by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Even though it was Fall Break, about 100 people turned out for the fourth Volunteer Fair at UNM.
Lourdes McKenna helped organize the Oct. 13 event.
McKenna said the biannual event, which is sponsored by the Provost's Committee for Staff, was meant to help UNM staff connect with volunteer groups.
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"It's a great opportunity to get the resources UNM has to offer out to the community," she said.
Several people running booths said the fair should not have been held during Fall Break. Instead, it should have been held when more students could attend.
Victoria Gonzales, who worked a booth for the Special Olympics, was one of them.
"I wish that classes would have been in session to get more of a student base," she said.
However, she said she liked the idea behind the fair.
"We're always looking for volunteers," she said.
McKenna said the event was held during the break this year to make parking easier for the volunteer organizations.
The event was aimed more toward staff than faculty or students, she said, because the Committee for Staff organizes it. However, she wants anyone interested in volunteering to come to the fair.
"We want to capture the widest audience possible," she said. "That's why it's always kind of a question whether to have it during session, or when there's available parking."
Student Carol Persinger said she enjoyed the event.
"It's very helpful," she said. "There are a variety of organizations."
Persinger said she was considering volunteering at the Rio Grande Nature Center.
Kate Watson worked at a booth for Final Exit Network, an organization that supports assisted suicide. She agreed the fair was a good idea, and said the organizers were easy to work with.
"I think it's beautifully put together," she said.
However, she also said it should have been held at a different time.
"There don't seem to be many people coming through," she said.
She said most of the traffic came from volunteers visiting each other's booths.
Donna Patterson, who represented the Salvation Army, echoed Watson and Gonzales.
"I think it would be a good resource," she said. "But maybe not on Fall Break next time."
She said there was an unexpected benefit to volunteers from different organizations mingling. She met people who will probably organize projects with her in the future, she said.
Art Brooks, who worked at the Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center, said he was happy with the event.
"I'm seeing a lot of people," he said. "If we come down here and get one volunteer, it's well worth the time."
Barbara Rigg-Healy, a computer analyst at CIRT, said the fair gave her a good chance to look into volunteering.
"I think it's a wonderful idea to put all of these organizations in one place," she said. "It's kind of hard when you're working to research these groups."
Sixty organizations from Bernalillo and Valencia counties were represented.
