On the Bright Side: Look for ways to volunteer

Living in a small town there are always two polar opposite people. One type of person who enjoys being in a small town environment and the other not thrilled and wish there was more to do. For the most part, I personally enjoy the small town vibe. But I know an overwhelming amount of people who don’t. With that being said do small towns cater enough to those who need a few extra activities around town? Do places offer enough to do? For me I think that especially in a college town there could be a few more options.

 Chadron State College offers plenty of options for events, dances, and sports to watch. But there seems to be an element missing when it comes to those options. There really is no connection with the community. Once a year students get the option to help the community with The Big Event. Which is a wonderful opportunity, but why isn’t there something offered to let the community and college become more connected year around? After living here for almost two years I’m surprised that I haven’t heard about or seen any option to volunteer off campus regularly. I wish there was a way the college students could go read to middle schoolers or have the option to help out with some of the events they put on. I know that schools can always use an extra hand or two when dealing with a large group of kids. 

The community of Chadron supports the college a lot. Many businesses offering student discounts and very welcoming the college kids. I’m sure there are plenty of ways that we can offer students more activities off campus and somehow give back to the community at the same time.

I would imagine the first few times it might not have a lot of people, but imagine if college kids had the option to go play basketball with kids during recess, P.E. or help them read or really just about anything.

With this we would be able to help get students off campus and putting effort back into the community and giving younger kids role models to look up to. We could be helping build a stronger connection between the school and the community. There are so many students who just need something to do and if they’re given a constructive option that also is fun, it would make a huge impact on the students, community, and college.