The Boys and Girls Club of Binghamton has restructured its volunteer program to allow for more volunteers after an influx of applications from Binghamton University students last semester.
Moshe Roberts, BU volunteer coordinator for the club, said the organization received an overwhelming number of applications last semester from BU students.
“We got so many applications that we didn’t have nearly enough space,” Roberts, a junior biology major, said.
Roberts worked with the club’s director Danielle Butchko to change the volunteer program so more students could dedicate their time to helping children. If so many students wanted to help, Roberts said, then he thought the club should have more volunteer positions.
Butchko said she was amazed by the number of students from the University who wanted to help out. Before the influx, the number of volunteers was around five or six. Now it’s about 60.
“We’ve never experienced anything like this before,” she said. “It’s a goal that’s unimaginable; we’re so blessed.”
Roberts, along with Butchko and other representatives from the Boys and Girls Club, hosted an information program on volunteering with the organization last night and will host another 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Appalachian Collegiate Center in Mountainview College.
According to Roberts, there are more opportunities for volunteers this semester because the club is looking for people to help out in after school programs, not just at the club’s location.
“We’re looking for people to commit at least one or two days a week for the entire semester,” Roberts said.
The club is looking for two different types of volunteers. The first, permanent volunteers, would commit to the program, Butchko said, and dedicate two to three days every week to children at after school programs. The second, visiting mentors, would cycle through the different schools to mentor and help kids with their homework.
The program is geared toward students interested in education. Roberts said they had approximately 40 spots they needed to fill, with about two to four per school.
“I definitely think students would benefit from just working at local schools and seeing what teachers are up against,” Roberts said. “And how much need there is.”
Butchko emphasized the importance of one-on-one interaction between children and the volunteers, which she said was not in the budget for paid staff members.
“BU students are great positive role models in so many aspects,” she said.
According to Butchko, Roberts was instrumental in the volunteer program’s restructuring. Both she and Roberts wanted to thank the University for its effect on what the organization could do for the children under their care.
“We’re really excited to have dedicated students to come out and volunteer their time,” Roberts said. “We’re looking forward to the impact they’re going to have on the community, because they really do have an impact.”