Washington Township High School stands as a stronghold for generosity and selflessness, and has stood as such for decades. Our school is known nationally for its contribution towards community service- clubs like Interact, S.A.V.E, and P.A.W.S contribute full-time. There’s plenty of opportunities available around the school. Despite this, some kids choose not to contribute, and to do no service. Whether this is apathy or laziness is irrelevant, because there are enough opportunities for everyone to volunteer.

Mrs. Michelle Epifani, executive director of the Volunteer Centers of South Jersey, runs an organization whose sole purpose is to pair volunteers to service situations that suit their passions and skills.

“…our organization is here to connect volunteers to quality opportunities,” she said, “we follow up with volunteers about what they thought, did they like it, will they go back, etc. so we can strengthen the opportunity on both ends, [for volunteers and the nonprofit organizations they work for].”

Despite such a powerful tool at their fingertips, students should not expect to get handed their perfect volunteer opportunity on a golden platter. “…we want to find their [a volunteer’s] passion, we want to know how much of a commitment that they want to make. They get out what they put in,” Epifani said. She believes an important piece about lack of volunteer contributions is that students need to get involved in their community and find out the problems that need to be solved. “Young people can get into their community and find out what their community needs and get working on what it needs to be done” Epifani says.

Not only does volunteering community service give back to your community, or make you feel good- it also can teach you important skills.

“… there are so many skills we can help you with volunteering, it’s really endless. They [students] shouldn’t shy away because it’s a good opportunity to learn important skills- people skills, interviewing, organization, etc.” Epifani says.

“We have probably about 60 opportunities on the site alone, we have a wide range but we encourage people to help themselves to find things, we [VCSJ] are basically the hub in finding volunteer opportunity in the area.” Epifani says.

Epifani hopes that her organization can help students overcome the barriers of getting involved by introducing a starting point.

Township has always been an overwhelming source of giving, be it the township-wide Toys for Tots drive, the hoagie sale, or any of the countless community service project set up by Interact and other clubs. The benefits go well beyond those received by the recipients.

If the giving alone is not alluring enough, students can get involved for the skills they can learn or the holes it can fill on their college/job resumes.

Whatever their initial reason for volunteering, most students who do a lot of community service find that the sense of accomplishment and pride they feel by giving back to the community they live in is reward enough.

“I like helping the community because it is amazing watching people’s faces light up when I help them,” said Olivia McGough co-president of Interact Club.

The Volunteer Center of South Jersey can be reached by phone (856 415-9084), by website (sjvolunteers.org) or at their office (1400 Tanyard Rd, Sewell, NJ 08080).