Beth Ruhl remembers when she asked Cole Brown to be her date for the senior prom. He was different from most dates.
“Cole Brown had a heart of gold, but was a social outcast because he was born with severe mental retardation,” Ruhl said.
“When I asked his mom for her approval she said, ‘Why would you want to take him?’ I was shocked.”
“This was her son we were talking about. Why wouldn’t I want to take him? He treats me like a queen, isn’t afraid to dance and would just be an all-around great date,” Ruhl said.
This was not Ruhl’s first or last experience helping others. She was the philanthropy chair of her sorority at Kansas State University, volunteered with various Special Olympic events, traveled to Belize for two months during a summer volunteer program and spent two years in West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Ruhl currently works at Heart of America United Way in Kansas City as a campaign manager. She‘s an example of the growing number of young-adult and student volunteers. Agencies, universities and organizations note that numbers of young people volunteering has been growing for the past six-years - especially since 9/11.
Ruhl thinks it’s important for students to volunteer. “Everyone has something to offer this world and when you find your special something it creates positive change for everyone else,” she said. We need to spread the volunteer bug down from generation to generation.”
The Numbers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 61.2 million Americans or 26.7 percent of the population volunteered through or with an organization in 2006.
Kansas was ranked fifth among all states for volunteerism in 2006 by the bureau. More than 38 percent of Kansas’s residents volunteered.
The Corporation for National and Community Service , the nation’s largest grant maker supporting service and volunteering, is working with other federal agencies, universities and nonprofit organizations to increase volunteerism among college students. The corporation also published a report, College Students Helping America, in October of 2006.
The report said that college students who choose to volunteer increased about 20 percent between 2000 and 2005. The report defined college students as individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 that are enrolled at a post-secondary institution. This increase is nearly double that of adults, whose numbers only increased 9 percent from 2000 to 2005. The number of college student volunteers reached almost 3.3 million in 2005.
The report said 31.5 percent of Kansas college students volunteered in 2005, ranking the state 24th in the nation.
What They’re Doing
The report showed tutoring and mentoring as the most common volunteer activities among college students. About 27 percent of college students who volunteered tutored, and 24 percent mentored in 2005.
Margaret Perkins McGuinness of Douglas County United Way said many of her organization’s student volunteers preferred active projects where they could see fairly rapid results. Students also loved working with kids, she said.
Maggie Bixler, Americorps member, said volunteering was good for students no matter what kind of work they did. “Volunteering gives you experience in the field you wouldn’t otherwise have when you graduate,” Bixler said. “ I’ve read studies and articles that say volunteering helps increase your lifespan, makes you healthier and makes you happier.”
KU student Lauren Uhlmansiek volunteered with other KU students in an Alternative Spring Break program organized by the Ecumenical Christian Ministries.
The group of 10 students traveled to New Orleans during the 2007 spring break. Uhlmansiek was assigned to work on a house that belonged to an area resident, Patricia.
Patricia’s house was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. She used all of the insurance money she had collected to buy a house that was completely gutted. Uhlmansiek and the other students helped rebuild Patricia’s house and worked on projects such as dry walling, mudding and cleaning.
“Patricia is the funniest, most positive and upbeat lady I’ve ever met," Uhlmansiek said. "She is a living example of what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”
Uhlmansiek plans to return to New Orleans and volunteer for two weeks this August.
How to Get Involved
Several local and national organizations provide volunteer opportunities to college students. For example:
The Center for Community Outreach(CCO) at the University of Kansas works to increase meaningful student involvement within the community. It offers service opportunities, community contacts and student organization activities. It has 1,989 registered volunteers for the 2006-2007 school year and has logged 6,162 volunteer hours since August 2005.
The center works with 15 core organizations. Elaine Jardon, co-director of the center, said the CCO has had to create more programs for the greater need over the past few years, but she didn’t have exact numbers. Programs like Alternative Breaks have grown and moved out from under the center’s umbrella, and they now operate on their own.
KU Alternative Breaks offers weekend, spring and winter volunteer trips to university students. Katie Jahnke, co-director of KU Alternative Breaks, said the program has grown since her freshman year.
“You see so much in the world that needs changed everyday,” Jahnke said. “We can really do something and have the energy to do it. That is why alternative breaks is such a good program.”
KU Weekend Breaks was created five years ago to fulfill an increased demand for service learning. Weekend Breaks offers a volunteer trip once a month.
“We try to balance between social and physical activities and cover a variety of issues,” said Elizabeth Cattell, co-director of Weekend Breaks.
The United Way of America is also working to create more programs for college student volunteers. Sheila Consaul, former director of media relations at the United Way of America, said the United Way has about 1.1 million volunteers each year.
The United Way started a new Alternative Spring Break in Spring 2006 to help with hurricane relief for areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Consaul said. The first year the program had about 100 participants and lasted a week. The program ran again in Spring 2007 and expanded to a four-week program and included more than 300 participants.
The United Way also works with programs such as the 10,000 Hour Show and Youth Venture. Consaul said there was a great need for student volunteer programs.
“College volunteers are different from other volunteers,” Consaul said. “College students have different needs and interests. They have more time and more energy, but not a disposable income.”
The Impact
The Corporation for National and Community Service and its partners have set a goal to increase the number of college volunteers to five million by 2010.
As an employee of the United Way, Ruhl hopes to motivate other students to volunteer.
Her inspiration is remembering some of the people she’s helped, like Cole.
When Ruhl asked if Cole could go the prom, his mother’s eyes swelled with tears, and she told Ruhl, “Unless another girl learns from your example, he may never have another experience like this in his life.”
Ruhl said they had a great time at prom.
“Cole was not only the best date," Ruhl said. "But he also taught me that what may seem like the smallest act of kindness could have the biggest impact on others."