The Viking Volunteers program was formed a little over a year ago, giving students an opportunity to get involved in the community. Its mission is to teach students the value of civic engagement while demonstrating compassion and care in and around the community through volunteer work.
“Dr. (Mark) Escamilla, our college president, asked the Student Government Association, or SGA, to come up with a program that will give the students an opportunity to give back their time and expertise while also learning the value of civic engagement,” said Denise Mugabe, president of the SGA.
“We have a list of organizations searching for volunteers,” Mugabe said. “We let the students know about them and if the students have a particular agency they want to volunteer at, they are more than welcome to do so as well.”
Organizations looking for volunteers include Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army and The Humane Society. The program does not have regular meetings, but on request, they speak to classes or clubs wanting to learn more about the program. The Viking Volunteers won’t hold a volunteer fair until the spring semester, but they are always looking for fresh new faces. In April, the volunteers helped build houses for Habitat for Humanity.
“We gathered a group of about 25 students and four faculty members to go help with two of the houses they needed help with in the Morgan area,” Mugabe said.
The groups helped out by making shelves, painting, cleaning up the houses, fitting door frames and more. Besides getting the satisfaction of helping out the community, members of the Viking Volunteer program will also be awarded a medallion during graduation.
Any student can become a Viking Volunteer. Visit the Student Leadership and Campus Life office inside the Harvin Student Center, Room 105 to find out more details and pick up the proper paperwork needed to volunteer.