CityU staff and students share volunteering experiences; urge others to give back
Anna King
Velocity Contributor
The national economy is pretty scary these days but Tim Gould makes sense of his corner of the world by volunteering.
“I think the people that are truly giving from their heart will keep giving,” he says.
Gould, an instructor for City University of Seattle’s School of Management, and others like him give back in their professional and personal lives. And with many volunteer opportunities from helping the poor to cleaning up the environment to caring for animals, more CityU of Seattle students, alumni and staff continue to make a difference around the world.
Specifically, Gould works as a finance manager for World Vision - a worldwide agency that fights hunger, helps people suffering in disaster areas and raises money for impoverished children. Gould says he was tired of working for companies that were only concerned with the bottom line.
“I had enough of that,” he says. “I wanted to work for a company that helped the needy and children.”
In his off time Gould volunteers for his church. And each year he gathers a team of friends to walk for the Relay for Life to support cancer research.
“There have been several people that I’ve lost - aunts and cousins,” Gould said. “Volunteering gives me a great feeling inside. It’s a once-a-year chance to do something good.”
CityU students are volunteering too, like 23-year-old Peter Rigo. He’s studying business administration and plans to graduate next year. Rigo worked to organize a Green Day event at his CityU campus in Trencin, Slovakia. He and other students helped pick up trash around campus for about five hours.
“It is very important to show young people that our planet needs their help,” Rigo says. “If we could get people into the habit of caring for the environment now when they are still young, in the future they are going to be doing the same thing without even thinking about it.”
LaMonica Shelton, a representative with the federal agency Corporation for National Community Service, says people don’t have to pick up trash or scoop soup into bowls to be a volunteer. Shelton says a federal study shows that people with higher levels of education are more likely to volunteer. She adds that many people use their marketing, teaching or finance skills to assist their communities.
“Volunteering can provide some great skills to those college students who are about to graduate and want to get some real world experience in their field,” she says.
At CityU, several organized volunteering activities exist for staff. Kourtnie Chamberlin, a benefits specialist for CityU’s human resources department, organizes a blood drive a few times a year. She says about 15 staff members donate blood each time the Puget Sound Blood Mobile comes to the Bellevue campus.
And over the last few years, thousands of dollars have been raised by CityU staff for United Way. Last year, staff gave more than $9,400.
Up north in British Columbia, CityU Faculty Member Glen Grigg volunteers to help professional counselors at the Vancouver-based campus. He assists the B.C. Association of Clinical Councilors who write regulations for the Canadian counseling industry.
“It’s a source of very deep personal satisfaction,” Grigg says. “It goes beyond what I can do as an individual and ensures safe and ethical treatment of clients throughout British Columbia.”
Grigg says he’s glad to be working for CityU because the university encourages volunteering.
“It’s presenting yourself as living the values that you teach,” he says. “I encourage my students to give back to the community; so if you are going to do that you have to live it as well.”