On Tuesday, Sept. 11, the Center for Career and Civic Engagement hosted a Social Impact Exposition. Organizations from the local community spoke to students about volunteer opportunities.
Students were able to choose between many different nonprofits and volunteer organizations to speak with. With nearly 50 organizations ranging from food banks to animal shelters, students said that they learned about how to give back to their community.
Justin Rose, a sophomore business administration major, said that he enjoyed finding out how he could help people in the community.
“I’m just looking for cool ways to get involved in the community. It’s pretty awesome to see all the things that you can do and meet new people as well,” Rose said.
Rose said that a desire to help those in need and make others’ day better is what prompted him to volunteer in the first place.
“Taking time out of my day and investing [it] in others or doing something to help somebody: I think [that] is the biggest reward too, at the end of the day. Past all the materialistic things, just being able to help somebody else make their day a little better. That’s pretty awesome, so that’s why I volunteer,” Rose said.
Allison Stewart, a mass communication major and representative of Alternative Spring Break, said that volunteering positively impacts one’s outlook on life.
“You learn so much about yourself and you’re able to give back. It gives you a different perspective in life knowing that you can help someone just giving your time … It’s very encouraging to see that college students still want to help. Winthrop is very good at giving us that opportunity,” Stewart said.
Wendy Nyberg, a special events manager at Second Harvest Food Bank, said that the food bank has many opportunities for students looking to volunteer, such as sorting food donations or delivering items directly to those who need them.
“We have a lot of opportunities where you’re going out and seeing clients face–to–face and work with them handing out food. It’s just a good experience. It brings it all together, so you can kind of see the whole picture,” Nyberg said.
Nyberg, who is a Winthrop alumna, said that it is important for students to come to events like the Social Impact Expo.
“I encourage people to come out because I never would have learned about all the other great nonprofits in the area without coming to something like this,” Nyberg said.
