Sam Houston State University states that, “the measure of a life is its service.” Yesterday, students had a chance to live up to this motto by taking advantage of several volunteer opportunities presented at the annual Volunteer Opportunities Fair.

Several non-profit organizations, from Huntsville and the surrounding area, set up booths in the LSC Mall Area to show how to get involved in the community.

The agencies ranged from animal welfare to theater to senior citizens care. This gave students a diverse selection to choose from.

“The purpose of the event is to make it more accessible for students to interact with community representatives for the chance to volunteer” said Rommel Abad, the program coordinator for Leadership and Service Programs, who heads the event, put on twice a year.

The Volunteer Opportunities Fair is the bi-product of the American Democracy Project and the mind of Brandon Cooper, who began the event about 5 years ago at SHSU as a way for students to fulfill their civic duties as Bearkats.

Many students were excited by this prospect, and some students didn’t know certain agencies existed.

“I volunteered at the animal shelter last year, and I wanted to find out more about other ways to volunteer,” said sophomore Raven Mullins. “My favorite was the Montessori School, because I love kids and I thought it was a cool, interesting way to teach them.”

Tomorrow’s Promise Montessori School is an organization which involves children in a more active, individualized way of learning.

For more information about the types of organizations in the area, and a chance to volunteer, visit the web site of the Center for Leadership and Service at http://www.shsu.edu/~org_cls/ and click on Community Agency Listing or visit their office in the Department of Student Activities.