Oglethorpe volunteers at the Blue Heron Nature Preserve.

Oglethorpe University’s Center for Civic Engagement offered students and parents the opportunity to participate in Hands on Atlanta Day 2010, a volunteer effort that reached out to four different nonprofit organizations. Blue Heron Nature Preserve, Lynwood Park Recreation Center, Open Hand, and Making a Way Housing saw a cumulative 441 hours from the 168 hands of 84 dedicated, Oglethorpe-affiliated volunteers. These volunteers were students, parents, staff and alumni who all came together to make a difference in the community.

I worked at Blue Heron Nature Preserve and found it to be a wonderful experience. Most of the work was outdoors: gardening, some painting, weeding, etc. This is the type of volunteering that not only touches your heart, but allows a sense of immediate accomplishment, as the end results are very clearly different from the beginning product.

Volunteers at Open Hand.

Many organizations, such as Blue Heron Nature Preserve and the Centers for Disease Control, are currently looking for volunteers. OU students – do you have all of your service hours required for your extracurricular organizations? Do you have all of your Petrel Points? Are you a rising upperclassman looking to boost your résumé? Are you interested in other service opportunities? There’s something for everyone if you stop by the Center for Civic Engagement and ask for volunteer opportunities.