Cheers to Our Volunteers!
A National Volunteer Week tribute to those who give back
by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
It’s National Volunteer Week (April 16-22) and also Global Volunteer Month (April 1-30). As the nation and world pause to recognize those who give selflessly for the common good, we’re pausing celebrate the many volunteers who make a profound difference in our college and community, each and every day.
This year, 1,738 volunteers have given back to the college. They hail from 38 countries and from 42 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. They include alumni, ranging from the classes of 1948 to 2022, as well as families of students of alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of the college.
Our volunteers give back as Dickinson Fund class agents, reunion committee members, Parents Leadership Council and Alumni Council members, career mentors and recruiters. They help with regional events, speak about Dickinson to prospective students and families and help interview prospective students in their hometowns and cities. They share the good word about Dickinson on social media. And much more.
Volunteers like Nick Smith ’08 began to give back when they were students. Others, like Jack Sherman ’52, got involved a few years or decades after graduation day. Whenever they begin, many are inspired to deepen their involvement after years of volunteering. That includes Eric Fennel ‘92.
After helping to plan for reunions and regional activities for a number of years, Fennel reconnected with current students and campus leaders through a Career Center event for senior-year students. “It was a great reminder that my relationship with the college and the broader Dickinson community is ongoing, and that the opportunities to engage are expansive and diverse,” says Fennel, who was so inspired that he joined the Alumni Council.
Ross Kleinberg '92 also relishes the chance to connect with what's happening at Dickinson today—in his case, by sharing professional expertise with current students and speaking about Dickinson with prospective students and their families. "I'm confident that all those emails, in-person-virtual meetings, written evaluations and phone calls have paid gigantic dividends to the novices who needed that guiding light," Kleinberg says.
Perhaps the hardest part is choosing just how to get involved, acknowledges Michael Henry ’06, who worked as a class agent during his senior year at Dickinson, then pitched in as a reunion volunteer. When he moved to a city, he founded a Dickinson club in that region.
His advice: “Pick an opportunity that seems interesting and try it out. Ask other alumni about their experience. Eventually you’ll find the best option suited for you.”
Read more about how and why Dickinsonians volunteer or email dsonfund@dickinson.edu for more information.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published April 18, 2023