Philanthropic organizations talk to students about volunteering

For those looking to diversify their resumes, help out communities and gain experience in a certain field, philanthropic organizations can help. The Career Services Office hosted its "Service to Salary" meeting Wednesday to discuss opportunities for students to volunteer with AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps and the International Service Learning Alliance.

Although only two students attended the meeting, Tony Smith, the experimental education coordinator for Career Services, said he hopes the attendance will grow immensely in the future.

"Hopefully, this is just a stepping stone to getting information out to students," Smith said.

AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps and ISLA are organizations that help countries all over the world economically, educationally and medically. A representative from each of the programs attended the meeting, in addition to a volunteer who is currently participating with AmeriCorps.

AmeriCorps member Vanessa Notman said she has been a part of the program for 10 months and thoroughly enjoys the experience.

"My resume is stellar," Notman said. "I have so many amazing things to put on my resume from this 10-month experience."

Notman said she encourages both of the attendees to look into AmeriCorps because of the fun experience and skills taught throughout the program. She also said the experience is great for networking, budgeting and social skills.
Alexandra Lee, the outreach coordinator for Mile High Youth Corps in association with

AmeriCorps, came to talk about all the details about the different sectors of the organization.

AmeriCorps is open to people 18 years old and older and has no degree requirement. Applicants can apply for certain amounts of hours and up to a year of service.

Clara Morris, the Peace Corps regional recruiter in Colorado, described her organization, the application process and the benefits of the programs.

Morris said the Peace Corps is mainly for people with graduate degrees seeking to help  people in other countries for a 24-month period after three months of training. 

Kathy Lynch, the executive director of ISLA, came to speak about what ISLA offers to students who are in school; everything from internship programs overseas to service learning trips. Lynch is a Return Peace Corps volunteer and said she thinks ISLA is an amazing springboard for other international work, such as the Peace Corps.

"Don't let the money for ISLA scare you," Smith said. "The experience definitely outweighs the cost."