Kiera McGuire

Features Editor

On Thursday, Sept. 19 from 4 to 6 p.m., Wooster Volunteer Network (WVN) partnered with Community Engagement to put on the Community Partner Fair. The fair was an event to help students explore different volunteer organizations in the greater Wooster area to expand their resume, help out the community and do some good.

Located in The Alley, the Community Partner Fair had many organizations in attendance offering a variety of volunteering opportunities, such as environmentalism, hospice, after-school care and athletics. With a wide range of programs, Wooster students had plenty to choose from when chatting at tables with representatives.

“I liked the Friendtique table,” Kaitlyn Shane ’27 said. “I think that this table was super informative and provided a lot of opportunities for students who are [on] a pre-med and public health path.”

Friendtique and its sister store, Nest, donate all of their revenue to Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare, which is funneled into their community care fund. This funding supports hospice patients in Wayne County, Holmes County and the surrounding communities.

“We are a standalone nonprofit,” said Kelvin Bond, Friendtique and Nest store manager. “We run off our volunteers and donations from the community to support those who are not insured … or need services that insurance doesn’t cover.”

Some organizations, including the Orrville Area Boys and Girls Club, look for volunteers to help foster a connection within communities around Wooster. “[The Boys and Girls Club] focus[es] on providing [supervised] child care to those in the community and enrich the lives of the children and families we work with,” expressed Nicolina Nolletti, teen director of the Orrville Area Boys and Girls Club. “The hope would be to partner together [with Wooster students] to schedule more activities. [The club] is an absolute cornerstone of the community, touching a lot of lives.” The table also drew in students’ attention because of Noodle, a therapy dog who the children in the Orrville Area Boys and Girls Club frequently see and play with.

Other organizations aim to protect the local environment. The Wilderness Center, located in Wilmot, Ohio, manages and preserves natural land as well as encourages volunteers to reconnect with nature. Their table offered handouts detailing upcoming events, such as the ‘Enchanted Forest’ Halloween event –– where volunteers dress up as fireflies and families walk the trails of the center –– alongside future clean up events.

Another popular table was the Wayne Center for the Arts. This table allowed students to get creative and have hands-on fun with printmaking by making their own prints to take home. The Wayne Center for the Arts provides a place for community members to learn artistic skills and hobbies, such as jazz piano, brass caroling, small casserole dish workshops and master classes in painting.

Although the Community Partner Fair was a great way for students to get connected and learn about volunteer opportunities outside of campus, there was an additional incentive for students to attend. The WVN offered a bingo card of all the organizations tabling, and students who got a “bingo” (had organizations sign off on their volunteer table to create a completed line) were entered in a raffle to win the prizes of a hammock, a College of Wooster tote bag and a hoodie. This raffle engaged students, who kept the event popular and busy throughout its two hour run.

At their core, the volunteer organizations were excited to get College of Wooster students involved in their mission to help those inside and outside of the community, and Wooster students were happy to help.

“I really enjoyed being able to talk to community members to see what sort of volunteer work I can do for causes I care about,” said Victoria Finizio ’27. “I am excited to start volunteering for a couple of organizations very soon.”

For more information on volunteer events, follow @wooster_volunteer_network on Instagram.