Volunteer Fair offers opportunities for altruism
September 12, 2012
Even with coursework starting to overwhelm students post-syllabus week, many are still finding…
Collin Flanagan | Senior Staff Photographer
Even with coursework starting to overwhelm students post-syllabus week, many are still finding time to volunteer.
On Tuesday, students gathered outside of the William Pitt Union for the 18th annual Volunteer Fair, where more than 70 volunteer organizations — such as Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, Operation Better Block and Pitt Student Government Board’s Community Outreach Committee — gathered to recruit students for their various altruistic causes.
Cathleen Connor, a coordinator with Pitt’s Student Volunteer Outreach, organized the event on behalf of the office. She was pleased with the fair’s turnout this year, saying that the location outside the Union on the Bigelow Boulevard side ensured that the event attracted more passing students than last year’s event, which was held inside.
Connor said that the annual fair can build lasting ties between students and service organizations. She emphasized that at the long rows of tables stretched over the Union Lawn, students could learn about a wide range of volunteering opportunities.
According to Connor, some students have found an organization at the fair and spent the rest of the year volunteering for it. She added that students can help fill a need for volunteers.
“The agencies really need the help,” she said. “Whatever the student can volunteer, whether it’s once a week or once a term, they’re happy for whatever [volunteers] they get.”
Nicole Sperduto, 34, said that with the pleasant weather, she was happy to get out of her office for a few hours to talk to students. Sperduto is the outreach coordinator for Ronald McDonald House Charities, a non-profit organization connected to the Children’s Hospital.
The charity serves families who travel to Pittsburgh when a child is under care at one of the city’s hospitals. Even with its 60 suites, the center is often full. Most families stay for several months, but families have stayed there as long as two years in the past. The center asks for a donation of $15 per night, but does not turn away families who cannot pay.
“We try to provide a home for these families and make things easier for them while they are here with their kids,” she said.
Primarily, Sperduto was looking for students who would be willing to cook meals at the center. However, the Ronald McDonald House also seeks volunteers who will play games with or facilitate other activities for the families, particularly children.
Through the meals and activities, volunteers help to ease the anxiety of the families, whose children are often suffering from serious illnesses.
Sperduto said that she has enjoyed working with the five or six groups of Pitt students who already volunteer at the center — each about once a month — and she was pleased to see interest from more students.
Mary Mallampalli, the chairwoman of SGB’s Community Outreach Committee, was delighted to see the tables lined with students looking to volunteer in the community.
“It’s great to see so many students are out here willing to get involved in the community,” Mallampalli said. “Giving back to the community is something we Pitt students take pride in.”
She was walking around the event passing out flyers for Pitt Make A Difference Day, an event in which more than 4,000 students clean up Oakland and the surrounding communities. This year, the event takes place on Oct. 20.
“I hope students would be willing to take this one day to give back,” she said.
Of course, Mallampalli wasn’t the only one taking to the Union Lawn for volunteering recruitment purposes.
Chay Tyler, a program coordinator for the City of Pittsburgh Department of Parks and Recreation, sat at a table and asked students to volunteer for the Great Race that takes place throughout the suburbs of Pittsburgh.
He said he was looking for students who are “energetic,” willing to help and “willing to be up early in the morning.” The race, which includes a 5K and 10K run/walk, takes place on Sept. 30.
One student already involved in a campus service organization found that the fair was a useful way to branch out into the community. Lauren Mallon, a sophomore English writing and communications major, said she was already involved with Epsilon Sigma Alpha as the group’s service chairwoman.
Mallon expected that the co-ed service fraternity could link up with some of the other organizations that sent representatives. She was particularly interested in a group that aimed to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS through education.
“There are tons of organizations here that I would just love to get involved in,” Mallon said.
Harshini Sahani, a freshman molecular biology and pre-med major, said she learned a lot at the fair. Originally from New Jersey, she was unfamiliar with the non-profit organizations in Pittsburgh. Having volunteered at a tutoring center during her senior year in high school, she knew she wanted to help underprivileged youth. The fair held plenty of such opportunities.
“Something like this is really how I am going to get into volunteering in the area,” Sahani said.
Assistant News Editor Michael Ringling contributed to this report.
