This past week, the Henry Hall Atrium was filled with a nonprofit and internship fair hosted by Grand Valley State University for its students, in an attempt to help them connect with a variety of opportunities.

The event was split into two separate days from Sept. 7 to Sept. 8, organized by the category of the organizations attending. The first day included interest areas like education, religion, environment, art and recreation. The second day focused on public and societal benefits, along with health and human services, an area of high popularity at GVSU. Both days were meant “to connect students to area nonprofit organizations and public agencies and to promote mutually beneficial engagement of GVSU students in the community,” said Melissa Baker-Boosamra, associate director for student life, civic engagement and assessment.

A wide variety of more than 50 organizations attended, including Allendale Public Schools, the Peace Corps and Holland Hospital, as well as some programs from GVSU. The representatives from each organization were there to pitch the opportunities of their program to students in the hopes of recruiting new talent for a variety of reasons whether it be interning, volunteering or actual job offers.

Each organization had a table filled with information for students to browse, as well as a representative who could provide a personal account of the company. Some booths, like the Grand Rapids Children Museum, also had activities to demonstrate that were relevant to their work.

A representative of the company Ready for School and a GVSU alumnus, Patrick Johnson, spoke of his organization’s need for volunteers specifically. Ready for School is a non-profit organization working on improving early education for children up to five years old, so that students can get off to a good start, helping them to stay ahead in later years.

“We need volunteers, people who have a passion for education, it makes the work easier,” Johnson said. This specific nonprofit also hoped to get the word out about its cause after revamping its internship program, another area they were accepting applicants for.

The opportunity for a multitude of students and organizations to interact is one of the biggest benefits.

“The opportunity to connect in person enhances student understanding of those opportunities and increases their ability to network with potential employers,” Baker-Boosamra said.