This past year, 3,852 Northwest Vista College students contributed a whopping 29,024 volunteer hours to the San Antonio Community. The worth of these numbers is $728,502 as calculated by the Independent Sector .
The Independent Sector publishes statistics and information for nonprofit organizations to measure volunteerism and has estimated the national earned value for volunteerism at $25.43 an hour. Some of the volunteers include 40 students in NVC’s Community Health Worker program, who contributed over 100 hours per week or 6,400 hours for the year. The remaining of the hours were volunteered by students in a variety of clubs and organizations that get out in the community and do civic work.
NVC encourages students to volunteer in the community as part of their learning experience. These opportunities help students explore careers, gain leadership skills and experience diverse cultures and communities within San Antonio. Volunteer hours are reported on student’s non-academic transcript or through certificates and awards that can be shared with transfer universities and potential employers.
Migdalia Garcia, community engagement coordinator of NVC Service Learning, said typically four-year universities put up these kind of numbers, but what makes this significant is that all these hours are produced by community college students.
“Our students contribute their time, talent and treasure to various local, national, and international organizations as part of their courses, clubs and organizations, and out of their desire to make a difference,” said Migdalia Garcia. “The partners with who we engage have missions that range from helping kids with their reading skills to providing sustenance to food insecure residents at Haven for Hope.”
One of those partners is the Guadalupe Community Center’s (GCC) afterschool program, where NVC student volunteers help with children’s events like the center’s Health Fair. The volunteers give presentations on topics such as how much sugar is in candy, fruits, and many different foods.
GCC Director of Afterschool and Summer Programs Manuel Garcia said when the afterschool students travel to NVC to meet with their mentors, you can see their excitement of being on a college campus.
“Our children build a relationship with the college students. It’s a mentorship,” added Manuel Garcia. “The college students are also showing the children that college is attainable and it’s something they can do, too!”
