For many students, summer means swimming, tanning, and sleeping in, while for others, it means more time to give back to the community. All across Traverse City, there are many opportunities for students to help out during the summer, including races put on by the Traverse City track club, events from the National Cherry Festival, or everyday positions at summer camps. In order to find volunteer opportunities, students can reach out to the National Honors Society (NHS) or reach out to community members on their own. Next year’s NHS President, upcoming junior Cole Hethering, along with his executive panel, finds many opportunities for students to get some volunteer hours over the summer.
“We reach out to a bunch of local places. And then we also find some on our own. Some of them are like volunteering at races or volunteering at elementary schools, but there’s obviously also more that are recurring, like you can go volunteer at, like, a summer camp as a counselor or whatever. So there are a lot of various opportunities for that.” Hetherington said.
When looking for things to volunteer at, it’s important to find something you’re going to enjoy, especially if you will be a returning volunteer. Volunteering is doing something you enjoy, and you feel fulfilled for giving back to something you believe is important. In addition to this, if you sign up to volunteer with your friends, the entire experience can be even better. Junior Taylor Porter has spent countless hours volunteering for the Senate, NHS Hours, and her own fulfillment.
“I think just really anything that you have a passion for, that, like, relates to that passion and helps you just feel good about yourself because knowing you’re helping other people will not only help them, but it also just brings out the best of you,” Porter said.
One big event this summer optimal for volunteering is the National Cherry Festival. The festival has a multitude of events that students can volunteer for, from the Cherry Festival 5k, to judging the chalk art competition. Kelli Mengebier is the president of this year’s 100th annual festival. Mengebier acknowledges the importance of volunteers in order to help the festival be as impactful as it is for the community.
“We have 2,800 volunteers. Our student volunteers are important to the success of the festival. All volunteers are important to the festival, because we wouldn’t be able to accomplish the nearly 150 events that we do, 85% of those, which are free,” Mengebier said.
Going out and helping an organization for just a few hours can leave a significant impact and, in turn, bring our community closer together. Volunteering is an important part of the NHS, allowing students to understand the importance of having a strong community in itself.
“One of the pillars of NHS is community, and I think that it’s very important to get out into the community and give back and do spend some time because it’s really not a lot much time, working on improving the community for the benefit of everybody,” Hetherington said.
To secure hours and sign up for volunteering, students can reach out to community members, go to organizations’ websites, or find them through mutuals. It is important to look at all the different opportunities provided many students may not know about, so going to organizations’ websites can be the most helpful.
“If you go to ‘cherryfestival.org’ or you can find the ‘ Volunteers’ tab, and there we actually have a volunteer portal that you can sign up on and select your different opportunities. There are some that you have to be 18[years old], so just make sure you choose the ones that fit whatever your demographics are,” Mengebier said.
Volunteering does more than just help the community; it can also make a large impact on many lives. Through volunteering, students can learn about different organizations and people who play a big role in or participate in community activities.
“I volunteered for the Sleeping Bear Dunes marathon, and I got to talk to a lot of really cool people running their first marathon for the first time, and I was handing them water, and that sounds like such a small task, but they actually appreciated it so much, and it was just very eye-opening and a very cool experience,” Porter said.
