News
SIEO attempts to recognize students for volunteering
The Pointer
jmath348@uwsp.edu
The Ultimate Service Challenge is an opportunity for individuals and student organizations alike to volunteer around the Stevens Point community.
The Student Involvement and Employment Office at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point instituted the challenge this year as a way for volunteers to be recognized and rewarded for their volunteer efforts.
The challenge is ongoing and volunteers can sign up and log hours until April 1.
“Individuals and student organizations can determine how many hours they want to pledge,” said Shannon Chronister, student involvement and employment coordinator. “They’re not really competing against other people. They’re basically setting a goal for themselves.”
SIEO has an online form that volunteers have to fill out in order to pledge a certain number of volunteer hours. After the volunteer activity has been completed, the hours worked are logged into the SIEO Web site.
Volunteers have pledged as few as 10 and as many as 250 hours.
“It’s really up to each individual how many hours they wanted to volunteer this year,” said Chronister.
When the number of pledged hours have been completed, the volunteers are eligible for a prize drawing. Prizes include gift certificates, catering vouchers for a student organization and other UW- SP items.
Volunteer opportunities can be found at the SIEO desk in the lower level of the Dreyfus University Center.
This year, students have served dinner at the Salvation Army and taught religious classes at their churches. Tao Kappa Epsilon worked the finish line at the Frostbite Run. The Public Relations Student Society of America worked at a Habitat for Humanity ceremony.
Other volunteer opportunities are available at the Boys and Girls Club and Destiny Point, a women’s shelter.
“Most of the service work that’s being done is through a non-profit agency in the community,” said Chronister.
“Be the Change” is an upcoming, community-wide volunteer opportunity on March 28. For more information contact SIEO at sieo@uwsp.edu.
“I’d like to see more participation,” said Chronister, “I think we could do a better job of trying to promote it to individuals. We’ve really pushed it with student organizations. I would like to show…that this is for anyone and everyone, not just student organizations.”
