Each Friday this semester, the SERVE Fri program will hold events that give students the opportunity to volunteer  their time towards community service work in the Lamoille County area.

The program is looking for students who are interested in helping to better the community, as well as to learn about local social issues.

“For this program to thrive, we need to create a population of caring individuals who, as a group, will work towards a better and closer community,” says SERVE Fri Vice President Liz Spier. Numbers at recent events haven’t been what program directors had hoped for, and they believe the increased number of classes held on Fridays and the need to get more work hours in might be part of the explanation.

Three events have already been held this year – one was the cleaning of the Babcock Nature Preserve, where volunteers collected garbage that was left behind by users of the preserve.

Sept. 14’s outing saw a small group cleaning up a storm pool and culvert in Morrisville, and on Sept. 21 a group worked at Pete’s Greens in Craftsbury. The goal of this event was to aid the Vermont Foodbank in gleaning the leftover produce at the farm. “Gleaning” is the process of taking the leftover produce that is not sold commercially and then donating it, in this case to the Foodbank.

Volunteers will have a chance to both canoe and clean up debris along the banks of the Lamoille River on Sept. 28.

While the work may not seem glamorous, it offers many satisfactions, according to SERVE Graduate Assistant Tara Robinson.  “There is the real satisfaction and pride of giving back to the community and environment,” she said, as well as opportunities for “learning new skills, meeting members of the community and seeing the direct impact of their work as a volunteer.”

Spier is optimistic about the program’s future. “SERVE Fri is here to provide a way for students to get involved,” she said. “It’s difficult to fulfill that ideal when participants have been dwindling over the years. Hopefully, that will change soon, and students will again take pride in volunteering in their community.”

If you are interested in joining SERVE Fri and are available on Fridays, contact Robinson or Spier at the SERVE office in Stearns room 408, and check out the SERVE Fri Office Facebook page for information on upcoming events.