Volunteers needed for project HELP
Thiago Estevam
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: News
RMU is currently looking for volunteers to travel to Dungannon, Va. during Spring Break, March 7 though 13, to help repair homes for low and moderate-income families in Scott County.
Project HELP, as it is known, will accommodate 12 volunteers plus an advisor. The trip will still happen even if the number of desired participants is not reached.
"Students should consider an alternative Spring Break because I feel it will be such a rewarding trip. Along with that feeling that you have made a difference, you will also learn about the underlying issues that we will be dealing with, make new friends, have fun, and create a lifelong memory," said Randon Willian, community and volunteer services coordinator at Robert Morris University.
"The program is made possible by the generosity of the volunteers who pay a fee to come to Dungannon to do a week of work. The DDC (Dungannon Development Commission, inc.) uses this fee to house, provide meals, purchase building materials, and coordinate work for the volunteers during the time that they are here and to support the works of the organization," explained Willian. "I hope that students will gain an interest in volunteering and wanting to make a difference. I hope that these trips will spark an interest with the students in issues we will be seeing, and they will want to continue helping and learning even after the trip is over."
HELP, organized by the Dungannon Development Commission, Inc, was implemented to help the Dungannon community and its surroundings in 1991. Scott County is located in the Appalachian Mountains, one of the poorest regions in the nation, and there is a constant need for voluntary work and services. This is the first time the school and DCC partner up to volunteer.
For many years RMU has paired up with other organizations, such as Youth Services Opportunities Projects in Washington, DC, and Habitat for Humanity in Concord, N.C.
Willian explained more about the housing, offered for $100.
"Volunteers will be housed in the DDC's main office building known as the Phoenix Center. The building is an air-conditioned and there are a total of five bathrooms, with one of them being handi-cap accessible. There are three sleeping quarters, a dining/meeting/play area, a kitchen and a computer lab with Internet access. The DDC can accommodate approximately 100 volunteers," he claimed.
For more information, students should contact the Office of Student Civic Engagement. Students may also contact Randon Willian through cvsc@rmu.edu, and Shannan Rogan, slrst19@mail.rmu.edu.
Project HELP, as it is known, will accommodate 12 volunteers plus an advisor. The trip will still happen even if the number of desired participants is not reached.
"Students should consider an alternative Spring Break because I feel it will be such a rewarding trip. Along with that feeling that you have made a difference, you will also learn about the underlying issues that we will be dealing with, make new friends, have fun, and create a lifelong memory," said Randon Willian, community and volunteer services coordinator at Robert Morris University.
"The program is made possible by the generosity of the volunteers who pay a fee to come to Dungannon to do a week of work. The DDC (Dungannon Development Commission, inc.) uses this fee to house, provide meals, purchase building materials, and coordinate work for the volunteers during the time that they are here and to support the works of the organization," explained Willian. "I hope that students will gain an interest in volunteering and wanting to make a difference. I hope that these trips will spark an interest with the students in issues we will be seeing, and they will want to continue helping and learning even after the trip is over."
HELP, organized by the Dungannon Development Commission, Inc, was implemented to help the Dungannon community and its surroundings in 1991. Scott County is located in the Appalachian Mountains, one of the poorest regions in the nation, and there is a constant need for voluntary work and services. This is the first time the school and DCC partner up to volunteer.
For many years RMU has paired up with other organizations, such as Youth Services Opportunities Projects in Washington, DC, and Habitat for Humanity in Concord, N.C.
Willian explained more about the housing, offered for $100.
"Volunteers will be housed in the DDC's main office building known as the Phoenix Center. The building is an air-conditioned and there are a total of five bathrooms, with one of them being handi-cap accessible. There are three sleeping quarters, a dining/meeting/play area, a kitchen and a computer lab with Internet access. The DDC can accommodate approximately 100 volunteers," he claimed.
For more information, students should contact the Office of Student Civic Engagement. Students may also contact Randon Willian through cvsc@rmu.edu, and Shannan Rogan, slrst19@mail.rmu.edu.
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