By JESSE PARHAM
Reporter
(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — As we get older we understand increasingly that it is not about what we look like or what we own, it is all about the person we become.
We all like to think we are kind, that we will go out of our way to help a person in need and that others will do the same for us. How do we show kindness though? We do so in our everyday lives, but not everyone takes it as a kindness. They might see it as pity or think we will expect something in return. Thankfully, events like the UCM Volunteer Fair help people who just want to make the world a little brighter find a way to do so.
The volunteer fair took place Wednesday, Aug. 24 in the Union Atrium. I arrived a few minutes early but was pleasantly surprised to already see plenty of people wanting to help out in their own ways. I walked around the fair at first, taking note of the different groups in attendance. There were a few sports-related groups, fraternities, sororities and even a blood drive booth. As I made my way around the fair, two booths caught my eye. One was the THRIVE booth.
THRIVE is a program for young adults with mental or physical disabilities. Karen Fahrmeier, the THRIVE Coordinator, was speaking to a group of students interested in becoming THRIVE mentors. Someone interested in a teaching degree might benefit from volunteering with a group like THRIVE. The booth next to THRIVE’s also caught my attention. It was for the Missouri Veterans Home.
Latisha Koetting, the supervisor of volunteer services for the Veterans home, was speaking with three eager recruits that seemed to want to help the veterans just as much as they wanted to learn from them. Volunteers for this group could include people looking for a degree cooking or social activities what with the groups need for individuals to help with activities for the seniors, it might also be a good opportunity for those in the military to learn from their seniors, men and woman whom have sacrificed so much for this nation.
My next walk through led me to a woman with a kind smile that was in charge of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters booth. Tenisha Roming, the program supervisor for Johnson County, was more than happy to talk about the program with me. I waited my turn behind a small group of eager students. Big Brothers, Big Sisters is great for those in the field of teaching children or child psychology. It is also a great group to take part if you simply like the idea of making people happy.
After a good jaunt through some more booths I came upon one for the Warrensburg Manor Care Center, where two kindly women offered me some sweets before talking about their nursing home. The most obvious benefactor of this service would be for someone getting their degree in nursing or a doctorate, helping out with activities would just be a bonus. The fact that the center is so close to campus would also be good for those who rely mainly on bicycles or their feet to get them around Warrensburg.
There was so much more than just these four, and so many other kinds of learning opportunities. I found I would love volunteering simply so I could help somebody who needed it. To make a difference in someone’s life we need only to care. We don’t have to be perfect, wealthy, beautiful or brilliant to make a change, we just need to care.