
1. Call early to set up your opportunity. Don't just show up.....let them know you're coming. Some places have age requirements to volunteer....make sure that you're old enough to help (or if you need to bring an adult with you). Which leads to....
2. Be polite when you call. Even if you've called, and called, and called and no one has gotten back to you, be patient. Some organizations don't have someone manning the phones all the time. Call different times of day if you can to see if you'll have greater success. Speaking of success...
3. Have more than one place in mind to volunteer with. You might strike out at one place, and I don't want you to have all your service eggs in one basket. One last thing...
4. Don't procrastinate and wait until the last minute to complete your service requirements. Have you ever heard of Murphy's Law? It essentially says that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Applied to this scenario, you'll put the hours off until the last minute, then your organization won't need help and you'll be up a creek without hours and needing to write a paper for your final about your experiences.....which you didn't have because you waited too long.
There were a lot of "don'ts" up there. I DO want you to enjoy yourself in this experience. Find something you enjoy and throw yourself into it. I have had students continue their hours well past the end of the semester because they really enjoyed the experience...maybe that will be you!
Can't wait to see what you all will be up to! Due date for the project preview is on SEPTEMBER 17th.
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