I figured it’s about time I actually start this leadership blog. I’m a little late, but I’d like to discuss my community service from last semester.
PELP necessitates 20 hours of community service throughout the year, but I was able to complete all of my hours last semester. Most of the hours were from volunteering at various campus events with set up, take down, checking students in, etc. I helped out with some events run by the Campus Programming Board (CPB) and office for Student Activities and Engagement (SAE), such as Night of the Singing Dead, Cinema on the Circle, Night Market, and more!
My favorite volunteer opportunity was Eagle Con Jr, which is a small convention held in late September in Chandler Ballroom with vendors, a raffle, and cosplay contest. I helped out from about 9:00am to the early afternoon with running the ticket booth. It was really fun to get to see all the different costumes as well as what people were selling.
Seeking out volunteer opportunities on campus has definitely gotten me more involved. As a first-year student, this has been a great way to meet people I wouldn’t otherwise know and learn about different campus traditions. It has also gotten me involved a little with the Fredericksburg area; when our Community Outreach and Resource (COaR) office hosted their big “Into the Streets” day of volunteering, I went downtown to help run some games at the Family Fall Festival run by the DisAbility Resource Center. It was really nice to work with my peers outside of a campus context.
I’ve always enjoyed community service, and I’m thrilled that UMW has a plethora of options when it comes to volunteering my time.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Simplified Summary
As a member of PELP, I must complete 20 hours of community service. I reached that goal last semester, mainly through helping set up and run different events on campus. I'm excited for more volunteer opportunities in the future.