Helping Students Find Place in the Volunteer Community

has always encouraged its students to volunteer. Now, not only is volunteering encouraged, it is required.

Starting with the class of 2012, each student will be required to perform 50 community service hours in order to .

While the community has seemingly endless opportunities for volunteering, the problem can often be finding the right position for the right student.

That is where the Wilmington Community Service Program, or W.C.S.P, comes into play.  Started in February, W.C.S.P. is a program designed to network WHS students with local non-profit agencies.

“The program provides a link that allows students to see all of the volunteer opportunities available to them in one place,” program director Diane Garrity said.

Made possible by a grant from The Horne Family Foundation, in conjunction with the Wilmington School Business Partnership, W.C.S.P. maintains a database of volunteer opportunities from as many as twenty eight local non-profits including the School PACS, , and the .

WHS students are able to access the database from the WHS website and choose between a variety of activities and events. 

“The best thing about the program is that it allows students to see all sorts of different volunteer opportunities,” said Garrity. “People tend to always go to what is familiar and, thanks to W.C.S.P. they get a chance to broaden their horizons.”

By volunteering, students are often able to gain both real world experience and contacts that, in the future, could help them with their college and job choices. As far as Garrity is concerned, the experience is invaluable.

“You just can’t get out there networking early enough,” she said.

At the same time, however, local non-profits are able to benefit from fresh ideas and a whole new point of view.

“These days too many non-profits are not getting enough help,” said Garrity. “Students bring an enthusiastic and youthful work force to local organizations and, oftentimes, bring their knowledge of technology with them.”

After volunteering their time, students receive a certificate of appreciation along with a feedback provided by the agency contact that they worked with.

To date, approximately 60 students have taken advantage of the new program. Many of those students have volunteered multiple times already and are well on their way to making a difference in the community as well as their own lives.

For more information on W.C.S.P. visit them online or contact Diane Garrity directly at wildcatcsp@comcast.net.