July 3, 2009
UWSP’s volunteer programs connect students to the
greater community
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) students put in over 6,000 volunteer hours in
the 2008-09 academic school year, according to the recently released 2008-2009 UWSP Student
Volunteer Annual Report.
The report details a volunteer program that addresses the service, involvement, and
learning needs of students, while serving as a connecting point between on-campus volunteer
opportunities, nonprofit agencies, and the United Way Volunteer Center, according to
Shannon Chronister, coordinator of the Student Involvement and Employment Office (SIEO)
and author of the report.
“Student volunteer community service is an integral part of student life for many enrolled
at UWSP,” said Chronister. “Our annual report allows us to assess our myriad volunteer
programs and opportunities while giving our neighbors and the greater surrounding community
a snapshot of all the good deeds UWSP students are involved in throughout the academic year.
In just two years we have doubled the number of student volunteers for onetime annual
SIEO-sponsored events.”
VolunteersRock.org is one of SIEO’s five-core volunteer programs. Tutoring, special events,
blood drives and service trips are student-driven with professional staff oversight,
according to Susan LeBow, SIEO assistant director. The SIEO tutoring program, for
instance, matches student volunteer tutors with K-12 classrooms throughout Portage
County, the Portage County Literacy Council, and the Boys and Girls Club. Almost 300
UWSP students took part in over 3,000 hours of tutoring this academic year.
SIEO introduced two initiatives this past year. Be The Match is an effort to give students,
faculty, and staff an opportunity to sign up for the National Bone Marrow Registry.
Intercity Impact is a new service trip program of educational workshops on hunger and
homelessness combined with a service trip to Milwaukee by 10 UWSP students.
Other annual special events in which UWSP student volunteers participated include Service
Saturdays, Empty Bowls, Make A Difference Day, and Be The Change. Seven Service Saturdays
saw students volunteer at nonprofit agencies in Portage County. Service Saturday partners
included UWSP’s Central Wisconsin Environmental Station, St. Francis Horse Rescue, Harmony
Living Center, Portage County Cultural Festival, CAP Services, the Salvation Army, Make A
Difference Day, Central Wisconsin Children’s Museum and the Portage County Humane Society.
In addition, SIEO oversees four blood drives throughout the academic year. A total of 700
students donated blood at these drives.
The Web site is a service SIEO offers in partnership with the United Way Volunteer Center
and Retired Seniors Volunteer Program.
For more information on SIEO volunteerism or for copies of the report,
visit
www.uwsp.edu/centers/sieo/volunteerism/index.asp.
