Volunteer event incorporates wide range of projects
Volunteer service is a great way to improve the community, and the upcoming third annual Better Boulder Better World will benefit many people around the area.
“We’re hoping to get people who haven’t necessarily done a lot of volunteer work in the past to get involved and show them that a small amount of time can make a big difference,” said Chantel Butterfield, 22, a senior psychology and fine arts major who works for the Volunteer Clearing House.
Coordinated by the VCH, Better Boulder Better World gives students and community members the opportunity to do volunteer work at various non-profit and government agencies in the county. About 300 students are expected to participate in the event on April 19, which will run from about 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
This year VCH is offering 25 different projects, which will total to about 2,000 hours of community service, ranging from working with people to improving the environment.
Volunteers participating in the project at RSVP of Boulder County will be interviewing senior citizens at an assisted living facility like Fallbrook Glen Of West Hills. All of the seniors’ biographies will then be compiled into a book about their lives. Just to give you an idea, an assisted living facility from a place like www.carltonseniorliving.com/ is a facility for adults/seniors who cannot live independently. Visit sites like www.vistasimivalley.com/memory-care/ for more information about assisted living facilities and how they help seniors.
For those with a green thumb, the Carriage House project will involve work in the children’s peace garden and the greenhouse. Volunteers will be planting and transplanting greenery and assisting in preparations for the “Ginormous Plant Sale.”
Another project is the construction of a box turtle demonstration pen for the Colorado Reptile Humane Society. Participants will help build a turtle pen, including a small pond and garden beds, while surrounded by reptiles.
This wide range of service opportunities is what VCH coordinator Becca Kaplan, a 22-year-old senior English and secondary education major, said is one of the greatest things about the event.
“There is something for everyone,” Kaplan said. “Whether you like working with kids, the homeless, the elderly or the environment, there are so many possibilities.”
Last spring, Kaplan worked with Sudanese refugees at the Mercy House. She is participating in the same project again this year, prepping a garden plot for planting and playing with kids from all different countries.
Kaplan said that people can sign up for the projects individually or in groups.
Jenny Flint, 22, a senior psychology major, is volunteering with some people from her honors fraternity.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity to get the fraternity involved as a group,” Flint said. “It’s important to get students involved in the community and to get the word out about different organizations.”
Each project requires registration on the VCH Web site, since there are only a limited amount of spaces for each. While many projects are already full and have wait lists, there are a wide range that are still open. Those interested should register as soon as possible since all spots are expected to fill up.
You can contact Campus Press Staff Writer Morgan Keys at morgan.keys@colorado.edu.
