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by Chris Harper
The young Mexican American boy
clutched the butter-brickie ice-cream
cone between his hands. After a few bites
his mouth was surrounded by white and
pieces of brickie while the ice-cream
dripped down onto his fingers.
He looked across the table and gave an
appreciative smile to his Y-Pal, a UNL
sophomore.
This scene is repeated in more or less
similar form every day. What makes it
possible are the more than 30 volunteer
organizations available for student work
through the Student Volunteer Bureau
(SVB).
"Students can grow from giving" SVB
Coordinator Mary Dean said. "Giving and
growing are a very integral part of
volunteering. Volunteerism isn't for
everybody but it's an important part of
learning. It provides a 'doing' kind of
educational experience."
SVB works with more than 45
community agencies in coordinating the
activities, Dean said. These programs
include projects with youth, the mentally
disabled, the elderly and low-income
persons, she added.
The SVB office, "offers students a
clearinghouse. We serve as a liaison
between the University and the
community," Dean said.
How does a person volunteer? He
completes a registration form and an
interview in order to assess the student's
interests and to determine an appropriate
assignment, Dean said. She added that
although time involvement varies with
each project, the usual commitment is
between two and three hours a week.
Most , , Of the community projects
; involve nine months but other short-term
endeavors' such as Christmas programs are
available for volunteers. Dean said.
. Lack of transportation might pose a
problem for , prospective volunteers, she
said. The coordinator, however, added
that students may use the two SVB vans -for
their projects.
SVB's goal: "A good volunteer
program eventually works itself out of
business," she said. "Kids are just trying
to plug into the existing resources in the
community. ,
"Do volunteers promote social
change? I think they can if volunteers are .
used properly," she said. 'There are
things that volunteers can do that other
workers can't do."
The SVB office is located in Room
338 of the Nebraska Union. Students also
may call 472-2486 if they are interested
in any of the following programs: