Ball State students are venturing out into the Muncie community and providing time to those in need, but some current volunteers say more students need to get involved.
Junior Jessica Scheckelhoff said with only 20 to 30 percent of Ball State students volunteering in the Muncie community on a regular basis, more students still need to put community service on their agendas this spring. As more students get out into the local community, the difference they make can be phenomenal, she said.
"It is our duty and responsibility as people living here to give back to our community," sophomore Jennifer Schneider said.
Schneider said she is proud to serve as president of the Alpha Lambda Delta Freshman Honorary Society, where she plans to participate in various local events, including Habitat for Humanity.
She also volunteers for local organizations such as the Muncie chapter of the Red Cross, where she spends three hours every Friday making community bulletin boards as well as booklets for Girl Scout first aid classes.
"The Red Cross has done some really amazing things in the community, and I'm glad to help out," Schneider said.
Schneider said she also spends eight to 10 hours each semester participating in philanthropic community service events as vice president of administration for Alpha Omicron Pi sorority.
"A lot of people don't realize how much the greek community does for people around the nation and even here in Muncie," she said.
Schneider, who also takes 18 credit hours and works 10 hours on campus each week, said she will have put in almost 50 hours of community service by the end of this semester.
While volunteering for multiple organizations throughout the semester is often time-consuming, she said she has never regretted her decision to become a volunteer.
-á-áMaking a difference in the local community is always worth it, she said.
-á-á"I want to leave a mark in someone's life," Schneider said. "It's good to know you're helping other people."
Schneider said she is glad other Ball State students share her perspective on the importance of volunteering in the Ball State and Muncie communities. Seeing fellow students who selflessly commit themselves to local programs is reassuring, she said.
For example, Scheckelhoff, who serves as president of Ball State's Student Voluntary Services, said she will average between 40 and 50 hours of community service this semester volunteering for the Community Alliance to Promote Education (CAPE) program.
-á The purpose of the program is to help enhance the reading skills of kindergartners to third graders from elementary schools in Muncie and surrounding communities. Scheckelhoff said she looks forward to spending time with the students each week and is glad she has a positive influence on their learning.
"It's good to see them grow," Scheckelhoff said. "I've developed such a connection and a bond with the children that it's sometimes hard to leave them."
Scheckelhoff is also one of eight part-time members of AmeriCorp, which focuses on providing tutoring programs for Muncie schools through CAPE and Muncie's Motivate our Minds. Scheckelhoff has participated in several events for AmeriCorp, including a recent literacy fair for kindergartners through sixth graders during Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Scheckelhoff said she was first inspired to become a community volunteer after being required to do 50 hours of volunteer work as a freshman in her elementary education program.
"I really enjoyed doing it, and I liked working with children," Scheckelhoff said. "That was my reason to keep going."
Junior Justin Floyd said he is also grateful to be able to help students in the Muncie community through his own weekly community services. Floyd is coordinator of Ball State's Higher Bound tutoring program, an after-school tutoring program for 21st Century Scholar students from Muncie Central High School, Southside High School and several other county schools.
Floyd said he enjoys participating in Higher Bound, which averages 12 to 13 students every week. The program's purpose is to encourage students to reach their full potential, he said.
"Our goal is not just to prepare them academically, but to prepare them for the future by combining academic assistance with mentorship," Floyd said.
Every Wednesday, Ball State's transportation department and student staff council transport the high school students to the Teachers College, where they are tutored by Ball State students in subjects such as English, biology and algebra.
Floyd said he encourages more Ball State students to come out to TC 200F at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays to participate in the program.
The high school students bring a lightheartedness to Higher Bound that makes volunteering worthwhile, he said.
"The kids come in and they don't have a care in the world," Floyd said. "They definitely make me laugh all the time."
-á Schneider said Ball State students often volunteer for other organizations, including the local Boys and Girls Club, Muncie Mission and Animal Rescue Fund.
-á-á-á"Even 'busy' students can find time to volunteer," she said. "They can simply do it one day out of the semester. They don't have to make it a weekly routine."
-á-á-áSchneider said students should never underestimate the effect their volunteering will have both on their personal growth and on the growing connection between the Ball State and Muncie communities.
"People in Muncie will see that Ball State students do care about the advancement of the town," Schneider said. "And students in turn will have a greater appreciation for their college town. If more students start volunteering now, they'll be inclined to do it for the rest of their lives, and that's important because volunteering just makes you a better person all around."
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