Being in college is basically synonymous with being busy. Responsibilities like class, homework, a job and campus organizations make it really hard to basically do anything else, including some self-care. For me, self-care has a lot to do with volunteering. According to Aristotle, the point of life is: “To serve others and do good.” I 100% agree with this sentiment and know that my volunteer work has brought me some of the most joy I’ve ever had in college.
So, are you ready to volunteer? You might be wondering, where do I go from here? Luckily for you, Lawrence has some amazing volunteer opportunities to take advantage of for every kind of person. Here are just a few of the the many volunteer organizations that you could work with!
The Center for Community Outreach
The Center for Community Outreach is a WONDERFUL resource at KU if you want to volunteer! CCO has 13 different programs that host volunteer and advocacy events all year long! Passionate about kids? Why not look into CREATE or GROW? Have a background in health and wellness? Hawks for Health and Helping Unite Generations are wonderful places to check out. Or maybe you are really passionate about homelessness and feeding the hungry- CCO has Jubilee Cafe and Daily Bread. These are only a few of the awesome opportunities you can partake in through the CCO! Make sure to check out their calendar of volunteer events!
Laura and other volunteers at a Helping Unite Generations event at Pioneer Ridge Retirement Community
The Big Event
The Big Event is a one-day volunteering event that wants to get AS MANY people from KU volunteering! You can sign up as an individual or in a group- you and a group will go out to a job site and help clear leaves and doing other yard work for Lawrence houses, schools, community spaces and more. This year’s Big Event is happening April 12 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Sign up your group today!
The Lawrence Humane Society
The Lawrence Humane Society always needs help giving some extra attention with their animal guests. I can say that nothing is more relaxing after a crazy week than going to LHS and petting cats for an hour or two. This is a very flexible opportunity, you can volunteer here whenever you want and can choose whether you want to volunteer with cats or dogs (or both!). Check out the opportunities to volunteer or even foster pets!
Laura and her Little volunteering as Cat Companions at LHS
Headquarters Counseling Center
If you have any interest in health care or just helping another human being through a hard time, I would highly suggest volunteering with Headquarters. Headquarters volunteers answer calls from 8 a.m. to midnight to provide confidential and free suicide prevention counseling. Every year Headquarters gets over 25,000 calls- you can help answer those. Please contact Rachel@HeadquartersCounselingCenter.org for questions or more information.
*all information courtesy of the Headquarters Counseling website*
Alternative Breaks
Alternative Breaks has been called one of the best programs on our campus. Every break (Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall) and some weekends throughout the semester Alternative Breaks organizes 10-15 trips for students to take to all across the country dealing with different needs and social problems. This summer, you can take a trip to Memphis to work at the Alzheimer’s Day Services or go to Zion National Park in Springdale Utah. Whatever your interest, Alternative Breaks can take you on the trip of your college career.“Alternative Breaks has been such a fantastic opportunity because it has exposed me to social problems across the nation. My first trip was to rural Appalachia, and I highly doubt I would have ever gone there without AB. That one trip alone touched on poverty, food insecurity, education inequality, environmental issues, and corporate influence in government,” said Miranda Wagner, a junior Economics major and two- time Alternative Breaks participant. “These trips are memorable not only for the volunteer experience, but also for the friendships you form and the process of learning and reflecting. Our goal is service learning, which means taking whatever you learn from your break and extending it into a lifestyle of service.”
Miranda on her winter 2012 break to Beards Fork, West Virginia
If you are interested in doing an Alternative Break, check out the program here!
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County
If you are interested in a long-term commitment and love kids, Big Brothers Big Sisters is for you! Being a Big is at least a year-long commitment to a wonderful friendship. Volunteers must be over 18 and they are matched with a child of their gender between ages 5-17. BBBS has two programs: Bigs in Communities and Bigs in Schools. Bigs in Communities meet with their Little once a week for a couple of hours and can do basically anything. My Little Shyanne and I are in the Communities program and we love to go to ice cream and volunteer(!) together at the Lawrence Humane Society. If two hours a week seems a little overwhelming, Bigs in Schools is a great option! You and your Little would meet once a week at their school for lunch and eat together or go to recess. For either program, the main point is to be a friend to your Little- and really, who couldn’t use another friend?
Laura and her Little Shyanne at TCBY
Like I said, these are only a few of the many opportunities around KU and Lawrence. One of the best parts of being in college is that we have the opportunity to get involved with all of these great organizations! Have you had any amazing volunteer experiences? Let us know in the comments!