by Xochitl Campos
Daily Lobo
Life can be more problematic than late homework assignments and massive midterms, student Margi Miranda said.
"We're college students, and we think we have problems because we can't get our papers done or something," said Miranda, who volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House. "But our problems are nothing compared to what some people are going through."
The Provost's Committee for Staff will give the UNM community the opportunity to learn more about volunteerism, chairwoman Lina Sandve said.
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The committee is organizing a volunteer fair from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today in the SUB Ballrooms.
The fair will host about 75 organizations from around Albuquerque, including the Peace Corps, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Girl Scouts.
"This is going to be a one-stop shop for the students, faculty and staff to meet with agencies and groups in the greater Albuquerque area so they can best match their volunteer abilities and interests with that agency," Sandve said.
She said the event is for people who are interested in volunteerism but don't know where to sign up or how to participate.
"Sometimes it is difficult because you don't know what to do," Sandve said. "But this is great because you can get together with an organization and make things happen."
This is the fifth year the committee has organized the event.
In the past, the fair targeted only faculty and staff, but it will be directed toward students this year, Sandve said.
"I really want the students to understand that their participation in this is truly wanted, and they are an integral part of our University community," she said.
Sandve said volunteerism helps people better the community they live in.
"It is important because this is how we survive as a society," she said. "Once you become involved in a society, then you are invested - you are invested in making your community a better place."
Student Brianna Duncan volunteered last year at an elementary school.
"We went to after-school programs and helped the kids that needed more help with schoolwork or didn't have a place to go because their parents were at work," she said.
Duncan said volunteering helped her appreciate the people in her life who did the same for her.
"When I was young, my parents worked," she said. "We need people like that who are going to go out and volunteer."
Miranda said the families she cooks for appreciate her efforts to help them.
"The nice thing about that is that some of those families are there for a really long time, so the people who are there know our faces," she said.
She said volunteering benefits participants as much as recipients.
"I definitely think that they have provided me with some perspective on things, because I've never had to go through what they are going through," she said.
