September 1, 2000 UNT Inhouse publication: UNT Volunteer Center draws campus and community members together

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UNT Volunteer Center draws campus and community members together

Faculty and staff members and students looking for opportunities to volunteer locally can receive assistance from the UNT Volunteer Center.

Opened earlier this year, the center serves as a clearinghouse and information resource to potential volunteers as well as agencies, organizations and campus departments that need volunteers. This collaborative effort between the Dean of Students Office and the School of Community Service is Denton's first volunteer center. It is open to UNT faculty and staff members and the general public, although its primary audience is students, says center coordinator Tena Burley.

Visitors to the center, which is located in the University Union, Room 430, may fill out an application to indicate how many days a week they would like to volunteer and for what causes. The application is also available on the center's web site — www.unt.edu/volunteer.

Ken Ballom, UNT dean of students, calls the volunteer center "a wonderful addition to the university and surrounding community."

"Through volunteerism and the work of the center, we can increase the capacity of students, local partnerships, statewide partnerships, collaborations and communities to effectively engage volunteers to meet critical community needs," he says.

Organizations contact the center staff about available volunteer positions, which are then posted in the center and on the web site. The staff matches each application to a position. Potential volunteers do not have to fill out applications to apply for these positions, however.

The UNT Volunteer Center will eventually have information on unpaid internships available to students, Burley says.

"Volunteer work looks great on a resume and gives students a chance to explore different careers," she says. "Some students may need to complete an internship for a class, and they can come here instead of trying to find something through academic departments."

The center has a student volunteer council comprised of 22 representatives from UNT organizations, and soon it will have an advisory board of UNT faculty and staff members, students and community representatives.

Burley says the student volunteer council will promote university volunteer events and UNT participation in community events such as Keep Denton Beautiful Day and Make A Difference Day.

The volunteer council is currently planning for Make A Difference Day on Oct. 28. Burley says the university hopes to have 600 volunteers work on various projects in southeast Denton that day.

Faculty and staff members and students may sign up to participate in Make A Difference Day at the center's Volunteer Fair on Sept. 20. The fair will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the One O'Clock Lounge, University Union. Community and university organizations will provide information about volunteering.

Burley says volunteers learn valuable communication skills and other skills and make contacts in the community.

"By volunteering, you have a chance to look outside your own self and be involved in the world around you," she says. "We hope that we can also make the UNT community more close-knit through service. When it comes to volunteerism, there's no reason to be exclusive."

For more information, call the center at 565-3021.