Rebecca Schultze

The Brookings Volunteer Service Bank is on a constant look-out for help.

Students can get a feeling of goodwill and a jump on the job market from volunteering, according to Don Boone, coordinator of the VSB.

“For students, many employers look at [volunteering] when applying for a job as something extra they give to the community,” he said. “The other thing is the satisfaction of helping someone who needs help.”

As the VSB coordinator, Boone matches volunteers with activities that coordinate with the person’s interests and talents.

Of the 300 VSB volunteers, over 100 of them are SDSU student according to Boone.

“A lot of our students are involved as tutors or mentors,” he said. “We have golden mentors working in classes and they find it very rewarding, as do the tutors.”

The VSB program covers Brookings County and involves more options than tutoring and mentoring.

The VSB provides driving services for dialysis patients to Sioux Falls or Madison for treatments or for people receiving radiation treatment.

Escort and transportation for the elderly and adopt-a-yard programs in the fall are other service options.

The Brookings VSB office, established in 1992, is located in the County Resource Center at the Brookings Multiplex.

Volunteer information sheets have been placed in the SDSU residence halls, for students interested in volunteering.