By Kaitlyn Boisvert –
While graduating college can be regarded as an exciting time that provides a wide array of new opportunities to students, it also can be a very stressful period, full of confusion and self-questioning.
“What am I going to do with my life?”
Such a question is all too-familiar for new graduates, as it is something they can only constantly mull over as their life begins to change around them. After graduation, students leave the college lifestyle and freedom that they had become so accustomed to and enter the “real world” of responsibility and work.
It can be a rather stifling time, as students often feel that they do not entirely know who they are or what they truly want in life at that point in their lives. Often times, they do not feel ready to tackle the full-fledged role of a full-time working citizen and still need some time to complete a bit more of self-discovery.
Thankfully, reaching out to and participating in non-profit charity organizations can provide graduates a chance to reach such a personal revelation. Pursuing charity work after college is considered a very common practice for students following graduation, and an increasing number of students seem to be taking advantage of the opportunity, and find gratification in both discovering themselves and helping others.
- Media Credit: Mercy Volunteer Corps
“It puts your life into perspective,” said Keri Young, a Community Coordinator in the Northeast sector of the Mercy Volunteer Corps. “It also gives you a lot of work experience, and it brings you out of your bubble and opens your eyes to what is going on out there in the world.”
Young was only one of the many representatives that came to Salve Regina for the Nonprofit Fair on Feb. 15. The purpose of the fair was to introduce interested students to all the nonprofit organizations that they could participate in either during their schooling or after graduation.
The event met with a good turnout, which perhaps indicates that many students are indeed interested in lending out their services to help others.
As a representative, Young stood at her appointed table, greeting attendees and telling them about the Mercy Volunteer Corps and what the organization does.
According to the Mercy Volunteer Corps brochure, the organization encourages service and spirituality in carrying out charitable acts in the name of the Sisters of Mercy. Recruited members receive a small stipend as well as sponsored housing, and work along with the Americorps to provide both financial and “in-kind” assistance to those in need. Portions of the areas volunteer serve in are education, health care, poverty, community outreach, and domestic violence.
Young joined the Mercy Volunteer Corps following her graduation from Stonehill College. She had previously devoted herself to service and charity, by working at a school based in the Dominican Republic, and the experience deepened her love for helping others, which she then continued to pursue through the Mercy Volunteer Corps.
“It was a powerful year; I learned so much,” she said, reminiscing her year of recruitment. “I definitely do recommend for newly graduated students to get involved with a nonprofit organization, because now is the time to do it, when they still have a bit of freedom–before they get tied down by work and other obligations.”
Other nonprofit organizations that came to the fair were City Year, The Catholic Charities Volunteer Services Corps, The Haitian Project, The James L. Maher Center, and The Child & Family program based in Newport, RI.
While each organization shared the same mission of enriching its participants and providing service to those in need, no two organizations were the same. Each organization earned its right of providing charity in a way that was unique and different from its fellow organizations.
The Haitian Project, a nonprofit organization with an establishment based in Providence, RI, works to live up to its goal of helping improve the life of Haiti following the devastating earthquake. The organization represents a school stationed in Haiti, where the organization and its volunteers work to provide education to young children so they can live up to promising futures and help rebuild Haiti.
The Child & Family Program in Newport, RI is another organization that deserves recognition for its unique devotion to service, and it a common place of volunteer and internship participation for Salve students. Many of the students are majors that involve the human services, who earn a lot of relevant experience in working in one of the biggest community-based programs in the state. The organization also provides them a chance to work with both children and the elderly.
Landa Patterson, a representative for the organization spoke to attendees of what makes Child & Family thrive as a successful nonprofit. “Everyone here involved with Child & Family loves what we do,” she said. “We love to share the enthusiasm with all new recruits, and we are encompassing in the way we partner with many.”
Building off of this mission, the nonprofit organization City Year also encourages a diligent working community that promotes kinship. As an education-focused nonprofit organization, City Year provides its participants full-time service involvement in working as tutors, mentors, and role models in schools located in low-income based communities.
“What makes City Year unique is that we work in teams,” said Elana Cockburn, the Regional Admissions Coordinator. “Volunteers work with many diverse people and earn work skills that are transferable and help them succeed in whatever work field they choose to pursue.”
