Lethbridge Herald

U of L students explore opportunit­ies at volunteer fair

- Tim Kalinowski LETHBRIDGE HERALD

About two dozen community organizati­ons took part in the University of Lethbridge’s Volunteer Fair at the 1st Choice Savings Centre on Wednesday.

The event was an opportunit­y to introduce students on campus to various local community organizati­ons, and for those same organizati­ons to potentiall­y attract new, passionate volunteers, said U of L volunteer co-ordinator Paige Hutchinson.

“My main goal is to connect university students not only to opportunit­ies within the university, but also within the community,” Hutchinson explained. “I wanted students to be able to connect faceto-face with these opportunit­ies and meet the people behind these organizati­ons who are passionate about what they do. Some students come here, they don’t know anybody, and they feel kind of alone. Or maybe they have a community, but only on campus. We want to expand their awareness to see Lethbridge is an amazing city with a lot of amazing organizati­ons.”

Hutchinson also hoped to drive home the point to those students coming out that volunteer work is often a first step on the path toward gainful employment going forward.

“We know of lots of university students who have started volunteeri­ng with organizati­ons who they later landed a job with right out of university,” she said. “I want students to find something they are passionate about and to get their foot in the door with these organizati­ons. The networking that’s going on today is amazing, and I know there will be a lot of friendship­s built from it, too.”

Follow @TimKalHera­ld on Twitter

 ?? Herald photo by Ian Martens ?? Bri Thomas, outreach connection­s lead with Youth One, speaks with students Darcie Weir and Megan Hanna during the University of Lethbridge Volunteer Fair Wednesday at the 1st Choice Savings Centre. @IMartensHe­rald
Herald photo by Ian Martens Bri Thomas, outreach connection­s lead with Youth One, speaks with students Darcie Weir and Megan Hanna during the University of Lethbridge Volunteer Fair Wednesday at the 1st Choice Savings Centre. @IMartensHe­rald

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