DePauw student volunteers impact local community

The bonds that connect DePauw University and the City of Greencastle are made stronger by the community service efforts of DePauw students, a new survey shows.

A final tally of the 2012-13 academic year, which ended in May, shows that DePauw students contributed a total of 17,657 hours through the university's structured volunteer program.

That works out to an average of about 550 volunteer hours per week put into bettering the community through the Kathryn Fortune Hubbard Center for Student Engagement.

"Through a variety of programs -- including Bonner Scholars, Civic Fellows, DePauw Community Service Volunteers, the First Year Service Plunge, the University's School of Music, and efforts led by athletic teams and academic programs -- our students, with the assistance of a variety of community partners, are forging new connections in the community and making Putnam County and even better place to live," Raj Bellani, dean for experiential education and career planning and director of the Hubbard Center, said.

The efforts of DePauw volunteers include tutoring, Spanish enrichment, mentoring, the activity-based Sports Night programming, after-school programming, assisting Greencastle High School students in filling out their college applications and financial aid application paperwork, working with the non-food pantry at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church to aid economically disadvantaged local families, and offering their time and talents to organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Best Buddies.

Other community partners that work with DePauw to provide volunteer activities include Greencastle High School, Head Start, Reading Improvement Center-Tutoring at Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church, Student Friend at Greencastle Middle School, Tzouanakis Intermediate School, Central Elementary, Deer Meadow, Fillmore and Ridpath schools, Asbury Towers Senior Friend, Adopt-a-Grandparent, Putnam County Family Support Services-Tots Time, Knoy Center, College Mentors for Kids, Sports Night, JumpstART and the Humane Society of Putnam County.

"Our goal is to serve even more people in the Greencastle community during the coming year," Bellani added. "These opportunities to change lives by reaching out are life-changing experiences for DePauw students."