two programs, coordinated and referral. In both cases, a student is lined up with an agency, but the coordinated program has set times to meet and transportation is provided, while the referral program is more independent, she said.
Maggie Bailey, programs coordinator and Student Government Association representative, said she started volunteering two years ago as a tutor at the Muncie Ross Center, a youth community center, and now is the program coordinator at the Ross Recreational Center, where she helps recruit volunteers and organize activities, The Ross Recreational Center is an extension of the Ross Center and teaches children and young adults to play sports such as flag football and basketball. She said it has been a great experience.
"I have gotten the opportunity to explore something I really enjoy doing," she said.
Bailey said she has formed good relationships with the Ross Center staff and feels she has strong community connections.
Bailey said she learned about rap music while playing basketball at the Ross Recreational Center with black students.
"I came from a small southern Ross high school of all Caucasian-descent students," she said. "When I started playing basketball at the rec center, I was playing with mainly African Americans and they taught me who 50 Cent and The Game were."
Bailey said the fair will include community centers such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Red Cross and nursing homes, day cares and environmental organizations such as Cardinal Greenways. Last year, 100-200 students visited the fair. About 830 volunteers work with the Ball State SVS, she said.
Who: Representatives from 20 agencies will be presentWhen: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. todayWhere: L.A. Pittenger Student Center Ballroom
For more information on how to sign up, go tobsu.edu/svsor visit L.A. Pittenger Student Center Room 118.
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