Students are being asked to help the homeless during the homeless fair at DU on April 20. This year, the annual DU Volunteer Day will be during Project Homeless Connect, which DU is hosting together with Mile High United Way and the City of Denver.
About 1,000 volunteers are needed from campus and surrounding neighborhoods to serve as escorts for the 800 to 1,000 homeless that are expected to be served during the event.
Kathleen Symons, associate director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service, encourages students to join in this event. “This is an easy opportunity to get involved because this event is on campus,” she said.
In past years, Volunteer Day has been off campus, but the proximity this year should makes volunteering very easy.
Symons said that the event will connect homeless people and families with services and opportunities offered by municipal agencies and participating organizations. It is a great way for students to get involved in the community and aid in Denver’s 10-year plan to end homelessness in the Denver metro area.
Volunteers will be needed not only on the day of the event but in the weeks prior to and following the event. Students can sign up for the whole day or help either with the morning or afternoon shifts.
On the day of the event, volunteers will be paired with a homeless participant to escort the homeless person to service providers. “Our biggest need is for one-on-one escorts to walk with each homeless participant for the day. It is a lot easier for the homeless participant if there is a volunteer,” said Symons.
Over 60 different service providers will be available for the participants. This can be quite intimidating for participants due to the wide variety of services offered to them in one day, Symons said.
Symons believes this event will allow students to place a face with the idea of homelessness by “meeting with the homeless person and finding out what their circumstances and issues are.”
She also mentioned that if someone is not comfortable in that situation, there are plenty of other opportunities to help out. Supply drives, fundraising, and distributing breakfast and lunch are just a few of the many activities available to volunteers.
Greek Life will also be volunteering at Project Homeless. This event occurs during the annual Greek Week festivities, and service is part of the four Greek Pillars of Excellence, which DU’s Greek Life abides by.
According to Juan Blanco, graduate assistant for Greek Life, sororities and fraternities will be working with children from the homeless families at the event. Greek Life is still in the planning process to ensure all the needs of the children will be met at Project Homeless Connect.
This will be a day to forget about our own worries and help out a fellow community member, Blanco said. Students are welcome to sign up with family and friends.
According to Symons students will be able to access the event’s Web site http://www.du.edu/phc4 by Friday. This site will provide access to registration as well as more information on Project Homeless Connect.
