The University hosted the Fall Community Service Fair on Aug. 29 at 5:30 p.m. in the Terrace Room. Over 40 organizations attended the semi-annual event, which occurs in both the fall and spring semesters. “We love working with Bucknell students,” Joan Williams, volunteer coordinator at Ronald McDonald House in Danville, said. The groups in attendance, which included service fraternities, tutoring organizations, animal shelters, community gardens, and far more, sought to recruit student volunteers to help their cause.

“It’s important for students to be involved in the Lewisburg community,”  Rachel Guen ’19, member of the Alpha Phi Omega community service fraternity, said. Along with Sydney Myers ’20, Guen represented the University’s chapter of the fraternity at the Community Service Fair. Alpha Phi Omega, which is the largest fraternity in the country, offers a variety of service opportunities on campus and in the surrounding Lewisburg areas. When asked why she believed students should be involved in a community service organization, Myers simply said, “To help their community!”

The event was attended by a variety of students, including Giuliana Ferrara ’22, who was pleased by the wide array of service opportunities. “I learned about the Lewisburg Children’s Museum,” Ferrara said. “And I might also try volunteering as a tutor for the Office of Civic Engagement.”

Other organizations present at the Fall Community Service Fair included the Ronald McDonald House in Danville, whose mission is to provide “a home away from home for families with ill children.” This organization, represented at the event by Williams, recruits student volunteers to assist in their Family Rooms, where they will help welcome guests, answer phones, and stock the Family Room with supplies. However, for University students who would prefer to stay on campus, a wide array of organizations were present at the fair. For example, the Office of Civic Engagement has a community garden on campus and donates the produce grown to local food access programs. The garden aims to address local food insecurity through donations to food banks and community meal programs.

For interested volunteers who were unable to make the Fall Community Service Fair, Assistant Director for Community Service at the University and the coordinator of the event Lynn Pierson offers a solution. “Our office is right in the library,” Pierson said. “Students can always stop in and ask about service opportunities.”

Pierson’s final advice to any student at the University is to explore the wide array of volunteer opportunities available. “Service is important for anyone at any age. It helps you understand the needs and challenges of our local community and potential steps towards alleviating these problems,” Pierson said.