It’s crunch time in Old Westbury, and two words are on everyone’s minds: Winter Break. The anticipation for the holiday season to arrive is building, but do you know how you’re going to spend your entire month off from school? Instead of watching Home Alone over and over again, try volunteering!
SUNY Old Westbury’s Internship and Outreach Coordinator, Margaret King, encourages students to volunteer during the upcoming winter break, especially if they have the time to spare. She insists that volunteering can only be beneficial for students, as they can “gain relevant experiences that can help them on deciding their career field,” or further pursue their career goals. King also says that volunteering, in general, will help one build their professional network, skills, resume, and clarity with their proposed career path.
It is always important to choose a cause or organization you will be interested in representing. Having “passion for the cause,” according to King, will benefit both you and the organization, as not only will you gain experience and skills, but “the agency [will get] something out of it if you do a good job volunteering.” King also encourages those who know of an agency they would like to volunteer or intern for, to reach out if they please.
Before volunteering your time, King also strongly recommends asking yourself “what kinds of experiences you want to get,” and “how much time you can devote to the cause.” Depending on the agency, they may need someone for time spans ranging from “short spurts… to several months at a time.”
Island Harvest is a hunger relief organization looking for volunteers to spare their time during the holiday season and serve as food collectors, trimming box promoters, or food transporters. You can volunteer by checking out their website at www.islandharvest.org.
Students can also search for opportunities through the Long Island Volunteer Center. Many opportunities are listed for various majors or fields of interests, and their website’s search tool will filter searches by cause, location, and time periods available. Margaret King says this allows those interested in volunteering to “self-assemble to find where your interests fit in,” and essentially choose the organization that catches your attention the most. The website also has a list of opportunities specifically for winter break, ranging from animals, to social services, and much more. The endless volunteer and internship opportunities can be accessed at www.longislandvolunteercenter.org.
King also encourages students to visit the Career Center to look for volunteer and internship opportunities. Students can walk in at any time to search through their binders, containing non-profit organizations looking for both interns and volunteers. The Career Center is located in the Student Union, Suite 303.
Volunteering, as stated by Margaret King, is “good for your heart and soul,” and you can’t help but feel good about yourself doing by helping others. So if you are looking for something to do this winter break, volunteer!