By: Kirsten Bannan, Staff writer

Volunteering is a great way to get involved with the community and with one’s peers.

If a student is looking to get involved in community service on and off campus, LVC offers many opportunities for students and faculty. LVC is surrounded by different cities that can be a hub for community service trips.

Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the surrounding areas. Community service can have multiple benefits. Reverend Dr. Paul Fullmer, chaplain and director of service and volunteerism at LVC, talks about the benefits volunteering can have on one’s future.

“It is a great experience that can prepare you for identifying for a career, and it is a great experience involving joy in the work you do,” Chaplain Fullmer said.

For example, one organization is the American Foundation for Children with AIDS (AFCA).  The Lebanon-based organization is a multinational organization that has a special interest in volunteers from LVC to help with their cause.

AFCA gathers medical supplies from all over the country, organizes packages and then sends supplies to hospitals in need in Africa.

“Whenever you go there, your time there is being well used, and the mission is meaningful,” Samuel Kolins, Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences, said.

Kolins regularly volunteers the first Saturday of the month at AFCA.

“It is interesting to talk to some of the staff who have gone to Africa and have seen the results that the work actually produced,” said Kolins.

Kolins is an advocate for getting involved around campus.

“I think there are a lot of good opportunities that the college has to help students find something that works and is meaningful.”

There are plenty of events and organizations in the area that students can get involved in. Listings for upcoming events are on Redbook and the LVC community service Facebook page.

Chaplain Fullmer encourages students to volunteer and to stop by his office in the lobby of the Miller Chapel to discuss volunteer opportunities.