We all did it in high school. Volunteering was not only a graduation requirement for many of us, but also encouraged for a better chance at receiving scholarships and to boost our college applications. However, our volunteering endeavors shouldn’t end there.
Volunteering while in college is a great way to get involved in the community that you’ll be living in for the next four years. The connects you make can be life-long friends or, possible, even future employers.
Here are three ways to get involved in volunteering in central Florida.
1. Stampede of Service
This event is specific to USF and happens once a year. Students can get involved individually or through their organizations to spend a day helping in various locations throughout the community. Some of the volunteer opportunities include helping senior citizens, cleaning up the environment, helping the homeless and more. For more information about USF’s S.O.S. visit http://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/leadership-civic-engagement/
2. Relay for Life
Relay for Life is something you are probably familiar with from high school, but the cool thing is it continues at the college level as well. Relay for Life is a great way to spend time with friends while working toward a common goal that benefits a lot of people. Many communities participating in Relay for Life also tend to choose a person or group of people to dedicate the event ti each year, usually a survivor, victim, or victim’s family. For more information about Relay for Life at USF visit https://www.facebook.com/USFrelay/
3. Lakeland SPCA
This one is a bit farther out than some other opportunities, however in my two years at the Lakeland SPCA I met incredible friends, increased my knowledge exponentially and was able to aid in the adoptions of many adorable puppies. While working with animals is not always delightful, cleaning up poop every 10 minutes can put a damper on your day, the joy that comes from watching a formerly neglected animal find a new forever home is indescribable. Of all of my volunteer experiences, this was by far the most rewarding. And if you can’t make it out that far (roughly 30-45 minutes driving from USF), you can always volunteer at a local animal shelter.
Twinkle- A two-month old puppy found as a starving stray and brought into the Lakeland SPCA, photo by Kaitlin Anderson