GIVING “
SOMETHING
BACK
A new wave of volunteerism goes beyond
the self-centered motives of the past
By Pktkr I.aChaphi.k, Daily Wildcat, U, 01 Aki/<>\ \
Jetmtlet Kamo is a daughtei ol the 1 *»Hf)'s megetiriatiun — success
mil lll< (I wealth M I king |M islet I hlltllen III dll- Reagan Seals So lsh.lt
was tin 1 ol Southern ( ahfornia siudenl lining Iasi spiing humping
.ilung tin mu nun sheets ul I ns \ngrlrs in .1 flatbed jin kup. while
gnntatising National (.Haul (roups stood .11 attention .ihhiiiiI the
|k i uiK iri ul her i ampus'
"Iiii .1 lot Ini kiri than must prop I r in the ssuilil, .mil I nails hi I like
is iisunr ill seises (u In- at a < el lain slam Ian! Kamo sass “f vervone deserves
decent health 1 are. h mhI. shellei ami educ anon
I wo class aflct the hoi. Kanm ami anuthei t S( stmlenl hail eoonhn.ueil the
In si ul 1 ssu loud and i Ini lung ill ises I lie pail worked 20 In nil s delis 11 mg 17
trm k loads ul ft sod ami 1 lolhing dnnaied hs l SI students and fat nils
1 lei pasmeltt - \ (Inn film ul giime dial dest ■ mletl onto hel llesh horn die dai k.
smoke Idled sks
Kamo, a senior aiuhiu|>olugs majni. and liei fellow I S( student, delivered
relief supplies throughout the das 10 1 Into hes wfiete h tinges I ns Angeles riot
sit dins gathered
"f seisune was nelsons and ilplighl hut smiling that I ssas theie, she vtss
Kanm and an itu reaving uumliei ol t < >llege si in ten is like het seem to Ik- trailing
the "l.t/v college sUnlent" label lot shovels, gloses and ivitewtilrrs in then Iim.iI
1 omnnimlies
\nd sulunleei agent les vis this group of siudenl volunteers has its heart m the
light plat e.
I ake (ieoige MuAti/ 1 he Pima (ommumls ( a *1 lege siudenl. who studies sot ul
seisites. viss lie fumed a lederal volunteet oigam/alion 10 help niembetsol the
I lisp.mu t ommumls find sum k
"I see myself as an adsotate Itu the Mtspamt tominunitv," sass Mniio/, who
woiksloi Volunteeis In Service to \merii a (\ IS IA > "1 hoju-I can make vune
impac 1 in helping them to In- sue t essful in finding wot k."
I Vat e ( ail ps tec cuds show (hat Ire tween |anuars and April tins seat 15,501
college students 1 el tinted te.ci cards from jrostets heralding 1 lie- federal program.
Doling the vune months m 1901, the Peace ( tups leteised 8,t>f>8 ies|M>ns< s In
1985. die numtrri was ti02.
VISTA iffHirts 1 lose to a 4 pel tent increase in the nutnbet ol recent ctrllege
giadtiates 1 ompait-tl (o all solunlreis m the Iasi six months.
\ federal program with mote than 5.000 solunteeis nationwide. VIS I A has had
enough mteiest horn college students in retent seats, piompting it 10 lake .1 more
at use title in let Hilling them.
“Wc’se novel had recruiters Irefore this seal." sass Karrs Douglas, a regional
let nuler lot VIVI A. whit h helps organize (he needs 10 improve the 1 om lit ions ol
1 licit own lives "People he.tid .ilxiut us through iheii friends 01 hs reading about
Mthnitgh VIS 1A and the Pear e ( a»i|>s pav theit volunuw enough in live al the
standard id the people with whom ihev work, even agencies that idler no
«ompensalion Im students are notii mg a jump in volunteers.
Kamo, who serves as recruitment coordinatm lor the l M Student Volunteer
( enter, savs the lentet's partu ipanis increased from S00 last vear to its current
1 .OOO-volunteci total I he SV(helps i miner I students with atioul 2.r>0 agencies tor
service work.
Response front students during two Southern (-al for South Central drives was
overwhelming. Kamo savs. I SC. residence halls and Creek houses let! piles of
t Indies and fond during the “Sf' for SC" pickup. “People had In night food just for
A new drove of students ft filling more then lines on resumes through volunteer work.
llm." she sass
\ i i lir t <il ( .ililiu in.i, S.uii.i H.11 bat a, studcnIs involved in the school's
(omummts Vtioit Boaid help othei students lind non-profit agent ics that need
volunteersand help*umpus otg.tm/alions plan volunteci andi harm pmjei ts
I lull it- Sinn, the Ixiaid s adviser. saw the lx >ard has grown Iroin 26 rncmlrrrx to
alioiit Ml in the last less seats Boa id members ate taught the basil s ot non-profit
at nsisni. and along sstth olliei student solunteers. help run a solunteei at turn
t enter.
"I’ve nolited that a lot ol students hase been getting involved.'* sass Nhuli-\
( anh, net tiairwornan t>f the Im.utl
< >1 i outse. the tut teased interest in helping others titles not net essat tls mean all
these students pitt h in Ik i ausc ol sense ot duty — solunteei [tills do look great on a
tesuine
(anil sass she. like mans students, got involved in volunteer projet ts lor
personal gain. But in tune, she sass she developed a sense of tints and
tesjxmsihiliis toss.ml (host- whom she was helping.
(iloria I’ioo, who supervises thtre VIS I A volunteers in a job placement
program in south 1 ut son. \n/ , sass all the V1S I \ volunteers with whom she has
works seem genuine!) interested in helping the community
"They have a teal strong commitment." she sass " Ilrerr mas be other people
that intpiire. hut (lies never end up here ’
Six ol tlie nine I ust on V IS I A ret runs who have woi ked to help t omnium is
members find jobs timing the past three seats were recent college graduates. Proo
sass VISTA volunteers have worked with members of the largels Mispanu
ncightxii htxxl, where a2 |x-n ent ol tesidenls make less than $.5,000 a seat
( athlecn M. Mullen, who graduated in 1086 with a hat helot's degree in
psst hologs Irom Bales ( ollegr m lewislon. Maine, sass she t hose to woi k with the
I ut vui VISTA group because she wanted to see other parts of the nation and
Ix-t a use she wanted to help people.
"For selfish reasons I those to leave Maine, hut for more altruistic reasons I
chose toromc here to help this community,’ Mullen savs.
Hie three volunteers, who help the unemployed from a cramped office in the
I’io Decimo neighborhood, sas lew students would volunteer lor selfish concerns
alone.
(.onttnutd on t'nfr IS