United Way of Utah County is in need of volunteers to assist and serve hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout the region.

United Way was organized to help connect people with opportunities to serve in their communities.

Scott Snow, United Way volunteer center director, spoke about the purpose of United Way.

"We coordinate with all the local non-profit agencies in town and do the recruiting of volunteers for them."

Snow said United Way "publicizes volunteer opportunities throughout the county for all of the different non-profit organizations."

United Way of Utah County offers many opportunities for students to serve others in need.

Opportunities include tutoring families, helping children with disabilities, caring for the terminally ill and helping abused and neglected children.

"There are hundreds of different volunteer opportunities in our volunteer data base," Snow said. "There is plenty of need for service."

Snow also mentioned the great need for ongoing service and not just a one-time project.

Many organizations also have a need for small groups or individuals rather than large groups.

Long-term commitment is also important to these organizations.

Most commitments range from one to six months. Commitments for this amount of time help these organizations to have stability. This means the organizations don't need to train volunteers ever day, but instead on a monthly basis.

Contacting United Way is the first step students should take to learn more about service opportunities.

United Way has a Web site to help connect volunteers with organizations. The site, www.unitedwayuc.org, contains the contact information for hundreds of organizations seeking volunteers.

Students could also visit the United Way volunteer center at 148 North 100 W. in Provo for more information.

Snow estimated that BYU students make up 40 to 50 percent of the volunteers throughout the county.



Copyright Brigham Young University 7 Feb 2001