Helping others may end up helping you

Helping the community is always good, but students sometimes don't know what to do to participate, or where to go for information.
Many students don't realize that there are plenty of opportunities to serve in the community.
"Volunteering is making an impact in our society," said Kim Wallace, Kent Campus student volunteer coordinator.
Volunteering can also benefit students who want to transfer to a four- year university.
"They [universities] want to know if the student is putting into the community, if they're participating, if they're active," said Christopher Lamm, Kent Campus student president.
The volunteer hours students complete while attending FCCJ are sent in with their record to the university to which they are going to transfer.
One volunteer option is the Tillie Fowler Regional Park, one of the largest Jacksonville parks. Each small job that volunteers may do help as a whole in the park. It helps to keeps the park going.
"To help take care of the animals is one of the things that FCCJ students can come to do," said park naturalist, Lesley Royce, referring to Cuban frogs, mice, and non venomous snakes that are used for teaching purposes.
Students that volunteer in the park can also help pull weeds, move mulch, and maintain the butterfly garden,among other duties.
The park organizes different activities and events for the enjoyment of the public, in which the help of volunteers is always important.
Tillie Fowler Regional Park is one of the options that FCCJ biology professors may pick for their students to satisfy the requirements of service learning classes.
Service learning classes are regular classes that have community service as a course requirement.
Professors decide whether they want to make their classes a service learning class, but some of them prefer to involve the students in the community as a way to better learn and employ what was learned during the class meeting.
Some classes that have used service learning include English, Humanities, Psychology, and Biology.
"It gives students the opportunity to apply things you may learned in class," said Michael Reynolds, dean of liberal arts, at Kent.
Another option for students is Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville (Habijax), a non-profit organization that builds affordable homes for people who cannot afford the price of another home.
Volunteers can help in the office with clerical duties, help in the construction process by framing, siding, painting, and sodding, or help in the Habijax Re-Store, a home improvement store that receives donated materials and sells them to the public at a discount price. The profits help fund more building projects.
Team work is emphasized in this type of project, and can help students develop social and leadership skills.
If you love animals or nature in general, then you can find volunteer opportunities at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, where there are many options.
Volunteer Program Coordinator, Alison Winterroth highlights the volunteer opportunities, which include being an exhibit guide or keeper assistant, teaching school kids about different topics, working in the gardens as horticulturist assistants, or even working in the maintenance department.
Mercede New, special events coordinator for the Zoo, organizes events for the whole family to enjoy. The events happen in different holiday dates all year long, which signifies more volunteer opportunities for the students, and anyone else who wants to help.
"It's a place where you'll definitely have a lot of fun and learn something new," said Winterroth.
They provide training for the volunteers, and the training time can vary depending on the task to be accomplished.
The Student Government Association sometimes promote certain community service activities for FCCJ students to take part in, such as the upcoming Spooktacular.
This activity will take place in the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens on Oct. 24-26 and Oct. 30-31, in which FCCJ North and Kent Campus' students are already signed up to participate.
Other volunteer opportunities may involve one-on-one contact with people.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a program in which FCCJ students can mentor elementary and high school students.
Children are matched with volunteers that spend time with them playing, talking, or studying.
Also, there are volunteering opportunities at specific FCCJ campuses.
"For the last four years, North Campus students have volunteered with the FCCJ Nassau Center - Holler for a Dollar event. It is a haunted house at the FCCJ outdoor education center with proceeds split evenly between Take Stock In Children, United Communities and Lung Cancer Research at Baptist Medical Center," said North Campus Student Engagement Coordinator David Kerry Roth.
The next Holler for a Dollar event will be held on Oct. 24,25 and 31. Costumes will be provided to volunteers at the event.
Students that would like to volunteer can go to their campus' SGA office and talk to the local volunteer coordinator, or become a part of the community service club.