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The courage to act
Time to get your hands dirty
By Lia Manning
If we all do just a little something, our community can change.The courage to act
In my last article, I asked all of you to open your hearts and your wallets to help out your fellow man. And while I hope that some, if not many of you, followed my advice, I have the feeling you didn’t. Not because you do not care, but simply because you do not have the means to do so. So here I am again, trying to show you that you can make a change and you can do so without emptying your pockets or skipping meals.
I recently visited the Center for Volunteerism and Student Leadership (CVSL) office in the UWM Union to see what opportunities were readily available to students like me, and I was flooded with a wealth of information. There are a wide range of activities from one-time clean-up events to ongoing mentoring opportunities, and I wanted to share just a few of them with you.
One of the most important opportunities I came across was an ongoing project with Hope House, a community outreach center focused at providing the homeless and low-income with healthcare, shelter, food and financial services. They offer a wide array of volunteering opportunities on their Web site, www.hopehousemke.org. The CVSL office has taken advantage of one such opportunity. Every Thursday from 12-2:30 p.m. students volunteer in the food pantry at Hope House, sorting donations and stocking shelves. The transportation is provided to and from Hope House. If interested, email ajselin@uwm.edu or just show up in the CVSL office on Thursday afternoon.
We have all heard about Habitat for Humanity, the organization that builds affordable houses for low-income families using donated labor. You don’t need to be a carpenter or plumber to work on a Habitat project. To become aware of the events happening in the Milwaukee area, and to find out what you can do to help, please attend the meeting Wednesday Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in Union Room 181, or if that’s inconvenient, e-mail ajselin@uwm.edu for more information.
Last but not least from the CVSL, the America Reads Tutoring will meet Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Union Ballroom West. For those of you eligible for federal work study money and finding yourself without work, you too can better the world and get paid for it. The organization is looking for tutors who can help children in the Greater Milwaukee area. If this sounds like it might be up your alley, please contact Rachel at leader1@uwm.edu
Now I wanted to mention two Web sites that can help you find something non-university sponsored. First would be www.volunteermilwaukee.org, a self-explanatory site dedicated to connecting volunteers in Milwaukee with organizations in need. For something a little less time-consuming, volunteers are needed on Nov. 4, Election Day, to help the democratic process commence. And secondly, there is the Web site www.volunteermatch.org, which allows you to answer a few simple questions to find the opportunity that is right for you. Utilizing this site, I found the ePals foundation, where I can help mentor a child over the Internet by discussing issues in five books that the two of us will read throughout the year. This way I can help children even though the distance between us would not otherwise be possible to travel. (This helps for those of you who lack a vehicle.)
Finally, in all of the research I was doing I almost forgot about Gilda’s Club. Gilda’s Club is a free cancer support community inspired by legendary comedienne Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989. They need volunteers for various positions, including childcare when members need to attend events. The local Milwaukee chapter is located at 4050 N. Oakland Ave., just a block and a half north of Capitol Drive. It is easily accessible by bus and is a very worthwhile organization. Please visit their Web site at www.glidasclub.org if you are interested.
I know things are hard right now, but it’s a rough time for everyone. If we all do just a little something, our community can change. Either that or I’m just a terribly naïve optimist. In all honesty, I think the world could use a few more optimists.
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