Allowing students to connect with up to 50 agencies offering internships and volunteer opportunities, the nonprofit volunteer and internship fair offered an open house for students Sept. 9 in the Henry Hall atrium.

The fair, hosted by the Community Service Learning Center, will reoccur Sept. 10, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the same location. Students are not required to provide a resume or dress in business attire.

Brendan Gallagher, graduate assistant at the Community Service Learning Center and coordinator of the event, said about 80 agencies from the greater Grand Rapids area will attend both events. He said there is a wide variety of opportunities for all majors and interest groups, which benefits both the students and community partners.

“I think the nonprofit volunteer and internship fair is beneficial for students to connect to these different agencies that are dealing with addressing community and social issues,” Gallagher said. “It is important that students are able to connect their passions, interests and values to these opportunities.”

The Community Service Learning Center hosted a table at the event, offering students opportunities to join several events such as Make A Difference Day on Oct. 17, First Year Leadership Experience, Service Saturdays sponsored by Alternative Breaks and blood drives with dates to be announced.

Melissa Baker-Boosamra, coordinator of the Community Service Learning Center, said the students can benefit from the organizations being in one location as they can explore opportunities relative to their area of study and personal interests. She said students who attend are able to reconnect and secure internships or volunteer opportunities, which can often lead to full-time positions.

“The hope of the Community Service Learning Center is that students connect with an individual or an organization that is meaningful to them, which can ignite their passions,” Baker-Boosamra said. “The best part of the event is having all of these amazing organizations all in one place, each looking for students to connect with them.”

The event targeted to allow students, even those who have never volunteered before, to make a real impact on the community for issues they care about. In addition, a few agencies who attended Wednesday’s event were: GVSU Alternative Breaks, Spectrum Health, Women at Risk International, John Ball Zoo and Habitat for Humanity of Kent County.

For those who consistently volunteer, students can keep track of their volunteer hours at GVSU. Gallagher said they can visit the Community Service Learning Center webpage’s service tracker to log hours over their time at the university. He said students can log in using their GVSU-assigned username and password tracking hours from any academic or direct service opportunity.

“Every time they fill out what they’ve accomplished, it tracks exactly what they have done over their whole experience at Grand Valley,” Gallagher said. “I think that this is an opportunity for students to apply what they’re learning here to prepare them for their future careers once they leave Grand Valley.”

Students can visit the Community Service Learning Center Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To ensure an appointment with a consultant, contact (616) 331-2468. The online community service webpage is updated daily with lists of present organizations providing opportunities for students in the greater Grand Rapids area.

To find out more about volunteer or internship opportunities visit, www.gvsu.edu/service.