Students at West Virginia University now have the opportunity to earn money for their education through volunteer service.
WVU’s Center for Civic Engagement recently began participating in the national AmeriCorps Students in Service program. Participation was made possible through a grant the center obtained from the West Virginia Campus Compact, housed at WVU.
Students who participate in the program, and complete at least 300 hours of community service over the course of the year, will receive a $1,132 education award to use for tuition, fees or loans.
“Students in Service is a unique and exciting opportunity for our students to gain leadership skills and become civically engaged,” said Kristi Wood-Turner, interim program director at the Center for Civic Engagement. “We are thrilled to partner with West Virginia Campus Compact to provide this program.”
Click below to hear Brett White talk more about the program's benefits.
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At WVU, the students will be called “Service Leaders.” They will be responsible for overseeing other students completing service-learning courses, as well as doing their own volunteer work in the community. Each leader will be assigned specific agencies in the community, where they will work alongside the students they are overseeing.
“They will essentially be a mentor for students,” said Brett White, special events coordinator at the Center for Civic Engagement. “They will be checking in with students, making sure they are keeping in touch with their community partners and they are keeping up with their service assignments.”
“When we have hundreds of students out doing projects it is hard for our staff to keep up with every student and to provide specific individual guidance for every project that is happening in the community. This will allow us to have that conduit and really improve communication between the students, agencies and our office,” he added.
WVU is currently one of three institutions in West Virginia participating in the program. The others are Shepherd University and West Virginia Northern Community College; three more colleges or universities are expected to be added.
The program is also offered at colleges and universities in California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, Maryland, Texas, Washington, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon and Oklahoma.
There are 13 spots open at WVU. To apply for the program, students must be full time and have a 3.0 GPA or greater. Students in any major and year at WVU are welcome to apply, however preference will be taken to upperclassmen, White said. A letter of recommendation is required.
Students are expected to begin as Service Leaders in the middle of October.
To apply, visit the Center for Civic Engagement’s website at http://cce.wvu.edu/ .
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CONTACT: Brett White, WVU Center for Civic Engagement
304-293-8761 ext.33481, Brett.White@mail.wvu.edu
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