UA groups 'feel good' about volunteering

Kristy Mangos Arizona Daily Wildcat Troy Zien, president of the Interfraternity Council, answers a telephone call from his office in the Memorial Student Union. According to Zien, more than 20 fraternities and sororities on campus are involved with volunteering for various organizations.

Students volunteer for many reasons.

English freshman Crissy Crandall said, "I do it for the self satisfaction."

Crandall has taken part in many volunteering activities. One activity she has participated in was Summerfest, which is an international celebration of culture. She also reads poetry with the elderly and helps organize activities with her church.

Crandall isn't the only student involved with volunteering. More than 20 fraternities and sororities on campus are also involved, said Troy Zien, president of the Interfraternity Council.

Each house has its own national philanthropy in addition to working with local groups such as the Ronald McDonald House and soup kitchens throughout Tucson.

Zien said many of the houses do the same activities every year. One of his favorite activities was volunteering at the Tucson Boys and Girls Club where he helped to referee basketball games and spent time with the kids.

"It makes you feel good, it makes everything better. Over time you develop relationships with some of the kids and they're excited to see us," Zien said.

He said the Interfraternity Council suggests each house perform some form of community service at least once every other month.

Greek Life isn't the only group involved with volunteering. Each of the residence halls on campus also has its own philanthropies and do community service with the council during the year.

Rachel Reinhardt, Residence Hall Association representative, said the halls are just getting started setting up these philanthropies and getting organized.

Some of the activities the halls have participated in are Christmas in April, where the students work with Habitat for Humanity to help build houses in and around Tucson, Treats for Tots during Halloween and working on fund-raisers for charities.

Political science junior Darin Stone says he volunteers because he enjoys it.

"I do it because I like it. I like to serve, whatever it is I'm doing," he said.

Stone has volunteered with his church working with inner city kids. He helps run clubs for the kids.

Some students aren't so happy with their volunteering activities. Undeclared freshman Stuart Koch is one student who says he has only volunteered once and it was because he had to.

"I got arrested and had to do community service. I had to help clean fire trucks and the police station. It was pretty bad," he said.

The University of Arizona's Center for Service Learning also organizes activities around campus.

The center runs a program called Project Volunteer, which goes out to student organizations and talks about opportunities for service off campus as well as on campus. Some of the activities they have planned include Holiday Outreach, a volunteer fair and the All Campus Philanthropy in the spring.

Cliff Unger, executive director of the center, said plans for Fall Service Week, Oct. 27-31, are already underway. Unger said the week's theme will probably be the community issues of poverty and youth.

The Special Events Division will be planning daily events to promote service.

So far a speaker's forum is being planned that will involve representatives from different agencies in the community. Students will be able to come and take part in an open discussion with the forum. On Oct. 31 the group is planning to bring in at-risk youth from child care agencies to take part in pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating in the Memorial Student Union.

The center is also planning Lee Denim Day which will take place on Oct. 10. Lee Jeans sponsors the event, which is put on to help raise money for the Breast Cancer Foundation.

Pink ribbons will be sold all week for $1 and the day of the event they will be asking everyone to wear jeans, a white shirt and the pink ribbons.

Holiday outreach activities are also being planned such as Adopt a Family at Thanksgiving and Christmas, an Angel Tree sponsored by the Salvation Army and Holiday Wish sponsored by radio station KRQQ.

The service learning center also works with the Tucson Volunteer Center to coordinate activities with other groups on campus. Ellen Hargis, president and CEO of the Volunteer Center, said they partner with the center to the entire campus.

The Volunteer Center works with more than 300 organizations to help set up volunteer opportunities around Tucson. They host several programs to match volunteers with the organizations they would most like to help.

For more information on volunteer opportunities contact the Volunteer Center at 886-6500 or visit them at 6840 E. Broadway #201.