Beyond the bubble Middlebury students find ways to make an impact

Author: Mary Lane and Derek Schlickeisen

If you gave your time to a cause you support last year, you are not alone: more than 60 million Americans volunteered in some capacity during the year 2007. Here at the College, most-but not all-volunteers come to the Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE), an umbrella organization that acts as a one-stop point of contact for students wishing to support the Addison County and greater Vermont communities.

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From child mentors at the Community Friends program to victim services assistants with the state Department of Corrections, students at the College gave over 70,000 volunteer hours and raised more than $400,000 for charitable causes in 2007 alone. This week, The Campus profiles students who have given their time, as well as a few who just plain did not have any to give.

Reporting by Liz Gay, Cecilia Goldschmidt and Kat Hartley
Layout by Hannah Wilson
Photos by Angela Evancie and Courtesy

Among the numerous e-mails that Middlebury students are bombarded with each day, the few that advertise volunteering opportunities in big bold letters often meet the same fate as countless other e-mails from random organizations and Web sites: deletion.

"I don't feel like Middlebury is a school where we have a lot of volunteering," said Ben Weir '11. "I know there is a lot of stuff going on, but I feel like I don't always see it."

According to the College's official statistics, over 50 percent of Middlebury students take part in community service every year. Many students who were active volunteers in high school, however, have found that in coming to Middlebury, they have become preoccupied with college life and volunteering is no longer part of the picture.

"I did a lot of volunteering in high school. I don't volunteer here because I just have so much else going on with other clubs and classes," said Lisa Tabacco '11. "I wish I were volunteering here, I just haven't gotten around to it."

Not being able to fit volunteering into their busy schedules is certainly an issue for some students, but for many, simply "getting around to it" is a greater problem. Aside from the unsigned e-mails that students receive from various organizations about volunteering opportunities, some remain uninformed regarding where to go to if they are looking to volunteer. Tabacco feels one solution may be to take greater advantage of the commons system.

"If the commons had more commons-based volunteering events, I feel like I would go to those because I'm more involved with my commons and I know the people who organize commons events," she said. "It would be more personal and an easy starting point to get into volunteering."

For students who feel a more pressing desire to get into volunteering, one place they are always welcome is the Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) office.

"During J-Term, I went to ACE and I just told them I wanted to volunteer," said Sophie Clarke '11. "They set you up with programs you want to work with. It was very easy."

However easy it may be to get involved in volunteering at Middlebury, many students feel that although the opportunities are there, there is no real motivation to take action and seek out opportunities as they have done in the past. Particularly as a first-year, students feel that they needed time to get adjusted to college life before taking on volunteering as a responsibility.

"I think that if you want to start volunteering here, it would be easy to go seek out and find opportunities," said Lark Nierenberg '11. "I don't volunteer yet. But I do want to find a way to get involved."

Weir, who volunteered in high school, said, "I didn't volunteer first semester and I felt really bad, so now I'm signed up for some events and I'm becoming more socially responsible."

Although students may not be volunteering for varying reasons, most students are aware of the need to feel "socially responsible." Nierenberg echoed Weir's sentiment. "Volunteering is something that is important to me because I would like to feel connected to my community," said Nierenberg. "I don't want to be a guest in Middlebury. I want to be a part of it."
­-Liz Gay


Amelia Goff '08

Amelia Goff '08 has worked with Middlebury's Page One Literacy Project since she was a first-year. Page One is a student group whose goal is to promote reading and increase the currently low literacy rates in the surrounding Addison County public school system through organizing Middlebury students to work with local children. "It shows children that reading can be fun, instead of a chore," said Goff.

"I love kids. Working with them is an important part of my value system and what makes me happy," said Goff, who has assumed various roles under Page One from being a program leader to being the on-campus coordinator.

