On Feb. 19, 2025, HCC’s Student Life department and HCC’s Center for Civic and Community Engagement co-hosted the Service Fair in the Burrill Galleria. The event showcased community organizations offering volunteer opportunities for those looking to give back to the community.
The Service Fair is an effective tool for students and other interested community members to become informed about local volunteering opportunities. Students had the opportunity to learn about the chance to help those in crisis, help the environment, and work with animals. For the organizations themselves, Roxana Segovia-Beltran, the Campus Garden Manager, said that “the Service Fair is a great opportunity because students show up that are actually looking to volunteer, and I think that’s really hard to find.”
14 different community organizations attended the fair, nearly all of which were offering volunteer opportunities, as well as advertising full time and part time jobs.
The following organizations were present at the fair:
Community Action Council of Howard County
○ Mission to “diminish poverty and enable self-sufficiency for all Howard County individuals, families, and children in need.”
○ Able to volunteer through the Community Garden, the Howard County Food Bank, as well as helping events through the year.
○ Learn more at: www.cac-hc.org/volunteer
Grassroots Crisis Intervention
○ Walk-in crisis assistance, 24-hour crisis line, substance use disorder services, and emergency shelter
○ Learn more at: grassrootscrisis.org/volunteer
HCC Campus Garden
○ HCC’s campus garden grows food on campus nearby the athletic fields and provides freshly grown produce to HCC’s food pantry.
HCC Center for Civic and Community Engagement
○ HCC’s Center for Civic and Community Engagement is all about helping students get involved! The center partners with more than 50 non-profit organizations and helps over 1,000 students get involved a year.
○ About the Center for Civic and Community Engagement: https://www.howardcc.edu/programs-courses/academics/center-for-civic-and-community-engagement/about-us/
○ Opportunities for Students: https://www.howardcc.edu/programs-courses/academics/center-for-civic-and-community-engagement/students/
HCC Student Life
○ Student life is concerned with developing the college experience outside of the classroom. You can learn more about what they do to help students here: https://www.howardcc.edu/student-life/
HCC Sustainability
○ The Green Committee leads HCC’s environmental sustainability efforts, helps implement them, and tracks progress. You can learn more about their work here: https://www.howardcc.edu/about-us/leadership/sustainability/
HopeWorks
○ HopeWorks provides support and advocacy for those affected by sexual and intimate partner violence. HopeWorks has a variety of volunteer opportunities, including positions assisting with childcare, working special events, legal volunteers, and more. Those that are interested can learn more at: https://hopeworksofhc.org/volunteer
Howard County Board of Elections
○ The Howard County Board of Elections wants to make sure you perform your civic duty and register to vote.
Howard EcoWorks
○ Howard EcoWorks provides a variety of conservation work within Howard County including forest management and invasive plant removal, building, installing, and maintaining rain gardens.
○ Howard EcoWorks provides training, certificates, and exposure into the environmental world.
○ Howard EcoWorks has several seasonal full-time positions, you can learn more at: https://www.howardecoworks.org/
Making Change, Inc.
○ Making Change, Inc. is a financial advising service within Howard County. They offer personal financial counseling, free tax preparation, and more.
○ For those interested in volunteering with Making Change, you can learn more here: https://makingchangecenter.org/support-us/volunteer/
Meals on Wheels
○ Meals on Wheels delivers and packs meals for aging, disabled, and homebound individuals. Individuals interested in volunteering can help grocery shop for individuals, deliver meals, or complete a service project.
○ Those interested in learning more can find information at: https://mealsonwheelsmd.org/volunteer/
Patapsco Heritage Greenway
○ The Patapsco Heritage Greenway works advances the interests of the Patapsco Valley-one of Maryland’s Heritage Areas. They list their mission as: “As the non-profit managing organization for the Patapsco Valley Heritage Area (PVHA), Patapsco Heritage Greenway (PHG) is dedicated to preserving, protecting, interpreting, and restoring the environment, history, and culture of Maryland’s most dramatic river valley for all.”
○ The Patapsco Heritage Greenway hosts many outdoor activities ranging from trail running and horseback riding to camping and hunting.
○ Those interested in learning more about the Patapsco Heritage Greenway can find information at: https://www.patapsco.org/
The Community Ecology Institute
○ Operates out of two locations, the Freetown Farm and the Green Farmacy Garden. Freetown Farm is an education farm growing food using regenerative agriculture practices. The Green Farmacy Garden is a plant sanctuary and teaching garden with 300 species.
○ Those interested in The Community Ecology Institute can find more information at: https://www.communityecologyinstitute.org/
The Therapeutic & Recreational Riding Center
○ The Therapeutic & Recreational Riding Center provides therapeutic horseback riding to its clients.
○ Those interested in working with animals and earning work experience can find more information at https://www.trrcmd.org/
Why volunteer?
Volunteering can be used as a tool to broaden your perspective, introduce yourself to new career opportunities, and better equip yourself in your life. One student named Katherine, when asked how volunteering had helped her, said volunteering “has helped me learn more about the communities around me, and there’s a lot of skills I’ve learned that I wouldn’t have learned without volunteering.”
On top of being rewarding and providing you skills, volunteering can help you land a job. According to a Deloitte survey conducted in 2016, 82 percent of hiring influencers were more likely to choose a candidate with volunteering experience. This same survey found that over 90 percent of respondents felt that volunteering was an effective way to gain leadership skills, and over 70 percent felt that those who volunteer were more successful. Volunteering should be about your passions, and for many can feel rewarding on its own, but if needing an extra push, volunteering can push you further in your career in a way many don’t expect.
