ACU’s Service Expo will take place Wednesday, in the McGlothlin Campus Center and will feature 18 booths representing non-profit organizations from the Abilene area. All are in need of volunteer help.
“The Service Expo is a time when our community partners come to campus to share their volunteer and service opportunities with our students,” said Nancy Coburn, director of Service-Learning and Volunteer Resources.
“All types of nonprofit agencies with a range of needs request volunteers – nursing homes, day care centers, services for homeless and special needs adults and children, mentoring and tutoring, building and restoring homes, and much more,” said Coburn.
While some nonprofits are new to the expo, most are returning to ACU for another year of recruiting students.
“We do have one or two new ones this year. Day Nursery of Abilene is a new one this year; this is the first time in a long time that they’ve gone to our expo,” said Rita Harrell, administrative coordinator of SLVR.
“It really runs the gamut from office work to manual labor. One of the favorites that we always have every year is HERO,” said Harrell.
HERO stands for Hendrick Equine Rehabilitation Opportunities. Beth Byerly is a HERO volunteer who coordinates the organization’s booth at the expo.
“The HERO program is 100 percent a volunteer program,” said Byerly.
“With the use of a horse, the volunteers will be side-walking with the child on either side of the horse, or in the front leading the horse,” said Byerly.
“Students will come in here to turn in their time sheets and say, ‘That was the best thing I’ve ever done. It was just so rewarding,'” Harrell said of the HERO program.
Many other nonprofits are also popular among ACU students. Several programs rely on students they meet at the expo to expand their volunteer base. Some classes even require students to volunteer a certain amount of hours to an organization of their choice.
“Service-learning is incorporated into many courses at ACU. Professors help students select placements that meet the learning objectives of the course while helping those in need in the community,” said Coburn.
While there will be many agencies and representatives at the expo, students shouldn’t feel overwhelmed or obligated to join an organization immediately.
“If you’re thinking ‘I’m a stranger here, I have no idea know where to go,’ this is the place to come. So you come here and we will try and help coordinate with you an opportunity in town that fits your talents and your desires,” said Harrell.
SLVR is the new Volunteer and Service-Learning Center (VSLC). The SLVR is located on the lower level of the Campus Center in the new offices across from the bowling alley.
