Hundreds of Students Participate in Volunteer Fair

             On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center swarmed with students. Though their backpacks were heavy, and their schedules were tight, nearly 600 students sought to donate their time to the participating nonprofits at The University of Scranton’s annual Volunteer Fair. Organized by The University’s Center for Service and Social Justice, this year they connected 44 organizations with a veritable horde of would-be volunteers. Nonprofit organizations participating included the Scranton Cultural Center, Salvation Army, Ronald McDonald House, Clarks Summit State Hospital and American Red Cross.

            One of these organizations was the Everhart Museum of Natural History. Located in Scranton’s Nay Aug Park, the Everhart Museum is dedicated to the education of its visitors in the disciplines of science, history, culture and art, and they have attended the Volunteer Fair for over half a decade. “Every person at the museum wears a lot of hats,” said Stefanie Colarusso, director of programs and events. “We depend on our volunteers quite a bit. We have a very small staff, so our volunteers do a lot.”

            The Everhart Museum offers volunteer positions in research, collections, education and events, which give students the opportunity to brush up on their analytical, interpretive and leadership skills. “Working with the Everhart Museum is very fulfilling,” said Sarah Sutton, manager of educational programs. “You learn a lot about the community.”

            Each year, more than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours of service.