Other Muncie volunteer organizations:
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Address: 220 N. Walnut St.
Phone: 765-284-4141
Muncie Mission Ministries Inc.
Address: 1725 S. Liberty St.
Phone: 765-288-9122
Attic Window
Address: 400 W. Memorial Drive
Phone: 765-282-0997
Motivate Our Minds
Address: 2023 E. Highland Ave.
Phone: 765-289-1990
Wayside Mission
Address: 1203 S. Madison St.
Phone: 765-289-3561
• Local organizations are turning away student volunteers.
• The end of the year and semester leads to an increased demand for service positions.
• Animal Rescue Fund and Second Harvest Food Bank are among the organizations experiencing an overflow in help.
Some local organizations are turning away student volunteers due to a flood of interest near the end of the year and semester.
“There have just been a ton of Ball State students,” said Charlotte Cavanaugh, executive director for Second Harvest Food Bank. “Organizations only have so many things that volunteers can do, and when you get a flood of them all at once, you run out.”
Cavanaugh said more than 100 volunteers worked Saturday, so many in fact that she had to “break out the cleaning stuff” so volunteers could have something to do. She asked some groups that called Saturday to try to find another day to work.
“We never turn them away if they are walking into our facility,” she said. “[But] we did have to tell other groups that called that we were full.”
Muncie Animal Rescue Fund founder Terri Panszi said the organization had to turn away 17 volunteers last week.
The surge in interest isn’t necessarily positive for volunteer organizations, she said, because although they may have too many volunteers now, it means a shortage of volunteers throughout the year.
The Boys & Girls Club of Muncie has prepared for this problem by switching to an online volunteer schedule. There are only so many spots each day, and executive director Micah Maxwell said, “when they’re full, they are full.”
He said students that schedule hours on a consistent basis at the beginning of the semester are more likely to complete their volunteer hours, have a more rewarding experience and continue to volunteer after their required hours are finished.
Maxwell said students should treat volunteering like a class, attending at a set time every week. Students should schedule a time to work two hours each week at one or two organizations.
“If you do that, you will have no problem fulfilling your requirements [for class or Greek Life],” he said.
Panszi said she prefers students that come to volunteer at ARF through Ball State’s Student Volunteer Services because they know how to stick to a schedule and volunteer for the experience, not the hours.
“SVS kids are wonderful,” she said. “They understand what it truly means to be a volunteer.”
Some organizations find that students don’t fully understand the requirements when looking to cram in a few volunteer hours.
Panszi said students that show up to volunteer are often unaware of the type of work they will do. She said she has had students say, “I’m not doing that” when she asked them to clean an animal’s cage or litter box.
“It’s a bigger process than popping in and saying, ‘Hello, I’m here to play with the puppies,’” she said. “To them, [volunteering] helps get credit hours. To us, it is what we do every day.”
She said quality volunteers are important.
“Put your heart into it,” she said. “It’s serious business. It matters. Truly make it mean something to you.”
Read More
Upcoming events for Memorial Day weekend
By Staff Reports / 1 hours agoMemorial Day weekend is in full swing in the Muncie area. With Memorial Day being May 27 there are plenty of upcoming events in the area for people to enjoy.
Community members gather for meeting with updates on The Village revitalization plan
By Ellie Marker and Olivia Ground / YesterdayIn a presentation titled “The Village Redevelopment At Ball State University,” had information and updates for how the Village, which is located at the south-east corner of campus, was shared. The majority of updates came from Fairmount Properties, the development partner for the project.
Indiana Capital Chronicle: All 92 counties opt in for 2025 public health funding
By Indiana Capital Chronicle / 3 days agoEvery county in Indiana seems to have signed onto a state effort to provide $150 million in enhanced funding for public health departments in the coming year in exchange for providing “core” public health services.
