The Peace Corps recently announced the top volunteer-producing metropolitan areas and states in 2009. The greater Corvallis area was ranked as second in volunteers per capita, finishing only behind Ithaca, N.Y.
In Corvallis, 11.0 out of every 100,000 citizens volunteered in the Peace Corps in 2009, working in one of the 76 countries currently being occupied. The city of Corvallis had 52,950 residents as of 2003, according to a survey conducted by the Oregon Secretary of State.
“A lot of it has to do with having a university in the town,” said Melanie Forthun, a Peace Corps public affairs specialist. According to the official website of the Peace Corps, 93 percent of volunteers are single or unmarried, which also describes many college students at OSU.
The state of Oregon finished fifth in per capita in the ratings. Out of all current Peace Corps volunteers, 210 call Oregon home.
“The application process is not easy,” Forthun said. “It includes a written application and interview process, as well as legal and health background checks. Then we look into the education you have and how that could be useful in one of the places where the Peace Corps are currently in need of that service.”
The Peace Corps’ roots can be traced back to 1961 at the University of Michigan, where John F. Kennedy challenged Michigan students to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. Since then, nearly 200,000 people have volunteered in 139 countries.
“Oregon State has great programs that correlate well with the Peace Corps’ mission, from health to education to the forestry program,” said Forthun. “In fact, OSU just joined the Peace Corps Master’s International program in the College of Forestry.”
The program, Master’s International, is more than 20 years old and already includes over 60 academic institutions nationwide, according to their official website. OSU graduate students in forestry can study in one of three new programs while also completing a 27-month service project in the Peace Corps, typically in Africa or Latin America, according to information from OSU.
David Zahler, a senior instructor in the College of Forestry at OSU, said in a press release that the Peace Corps has stated that forestry is area needing more help. The Peace Corps’ website also shows that agriculture and environment volunteer areas account for less than a quarter of the volunteering currently taking place.
For more information about the Peace Corps or Master’s International, visit the Peace Corps’ website at http://www.peacecorps.gov.
January 28, 2010 2:00 – 5:00 PM OSU Memorial Union Ballroom (on Jefferson between Waldo Place and 26th Street)
Please join us at the fourth annual OSU Nonprofit & Volunteer Expo on January 28, 2010. For the past three years, approximately 50 local and nationwide non- profits have attended the expo to recruit volunteers, interns, and graduates, and educate Oregon State students about career options in the non-profit and public sectors. The Nonprofit & Volunteer Expo is a joint effort between Career Services and the Community Service Center (CSC), a student-led leadership program on campus.
Agenda:
12:30-1:00 Keynote: Mayor Charles Tomlinson, “How Service Can Serve You”. Food provided for attendees.
1:00-2:00 Workshop: Careers in the Nonprofit Sector
2:00-3:00 Panel Discussuion: Representatives from Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Teach for America
2:00-5:00 Expo: Representatives from nonprofit organizations meet with students and OSU community
Getting involved with nonprofit organizations not only helps others and the community, it is a great way to develop professionally. Come learn about opportunities to volunteer, intern and work for nonprofit and socially responsible organizations. Click here for the most current list of attending organizations.
Faculty
Volunteering and interning with nonprofit organizations is a great way to apply classroom learning and passion for social justice. Please encourage students to attend the Expo and engage with representatives as a way to explore options.
Accommodations requests related to a disability should be made to OSU Career Services, 541-737-4085 by January 14, 2010.
Check out past weekend’s volunteer tree planting in downtown Corvallis! Awesome work. Don’t forget there are always opportunities to plant trees popping up so don’t hesitate to ask us. Video provided by the wonderful Alan Calvert.
Hey everyone there is a great (and fun!) volunteer opportunity coming up this Thursday, Nov. 5th, for The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Sounds like a blast … Here are the details so check it out! If you are interested contact information is below:
What:Corvallis Lock-Up for MDA (jail themed fundraiser)
Need: 5-10 volunteers to act as “Arresting Officers” for our jail themed event
When: this Thursday, November 5th
Times: 8:30am until about 4pm (if you are not able to make it the entire day, please let me know and I can work around your schedule).
