Kellauna Mack, an official with the Boy Scouts of American Pathway to Adventure Council, was hopeful as she staffed a table at a volunteer fair at New Vistas High School Thursday.
Mack, the council’s Restoring the Village executive, said several of the school’s students had already signed up on a volunteer sheet. Her goal was to turn that interest into action by having a Cub Scout pack start at the school and be run by the students.
Working parents don’t always have the time to commit to overseeing a scout pack because job responsibilities often get in the way, Mack said, but the students might be able to see a pack through.
“This gives them the opportunity to give back and volunteer,” she said.
The Boy Scouts was one of 20 nonprofits that set up tables at New Vistas in Portage. This was the second year for the fair, said Rebecca Reiner, executive director of Neighbors’ Educational Opportunities, which oversees New Vistas and an adult education program in a former bowling alley on Portage’s west side. About 55 percent of the students in both programs are from Porter County, and the rest come from Lake County.
The fair had around 40 agencies for its inaugural event last year, she said, but there wasn’t much foot traffic from the community. This year’s event was held after school to encourage the students and people from the community to attend.
“It’s an event to really highlight all the incredible work the non-profits do and connect them to the community,” Reiner said, adding the fair also gives the agencies the chance to network, since many of them partner in the community anyway.
Hosting the fair at the school also gives students a greater understanding about how important volunteering is, she added.
One of the booths was hosted by A Positive Approach to Teen Health, or PATH.
“I think that trying to find volunteers who have an interest and passion for working with youth can be difficult,” she said, adding the students attending the fair could serve as mentors and role models for kids in middle school. “(The fair) is a good opportunity to reach out and network with other agencies. It’s kind of a dual purpose for us.”
Also setting up shop at the volunteer fair was AmeriCorps, under the auspices of the United Way of Porter County.
AmeriCorps does a lot of community impact programs, said program director Maddie Grimm, and volunteerism runs through all of them.
AmeriCorps is “a really great way to get involved with helping people, non-profits and school systems,” she said, adding participants receive a stipend and funding toward education costs. “It’s a great resume builder. It’s a great way of giving back.”
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
