A Sampling of Volunteer Opportunities

People are really into community service here. I have dabbled in a few things over the semesters and have loved all the community service opportunities offered at school. There are a million bazillion!

There is a W&M Volunteer Services department where students can find a variety of tutoring opportunities, ranging from teaching English as a second language to helping out at the local elementary school (Mathew Whaley). One service trip I was involved in through Volunteer Services is the V8 campaign and D.C. Central Kitchen. About 15 William and Mary students and myself drove the white -very eye catching- William and Mary certified vans up to Washington D.C. We privately met with the founder of D.C. Central Kitchens, Robert Egger, as well as volunteered at D.C. Central Kitchen. It was a great trip and I learned about working in the non-profit sector from Mr. Egger. He has even been on Oprah!

We also have a Campus Kitchen’s at school that is really fun…you get to make an entire meal for about 70 families in the William and Mary Dining Halls after hours! (Campus Kitchen’s is an affiliate of D.C. Central Kitchen) I love working in the William and Mary Dining Halls after hours because you learn so many odd facts, like how every chef at the Caf (the biggest dining hall on campus) has their very own private knife set. Who knew? But you should read Mary Bonney’s blog for more about that, she was a co-founder you know!

I also have volunteered through the Blayton Building, a retirement community you can walk to from campus. I and a few other people would walk over once a week and play pinochle. I personally find retirement people extremely interesting because they all seem to love talking about their life experiences. There are lots of opportunities to get to know people three times your age here in Williamsburg; such as READ, Adopt-A-Grandparent, and (of course) Blayton Building. Yet I understand if you believe your calling to the community lies elsewhere.

My favorite community service program I have taken advantage of at William and Mary is hands-down Campus Escort. The website is dazzling. I use this service a lot when I am out late, either at the library or with friends. It really is a fantastic program and is really appreciated here on campus. Also, who doesn’t want to ride in a golf cart around William and Mary?!

– Brynn Koeppen ’11