Sitting in her office in Case Center 240, Michelle Hubbs, Director of Community Service Programs, is ready to support students who wish to participate in civic engagement and volunteerism throughout the year. Although the doors to room 240 are always open, students most likely pass by every day without noticing the office—Hubbs is looking to change that.
Having joined SkidSync, made a Facebook page for the office, and participated in Skidmore’s First-Year Exploremore program, Hubbs hopes she can reach more students on campus who wish to do volunteer work, but don’t know where to start. Hopefully, Hubbs can make the Office of Community Service the resource students turn to when they’re at square one. A multifaceted resource, the office not only helps connect students with local, off-campus, or international volunteer opportunities and organizations, but also sets up transportation, coordinates fundraisers for different causes, facilitates student relationships with agencies for potential internships, allows for student experience within majors like Social Work and Education or with putting on events, assists Skidmore Honors Forum students with civic citizenship projects, and more.
While 50% of the Skidmore population already participates in civic engagement during the year, whether through athletic teams, service learning classes, service-focused clubs, or Residential Life, Hubbs hopes all students “stop and think that their community is what they make it,” and that it “doesn’t matter how students come to me; my door is always open and there’s nothing I wouldn’t try to help you with.”
Hubbs notes that there’s plenty of positive motivations for wanting to do volunteer work: it’s a great way to fill up time and is flexible regarding how many hours per week a person wants to give, gets students off-campus and allows them to meet new people, creates great connections with organizations, and has multiple learning points for students throughout the experience. Hubbs hopes that if any of these aspects appeal to students, they’ll stop by her office. “I love making connections for people,” Hubbs emphasized.
Or, if you’re looking to make some connections of your own, the Office of Community Service will be sponsoring a Volunteer Fair this Thursday, September 21st from 11:00am-1:30pm at Case Center. Sixteen agencies will be at the fair, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society, Shelters of Saratoga, and more. Whether at the Volunteer Fair or through the doors of Case 240, plenty of volunteer opportunities are available, and there is a team ready to support you.
For more information, contact Michelle Hubbs at mhubbs@skidmore.edu