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Volunteers In Service to America will help develop CSU’s program to match students with volunteer oppor-tunities in the community. Currently the volunteer program is helping the 12th Annual Walk for Wishes at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the Summer Clean-Up Drive.

On July 26, April Sue Andrews of VISTA will help assist the Department of Student Life volunteer program at CSU.

Andrews will work with residence and student life to educate students on the importance of community service. She will write a newsletter about residence life and maintain the Department of Student Life’s Volunteer Programs Web site.

She also will coordinate CSU service events such as the National Community Service week in October and Make a Difference Day on Oct. 24.

The annual Walk for Wishes is a 5K walk that benefits the Make a Wish Foundation of Northeast Ohio.

The Summer Clean-Up Drive is a volunteer program to clean up Mid-Town Cleveland. Volunteers will help from 9 a.m. to noon.

Both volunteer programs are scheduled for July 17. The deadline for signing up to participate is July 9.

Northeast Ohio is second only to New York City in the ratio of service organizations to the number of people living in the area, according to Steve Liss, director of volunteer center from 1997-2002. Some 900 service agencies operate in Northeast Ohio.

Kelly McCarthy, coordinator of campus programming and events, said 326 people have participated in volunteer programs on 10 service projects since last year.

Some of the volunteer programs at CSU help kids read while others help kids with their homework, and help the elderly.

Others help coach physically challenged kids play baseball, help raise money for organi-zations such as The Salvation Army, help the Make a Wish Foundation, or help cancer organizations.

One of the most popular volunteer programs last year was Race for the Cure, a walk and run that raised money for breast cancer. Some 93 CSU students participated in Race For the Cure.

The volunteer program started off as a community service initiative in late 1980s or early 1990s.

In 1997 the volunteer program became the Volunteer Center under its first director, Steve Liss. He served until 2002.

The Volunteer Center sponsored programs such as the volunteer fair, which was held at the Cage.

The volunteer fair was an opportunity for students to talk directly to volunteer agencies. Some 35-45 service agencies participated in the event. The volunteer fair later was discontinued because of lack of money.

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