Volunteerism: ways to serve, contribute to community

One of the opportunities for volunteering for students is to work with OwlSwap. Photo taken by Emma Eagle.

Students still have a chance to get involved and make a difference in the community that supports them in becoming keen individuals.

According to the Department of Student Leadership and Service, “To be a KSU Owl is to serve.” This organization is highly dedicated to encouraging volunteerism and connecting students with service projects that will help them emerge as engaged citizens.

An upcoming event they have posted is the Leadership Summit for special event volunteers scheduled to take place on April 30 at the Atlanta Technical College.

This nonprofit event blends student interests such as education, advocacy, marketing and socialization by collaborating with the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta program.

Volunteers will assist the Girl Scouts throughout the leadership workshops/ sessions and will demonstrate the importance of having mentors in the lives of children.

One of the core values connected to Kennesaw State is that its staff and students are impact-generating, meaning that they believe in delivering a difference—impacting individuals and communities for positive change.

OwlSwap is a popular sustainability initiative sponsored by both the Department of Geography and Anthropology.

With Earth Week right around the corner, OwlSwap is hosting a Clothing Swap on April 20 at the Campus Green where students will be able to bring gently used items in exchange for other pieces. These events are meant to advocate some of the organization’s beliefs including conscious consumption and shopping sustainably.

Another service event that is tackling a real-world problem is the Mobile Food Pantry approach created by the Center Helping Obesity in Children End Successfully, Inc. This service event marries concepts such as advocacy, basic needs, food prep and physical labor to enable volunteers to help their community.

According to the CHOICES website, this grassroots movement aims to considerably reduce the presence of childhood obesity in local communities while spreading awareness of this profound issue that is gravely apparent throughout the country.

The next Mobile Food Pantry event will be held on May 7 where volunteers will help package pantry items, bag produce and distribute goods to families and seniors in need.

An important point to make is that not all volunteer opportunities will end after the spring semester is over. Students will be able to get involved during the summer with the Camp Horizon counselor openings.

For those interested in mental wellness and working with foster kids, Camp Horizon is offering volunteers a week-long experience of swimming, biking and horseback riding hosted by Camp Twin Lakes. Through this experience, volunteers are allowed to guide the campers (kids ages 8-11) through various activities, but also to learn and open themselves up to these children in need.

Camp Horizon focuses on the one-to-one mentoring proposal where each kid is attended to and listened to throughout each day by a counselor.

Volunteers interested in becoming counselors are required to attend the orientation and training sessions in June. The event will take place July 4-10.

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