Student Volunteerism | Kent 360

Over the last couple of years I’ve had a chance to work more and more with Ann Gosky in the Student Affairs Office at Kent State and besides being unbelievably dedicated to student development she is also seriously committed to community development. The good news is that her position affords her the chance to combine these two passions into a single cause by connecting student volunteers with community needs.

Thousands of students raking leaves, cleaning yards, or tutoring might not make the local headlines as much as late night parties but that’s the untold story of student life in a college town that Ann helps script. YouTube probably doesn’t have many video shots of student volunteers in our community which is too bad because that’s the side of students that Ann gets to see every day, and that’s what she wanted to share with the rest of us.

Here’s a snapshot of student volunteerism in the 2009-10 academic year:

* 2,988 Kent State students volunteered in 2009-10 (if my math is right that’s roughly 1 in 10 students on the Kent campus)

* Kent State students contributed 43,417 hours of service to the community (that’s about 5 years worth of hours crammed into 2 semesters)

* 43,417 hours converts to about $879,000 in in service dollars to the community

Ann added that these numbers reflect “reported” hours and she knows that the actual numbers are higher but she didn’t want to say something she couldn’t specifically back up on paper.

The student volunteer labor supports a lot of great community causes. Student volunteer services in Kent and Portage County saw students engaged in river clean-ups, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Kentway, Four Seasons, Adopt a Senior, Center of Hope, Hattie Larlham, Coleman Professional Services, King Kennedy Community Center, Skeels Mathews Community Center, Kent Social Services, County Clothing Center, Goodwill Industries, Kent Parks and Recreation, Maplewood Community Center, Happy Trails, Portage Senior Center, Miller Community House, Safer Futures, Loaves and Fishes, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Violet’s Cupboard, Red Cross, Maplewood Vocational School, Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Mobile Meals, Portage Learning Ceners, Portage Learning Centers, and Senior Track.

The students also go to where they’re most needed with urban and Appalachian immersion trips and Ann noted that they had an opportunity to participate in four alternative spring break trips that took them to Buffalo, NY; Spencer, W.Va.; Washington, D.C. and Columbiana County, Ohio. Daytona Beach versus Buffalo for spring break?? Really? Whatever you thought was wrong with the next generation, think again. That’s dedication to good deeds.

Ann was proud that a new program was launched, Adopt-A-Senior, that assisted residents of Kent with snow removal and students will be assisting again this upcoming school year but they will actually start the program with leaf clean-up in the Fall. Ann is hoping to designate two Saturdays in October and two in November when she can send students out into the neighborhoods for these events. She’s asked for help identifying households that could use a helpful hand. If you have some ideas, feel free to drop me an email.

I went to back to see the student volunteer numbers from the 2008-09 academic year and the numbers are up in every category. The total number of students engaged in community volunteerism is up 17%, and the total volunteer hours is up 49%. At a time when students are busier than ever they’re still finding time to give back to the community at record levels. Big thanks to all those volunteers!

I’ve heard it said that you should never underestimate the impact of students in neighborhoods and it’s great to see such a large number of students using their powers for good.

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