"You really create bonds with these kids," Goff emphasized, as she's seen from all of the projects she has done with kids in the area in her last several years at Middlebury. In the fall, Goff led a program at the Ilsley Public Library in town in which she worked with kids between the ages of six and 10 once a week to do crafts projects all on the theme of Africa. Goff found herself unable to schedule the Illsley program into her schedule this year. "Unfortunately, at times it is hard to balance afternoon classes to accommodate when school programs are run," she said. This spring, Goff is working on one-time events instead, the biggest being the Spring Reading Carnival that will be held in April and that will connect campus student groups with the outside community through reading and doing projects with local kids. On top of all of this, outside of Page One, Goff is a museum tour guide for kids in the Museum Assistance Program here at the College.

Besides giving her the chance to have a good time with kids, Goff noted that Page One has worked as an "eye-opener in terms of the demographics of Vermont literacy levels are really bad in some areas."

Goff noted that it has been tough to balance her work and her classes with the work she does with Page One. "Middlebury kids are often over-extended and I'm one of them," she said, adding that the board tries to set up programs based around the schedule of College volunteers. "We have programs at several schools in the area and on different days of the week, which provides volunteers with a chance to fit something into their hectic schedules." Page One's one-time events such as the April Spring Reading Carnival also offer an opportunity to work on shorter events if a weekly commitment is not possible.

Despite her work load, Goff believes her time volunteering is ultimately worth the organization and balance she admits is needed to structure Page One into her life. "You think it'll suck away your time," she said, "but spending time with the kids really brightens your day."
-Cecilia Goldschmidt with Mary Lane


Connor Burleigh '10.5

"It's definitely a worthwhile service and a great way to give back to the community," said Connor Burleigh '10.5 of his work as a trainee at the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association.

During his Feb semester, Burleigh took a wilderness EMT course and became a certified Emergency Medical Technician. Although the Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association does not exactly give him wilderness experience, it gives Burleigh the chance to apply some of the skills he learned. "I wanted to learn a new skill during my Feb semester, and this is the best way for me to use it here," said Burleigh, who began volunteering at the station this fall.

Currently, Burleigh is a trainee at the Volunteer Ambulance Association, which means that when he is on call, he must be at the station, usually for whole nights
at a time. "We get a variety of calls," noted Burleigh, and for a relatively small town, the station reports to over 1,800 calls a year. Upon getting the calls, Burleigh and other workers ride in the ambulance to the scene of the emergency to find whoever it is that is in trouble and get them to the hospital.

"As a trainee, it's a pretty big time commitment," commented Burleigh. Still, Burleigh enjoys his time volunteering at the station and intends to continue working there for his next couple of years at Middlebury. Once he gets a certain number of calls in, he will become a full member and will no longer have to stay at the station overnight. "Hopefully when I become a full member, I can stay on campus with my car and respond to the calls from here," he said.
-Cecilia Goldschmidt


Hannah Burnett '10

For Hannah Burnett '10, volunteering is not just the means to an end, but the end itself. A Sociology Anthropology major and junior varsity field hockey player, Burnett's pre-Middlebury days were filled with community service ranging from National Honors Society to missions work in Appalachia. Trying to maintain her level of involvement has been a challenge, one she partly met by giving up her Winter Term to volunteer for Partners in Health, a non-profit in Boston dedicated to providing health care to the poor around the world.

During the rest of the school year, Burnett puts hours in for Stand Up!, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about genocide and refugee issues in addition to coaching a third and fourth grade girls lacrosse team. Though many of her activities sprang from her interest in medical anthropology and public health, service has its own charms for Burnett. "Volunteering has always been something that I have loved doing," she said. "It relaxes me and grounds me. I feel most like myself when I am volunteering and feel that it is one of the best ways for me to utilize the opportunities I have been given."

Even so, Burnett laments, "I can't do nearly as much at Middlebury and even now I feel I have stretched myself pretty thin to be able to be involved in the groups that I am working with. I don't have very much time to just hang out." Burnett notes that, "The school does a good job of providing volunteer opportunities," but also finds that "students are so incredibly busy with work and sports and other activities that they do not have the time or energy to devote to volunteering."
-Kat Hartley


Ruthie Reinken '10

Ruthie Reinken '10, a Molecular Biology & Biochemistry major with her eyes set on Veterinary School, finds time to volunteer on a semi-regular basis at the Humane Society and Ross Fireplace Café, as well as helping out with Relay for Life, mentoring a fourth grader at Beeman Elementary in New Haven and leading tours for the admissions office.

