Excellent service

Students should take advantage of volunteering

While University students start volunteering for a variety of reasons, they share a common experience of helping others and getting as much out of it as they put in, if not more. This is certainly true for Circle K, a campus community service group whose hard work earned them an opportunity to travel to Jamaica last month and receive the first-place International Gold Cup of Achievement Award.

Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, Circle K emphasizes leadership, fellowship and service. The University chapter won the Cup for raising more than $5,000 for charities and doing more than 2,500 hours of community service. The group also tripled their membership to a total of 105 members during the last school year - the highest student involvement in the club's 30-year existence at the University.

But Circle K does not exist solely to win international distinction - student volunteers join to experience the energy and satisfaction that comes with service.

Participating in community service provides the opportunity to step outside the campus world of academia and learn from others whom students would most likely not encounter on a regular basis. Living on campus, students often find themselves surrounded by people not only their own age, but who have a similar economic and educational background. Volunteering in Ann Arbor gives students the chance to interact with people for whom a college education is not a given, but instead an incredible, sometimes unattainable, privilege.

Circle K took part in activities for area children, such as visiting Motts Children's Hospital, helping troubled teenagers at the Ozone House and being active in K-grams - a program that pairs college and elementary school students, who then establish a pen pal relationship. Circle K is only one of dozens of campus community service groups the University campus offers. There are hundreds of ways for students to get involved.

The University has a fine tradition of service-oriented organizations that keep it connected to the city of Ann Arbor in a positive and beneficial way. For example, Project Serve, which is run through the sociology department, gives students the opportunity to serve the community surrounding campus. It also offers credit for doing specific service projects, keeping journals and having weekly meetings to discuss individuals' experiences. But earning credit is not the only benefit of doing community service. A volunteer position could help student volunteers build contacts in a certain field or area of interest and eventually lead to a paid position. Exploring new areas through volunteering could open up new career paths. It is also an excellent way to meet a variety of people while expanding horizons. Students should take advantage of these opportunities while attending the University and realize that it can become an intricate part of their college education.

The accomplishments students can achieve while doing community service are ones easily carried in the heart - and put on a resumé. Simply showing others that someone cares can really make a difference, to both parties involved.

09-14-98