MSU’s Community Fair seeks volunteers

A variety of booths lined Mav Ave Tuesday as the Spring 2022 Community Fair at Mankato State University, Mankato was seeking to recruit those who are interested in volunteering in the Mankato area.

One of those booths included the YMCA program, where their goal was to offer opportunities to mentor kids in the Brother/Sister Program.

“We are trying to recruit mentors for the youth and help the youth in our community who need that additional support,” Chriss Page, YMCA’s Brother and Sister coordinator said.

The YMCA Brother/Sister Program was created to form a bridge to connect adult mentors to the youth to enhance their self confidence and communication skills.

“I found the Y when I was in college while I was studying elementary education and wanting to work with kids. I like the non traditional teaching that we do and our summer camp programs,” Dustin Slaughter, youth activities director said.

Expressing that volunteers are much needed, Page said there are roughly 60 boys on the waiting list. The wait time is about three years for kids to get paired up.

Another organization that participated in the community fair was the YWCA. Their main goal is to empower women and promote peace.

Lydia Jagodzinski, youth programming coordinator “I think our 5K is a really memorable event we host and being able to see the kids flourish.”

The YWCA also offers volunteer hours students are able to participate in during the week each semester.

“Everything they stand for I really believe in, especially with empowering young girls. I feel like growing up with social media especially when you’re younger you can feel like you don’t fit in so these activities help boost their confidence,” Maddy Olson, senior at MSU who is majoring in Child Development shared. 

Continuing with the theme of uplifting the youth, Mankato Area Public Schools were also searching for students who may be able to lend a hand in service learning activites.

“We have a lot of volunteer opportunities for people to participate in. We have K-12 and adult programs which include weekly classroom math and reading tutors and also some for adults,” said Alisa Boswell, Mankato Area Public School volunteer placement specialist.

Photo by Max Mayleben/The Reporter.