Where: El Sol de Mexico (1597 NW 9th St)
Info: Drivers/Arresting Officers- will meet Jenelle at El Sol de Mexico at 8:30am and will follow her to either Wilson Motors or John & Phil’s Toyota (they are donating cars for us to borrow).
Please bring valid driver’s license as the dealerships will need a copy of it. You will be given “arrest warrants” and maps to pick-up our jailbirds and bring them down to the jail cell at El Sol de Mexico. Once the jailbird has done their time, you will return them to their place of business. This job is a lot of fun and we ask that you make a big deal when you are arresting them!
Dress: Please feel free to wear what you are comfortable in, we will provide T-shirts for you
MDA: The Muscular Dystrophy Association is a volunteer health agency aimed at conquering neuromuscular diseases. The MDA provides local clinics and summer camps as well as wheelchair
repairs and leg braces to those affected with a form of Muscular Dystrophy.
Contact:If you are interested, please contact Jenelle Ehlers at 541-686-2753 or jehlers@mdausa.org as soon as possible to confirm.
A reminder to all that tomorrow, Oct. 24, will be our Oak Creek Cleanup for national Make a Difference Day. Come out and join the Community Service Center staff in making a positive difference in our community. You can read our previous post for more information regarding the Oak Creek Cleanup.
Check out the article from The Daily Barometer that features us about Make A Difference Day!
Want to make a difference? On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Community Service Center on campus is planning a clean-up of Oak Creek as this year’s annual Make a Difference Day project.
“Volunteers will meet at 10 a.m. outside the campus book store near the Jefferson bus stop and walk to the creek from there. Clean-up will consist of invasive species removal as well as garbage clean-up,” said Kyle Ireton, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry and biophysics. “The event will end at 1 p.m. Volunteers should wear work shoes and expect to get dirty. Tools and gloves will be provided, and it’s recommended to bring water and a snack.”
This event is designed to go along with the Earth Democracy Conference, which will be held Oct. 23 on campus. The goal is to provide the community with a hands-on service opportunity where they can apply the information learned from the conference.
Make a Difference Day was created by USA Weekend Magazine as a national day to get people involved with their communities. In 2008, three million people took part in various projects and activities in hundreds of towns. This is the 19th annual Make a Difference Day.
Volunteers can create their own projects, small or large, and anyone can participate, whether it is at home, school, church or out in the community. USA Weekend features articles about planned projects and volunteers.
There are also awards given to ten national honorees. Newman’s Own, a food company co-founded by Paul Newman, gives out $10,000 donations to charities the honorees choose. This year’s winners will appear in the April 2010 issue of the magazine.
USA Weekend honored Soaringwords, a non-profit organization that inspires ill children and families to heal, as a national charity partner for this year’s Make A Difference Day. Soaringwords encouraged people to help decorate SoaringQuilts and SoaringPillows with inspirational messages for children at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, Ore.
In 2002, 45 Oregon State students and community volunteers worked on six Habitat for Humanity homes, according to USA Weekend. In all, one house was framed, two received foundations and two more received interior work. One needy family received indoor plumbing for the first time.
Hundreds of other Oregonians were also involved with their communities. A Salem family, along with the help of 115 Brownies, Girl Scouts and 4-H members, painted, designed and delivered pumpkins and cards to four different hospitals, according to the Statesman Journal.
If you would like to get involved with Oregon State’s Make a Difference Day event, contact the Community Service Center on campus.
For national Make A Difference Day, October 24th, Oregon State’s Community Service Center is putting on a cleanup of Oak Creek in Corvallis. The day will involve pulling invasive species to improve the environmental quality of the creek. If you are interested in volunteering everyone will be meeting at OSU’s main parking lot near the bookstore at 10:00 am, from where we will walk over to the cleanup site. Gloves will be provided, but volunteers should bring clothes and shoes that they are comfortable with getting dirty. Hope to see you all there this Saturday!
Check out Make A Difference Day for more information on the largest service day in the United States!
