Georgia Southern University Students Volunteer Thousands of Hours to Community

July 27, 2009

Georgia Southern University students volunteered almost 8,000 community service hours to the Statesboro/Bulloch County community during the 2008-09 academic year, according to the University’s Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement.

The Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement strives to better Georgia Southern and Statesboro. All student volunteer service is unpaid and directly benefits the community. The Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement provides students with a list of volunteer opportunities along with transportation to the designated sites three times per week.

‘We encourage our students to participate in community service because it can provide them with new skills and because Statesboro is their community,” said Diana Hensley, coordinator of civic engagement. ‘Community service is something that helps set graduates apart from other applicants when seeking jobs and admission to graduate study programs. Volunteer service helps students gain skills, and it is important because it can really helpmake Statesboroan even better place to live.”

Hensley said the benefits of participating in community service are invaluable. Volunteering for community service helps students become better leaders, servers and citizens. Providing aid to citizens of the community, networking and witnessing the end result of their volunteer work are things that can show the students just how valuable their services are.

‘Community service is a great way to be involved in the community of Georgia Southern and Statesboro and to receive personal fulfillment,” said Georgia Southern University student Megan Piper. ‘It surprised me that I gained so many new friends and contacts that I will carry beyond the actual experience and beyond Georgia Southern into my career.”

‘I had strong feelings about doing something to include the elderly, so I volunteered at Southern Manor Retirement Inn,” said student Jamie Bohannon. ‘It touched me so much that I could do something worthwhile for complete strangers. I can honestly say that my experience doing volunteer work here in Statesboro has had a direct impact on my life, and I will continue to be involved in non-profit service for years to come.”

‘The Office of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement likes to make sure that the students are interacting with the people they are helping,” Hensley said. ‘It can be very meaningful for the students when they see the reactions of the citizens being aided through community service.”

Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral/Research University, offers 115 degree programs serving nearly 18,000 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. The University, one of Georgia’s largest, is a top choice of Georgia’s HOPE scholars and is recognized for its student-centered approach to education. Visit: www.georgiasouthern.edu.