by Lisa Proulx
Student Volunteers Close to 200 Hours at VA Medical Center in Manchester
PORTSMOUTH – As part of a campus-wide effort to become more active in the community, 海角乱伦 is encouraging students to set aside time in their schedules for volunteer work. The school is emphasizing volunteerism and community service as a complement to its academic and job-training curriculum.
鈥淲e have seen a large increase in volunteer participation in the past few years,鈥� said Sara Lang, Student Life Assistant at Great Bay. 鈥淭here is a core group of students, faculty, and staff that know about our volunteer efforts, and while the word spreads a little here and there, we are working to see that the word spreads more and more each year.鈥�
Great Bay is known on the Seacoast for its partnerships with surrounding businesses. School leaders hope the emphasis on community service will further encourage 鈥渙ur good reputation,鈥� Lang said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great to know that so many businesses and people think so highly of us, and it鈥檚 even better when they also think highly of our civic-minded students.鈥�
The school is working to create more volunteer opportunities. The Student Life department offers a volunteer opportunity once a month for all students, faculty, and staff. In addition, the department also maintains an ongoing list of volunteer opportunities, including Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Operation Blessing, and the Greenleaf Rec Center. Over the past year, additional college efforts have included a charity yard sale to benefit the NHSPCA and Operation Blessing. A recent effort in support of the Community College System of New Hampshire鈥檚 partnership with the Office of the Governor and New Hampshire Emergency Management collected donations for victims of the crisis caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico.
During student orientation, Lang impresses on incoming students the importance and reward of volunteering. If they show up for just one of the school鈥檚 sponsored volunteer days only for the sake of building a resume, that鈥檚 OK. She also tells them, 鈥淣inety-nine percent of the time, at the end of the day, while you鈥檙e decompressing and reflecting on what you just experienced, you鈥檙e going to realize that you just selflessly helped someone or some group and it didn鈥檛 cost you anything but a few hours of your time.鈥�
One of Great Bay鈥檚 model student volunteers is Ken Stanley, a 25-year military veteran who volunteers 15 hours a week at the VA Medical Center in Manchester. Stanley, who lives in Dover, served in Iraq, and returned home to New Hampshire afflicted with PTSD and other war-related injuries. He received help at the VA, and began spending time there as a volunteer. He also volunteers at New Hampshire Vet to Vet in Rochester.
With the financial support of the New Hampshire Bureau Vocational Rehabilitation, he enrolled at Great Bay with the goal of transferring to the University of New Hampshire and becoming a licensed social worker. He wants to help other veterans returning from war get the help they need to resume active, productive lives back home. This spring, he was awarded 海角乱伦鈥檚 100 Hour Club award for hours of volunteerism and is well on his way to earning the next tier award for 250 hours.
Stanley, who retired from the military in 2006, is proud of his volunteer work, and encourages others to get involved. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for me to volunteer because it helps me in my recovery,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 also have the extra incentive of talking to veterans and helping them move forward with their lives. Instead of giving them a handout, let鈥檚 give them a hand up. That鈥檚 why I do it.鈥�
海角乱伦 is a comprehensive postsecondary institution offering quality academic and professional and technical education in support of workforce development and lifelong learning. 海角乱伦 is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire, a public system of higher education consisting of seven colleges in Berlin, Claremont, Laconia, Concord, Manchester, Nashua, and Portsmouth. The colleges offer Associate degrees and career training in technical, professional and general fields, including transfer pathways to baccalaureate degrees. The college鈥檚 second campus, the Advanced Technology & Academic Center is open in Rochester offering academic courses and a degree program in Advanced Composites Manufacturing. For more information on 海角乱伦, visit www.greatbay.edu.