The Meelia Center for Community Engagement hosted a Volunteer Fair on Friday, February 1st in an effort to promote sites in need of volunteers. Tables were set up around Upper Cushing so that site coordinators could sit and talk to students who were potentially interested in volunteering at their site.
“We decided to have the Volunteer Fair to promote sites that needed more people to help out. One of the unique things about Saint Anselm students is that they love making a difference and helping those in need. The Meelia Center wanted to promote some sites that could really use the help,” said Meelia Center Staff Support, Becca Cronin.
In total, there were 20 sites represented at the Volunteer Fair, including Kid’s Café, Francestown, Girls Inc., and the 21st Century After School Program. There were 25 Meelia Center staff members present at the fair to represent their sites, collect names for the raffle, and to give out food to those who attended the Volunteer Fair. The Meelia Center gave out “Safe at Home” T-shirts and bracelets, homemade cookies and rice crispy treats, and they made grilled cheeses for anyone who wanted them.
Cronin, noted, “We had a representative from Manchester Adult Learning Center come to promote her site; she used to be a client at the site, but now she goes to different places to promote it. We also brought some of the Langdon Mills children to campus, one of whom just received her acceptance letter to enter Saint Anselm College’s Class of 2017.”
In total, there were between 75 and 90 people who attended the fair, 47 of which decided to volunteer this semester. Last semester, the Meelia Center had over 200 people, both service learners and volunteers in the local communities.
The Meelia Center is still in need of some more volunteers. A few sites in need of help are: English for New Americans (ENA), Manchester Adult Learning Center (MALC), International Institute, 21st Century After School Program, Kid’s Café, and Girls Inc.
Cronin also commented, “The Meelia Center loves having the students of Saint A’s out in the community. The experiences they have in Manchester and all over the community really impact their lives. I don’t think the students who do volunteer realize the effect they have on those they serve. Whether it is a one day event, like the Valentine’s Day Dance, or a once a week service opportunity in Manchester, the students who choose to volunteer really make a difference!”
On that note, the students who do either volunteering or service learning are encouraged to email their stories to their site coordinators so that they can be share on the Meelia Center blog. To see students’ stories please go to blogs.anselm.edu/Meelia.