Community Service Office make
volunteerism vital
by Kalli Margaritis
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Diane Hotaling and Carol Clyde
As students and faculty begin a new school year at Virginia Wesleyan, they return to campus to find a new office in existence. The Office of Community Service, under director Diane Hotaling, has opened its doors to offer the campus community volunteer opportunities.
“Being in its first year, the office acts as a clearing house for volunteer opportunities,” Hotaling explained. “A few of the unique and new ideas we have is a on-call volunteer program for students that are interested in short-term projects, workshops, training and motivation programs, and a year-end volunteer recognition event. If transportation is a problem, there is a van that is available to take volunteers to events.”
Yet another new addition to the office, and to Wesleyan, is Carol L. Clyde, a graduate student from The College of William and Mary. Clyde is a Americorps member who has been selected to help develop the community service office at VWC.
Clyde graduated from Radford University with a B.A. in corporate and speech communications and has been involved in many service-oriented organizations, including Circle K, where she served successively as president, district secretary and international trustee.
The Office of Community Service has various goals it will be striving towards throughout the year, the first of which is office development. Hotaling and Clyde intend to identify, support, and track students engaged in community service outside the classroom.
A second goal is hands-on service, which will provide students with opportunities to volunteer with such organizations and activities as Habitat for Humanity and the American Heart Walk.
A third item on the office’s agenda is student leadership development, which will help students cultivate leadership skills and utilize such methods in order to integrate community service as an essential part of college life.
The last strategy of the office focuses on educating students about the benefits of community service and giving recognition to those faculty, staff, and students already out in the community making it a better place.
Exciting events have already been developing to keep Hotaling and Clyde on their respective toes.
Virginia Wesleyan has been selected as headquarters for America’s Promise: South Hampton Roads Alliance for Youth. This program is an extension of the meetings that President Clinton held with regional leaders last year in Washington D.C. to address the problems facing America’s youth. America’s Promise events will be held at VWC beginning in October. Students are needed to be facilitators and hosts.
Those interested in volunteering can call the new volunteer hotline at 455-3118 or visit the Office of Community Service located in Village II Commons.