College is a time to experiment and figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life. It is also a time to have fun, while contributing actions to your résumé. Volunteering opportunities are a way to have fun and try something new, while learning through experience and getting ahead of the game. Could you imagine preparing meals and feeding them to rhinos, helping out at your local animal shelter, or even being involved promoting shows in your area? All of these fun opportunities are available for you, and will not only benefit your enjoyment, but also your résumé.
Life after college can be a sticky situation, especially in the job market today. By volunteering, interning, and being involved in community service, you are able to set yourself apart from the crowd. The Tampa Bay area is swarming with awesome opportunities and all you need to do is a little bit of research. Also, there are many ways to become involved through USF’s campus activities and groups involving one group specifically, BLAST. BLAST stands for Bulls Leading and Serving Tampa and is an organization connecting students with community service events.
Depending on what you are studying or interested in, there is something for you. Over my college years, I have found volunteering to be completely rewarding and a lot of fun. The first location where I began volunteer work at was Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. There are many different tasks available and help needed for daily cleaning, meal preparation, and even interacting with guests. This job is tough work, but the interaction with the animals and the environment make it worthwhile.
A second business that I volunteer for is Tampa Bay’s Humane Society. If you love animals, then this the perfect place to be. From working in the office answering phones to being an animal companion where you play with the dogs or cats, there are a vast amount of jobs. They also have a special events team for helping out at different events and festivals in the community. You can even opt to participate in foster care where you could keep an animal at your house for a few days or even a few months.
For music lovers that want to get free tickets and interact with bands that they love, there is No Clubs! Productions, run by Daddy Kool Records. Being a volunteer on their street team entails promoting before, during, and after shows. You pick which show you would like to attend and promote before the show on Facebook and by hanging posters. Then at the show you collect signatures for the email list and hand out flyers. This is an awesome way to start getting involved in the music industry.
Getting involved in your community through volunteer work is an easy and fun way to get ahead in the job market, while doing something that you enjoy. With the vast amounts of opportunities available, you are bound to find something that you are interested in. Research different companies that relate to what you enjoy whether it be Busch Gardens, the zoo, a restaurant, or even a professional business setting, to see what types of volunteer opportunities that they have is a great start.