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With Fran Northcutt, Honors Adviser, Hunter College of the City University of New York
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Make a Difference This Summer: Last-Minute Volunteer Opportunities for the Procrastinating Altruist
HEAD Start
So maybe you haven't spent the last semester learning to lobby legislators on environmental issues or perfecting your nail gun technique so you can build a home in 72 hours. Plenty of volunteer organizations will still be happy to put your energy and enthusiasm to use this summer - even if you're a little bit lacking when it comes to experience.

HEAD Lines
You probably have friends who are planning to canvass for political candidates, work at summer camps for disadvantaged children, or cook and serve meals in soup kitchens. You can get involved in any of these areas, and there are plenty more you might not have thought of. If you're a potential English major, your writing and editing skills might be the perfect fit for a local charity's publicity department. If you're fluent in a second language, you might find a fast-paced and fulfilling volunteer placement translating for patients in a hospital. And if you have strong computer skills, you'll be in demand wherever you look.

Take time to find a volunteer placement that's right for you - one where you'll meet an important need, one where you'll build on your skills and discover talents you didn't even know you had.

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From Other HEADS
VOLUNTEERING HELPS ME GET BACK to being the good person I know I am. With all the temptations out there in the world, it is easy to get lost, especially living on a college campus. Volunteering gets me back on track and reminds me of my morals and values.

-- LORI HOBSON
YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN


ONE DOES NOT HAVE TO DO SOMETHING HUGE to do something good. You simply have to do something good.

-- JENNA CITRON
LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA


I WAS INVOLVED WITH THE CRISIS HOTLINE. The most common call that we had by far was what we called the loneliness call. It would be a person on a huge campus who felt lonely - a person who doesn't know how to meet people, who's away from home the first time. My college has more than 250 student organizations - fraternities and sororities, hang-gliding club, bungee-jumping club, weight-lifting club, all kinds of ethnic organizations, every religious group. There has to be a group out there that has your interest.

-- MICHAEL A. FEKULA
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND




Web Resources
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Volunteer Clearinghouse: www.lrn.usace.army.mil/volunteer

American Red Cross: www.redcross.org

Habitat for Humanity's Today and Tomorrow program for students like you: www.habitat.org/youthprograms/tsquared.aspx

Meals on Wheels: www.mowaa.org


HoH Tip
Get ready to sell yourself as an ideal volunteer candidate by updating your résumé. Create a separate "Volunteer Experience" section right underneath "Education." You can list Scout projects, tutoring, park cleanups, food drives - even if you volunteered for just one day, include it. This'll show that you're someone who cares.


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