Why does she do it? For her, volunteering is just fun. "I'm not an altruist, but I like being able to take things that I like and let other people benefit," she said, citing her time spent at the Humane Society as good for both her and her canine consorts. "I take out the biggest "Adults Only" dogs and let them drag me half a mile down the road and back. They make great running partners because at least one of us is happy to be running."

Her flexible commitments to a variety of organizations and roles allow her to extend her interests without feeling overextended. Despite the view that academic obligations make it impossible to fulfill the expectations set by Middlebury's socially conscious atmosphere, Reinken expresses confidence that any level of commitment is both doable and worth doing. "Everything's about balancing your time. You could be a double major and a varsity athlete and still spend an hour a week doing something. A little bit helps a lot," she said. According to Reinken, it is easy to get involved at Middlebury just by getting on the ACE e-mail list. "In high school volunteering was required, and it always felt that way," she added. "Here at Middlebury I do it because I want to."
-Kat Hartley


Joshua Chan '08

"The good thing about Middlebury is that if you really want to contribute to the community, there are more than enough opportunities," said Joshua Chan '08, co-chair for Relay for Life, an event started by the American Cancer Society to raise money and awareness for cancer research.

Chan's first experience with Relay for Life was as a first-year when he and his friends were part of a Relay team. Chan remembers the Luminary Ceremony, a tradition of Relay for Life where candles are lit and line the track to honor loved ones and friends who have battled cancer. "During the night, the luminary candles went out. I stayed up to re-light the candles, and I think the committee members were impressed," he said. The committee members invited Chan to help with Relay for Life in the future.

This year's Relay for Life will begin on Friday, April 25 at 3:00 p.m. and end Saturday, April 26 at 9:00 a.m. "It's like a big party to raise money for cancer research," Chan described. However, there is much preparation involved to pull the event together. Currently, the Relay For Life committee has about 60 members that split up into sub-committees to do such tasks as finding tents for the event, organizing what food will be served and finding members of the Middlebury community to speak at the event. According to Chan, there are currently 51 teams signed up for Relay, but they are looking to get about 94 teams. "We are hoping to raise $245,000," said Chan.

In terms of balancing his work for Relay for Life with all of his other work, Chan noted, "It hasn't been easy. It is almost like having another class." Still, Chan finds that volunteering for Relay for Life is "definitely worth the sacrifice. It means so much when it all comes together and is finally done."
­-Cecilia Goldschmidt


­­­­­­­Alexander Hall '08.5

"I've always been interested in community service and poverty issues," said Alexander Hall '08.5, board member and volunteer at the John Graham Shelter in Vergennes, the only homeless shelter in Addison County.

Hall became involved with the John Graham Shelter the summer after his sophomore year when he worked there through an ACE poverty internship. As an intern, Hall designed a Web site for the shelter (www.johngrahamshelter.org) and then decided to continue volunteering there through his junior and senior years. He helps out at the shelter about once every two weeks and attends board meetings every month.

Hall has been a member of the board since he was a junior and helps to organize fundraising and various events for the shelter. A couple of weeks ago, he helped the shelter organize a Community Supper at the Congregational Church and on March 15, American Flatbread is hosting a fundraising night in which $4.00 from every pizza goes to the shelter.

"It has been a good opportunity to get involved in the broader community and to get outside of the Middlebury bubble," Hall said. Although Hall recognized that many people at Middlebury do not have the time to volunteer due to so much work and other activities, he noted, "I think it's beneficial for people to have some sort of escape from the academic pressures of Middlebury." Hall was also very happy to see a large number of first-years sign up to work at the shelter at the Midd Action Fair. He is thrilled that the connection between the shelter and the College has been growing rapidly in the last several years.
-Cecilia Goldschmidt