Volunteer for a Year

Why volunteer for a year after college?

Who says practical experience has to include a paycheck? Consider volunteering for all of the reasons below

• Develop job experience: Year-long volunteers are placed in schools and agencies as teachers, case managers, intake workers--opportunities that will build a resume
• Network: Volunteers will establish excellent connections with potential future employers and contacts
• Experience personal rewards: Volunteers consistently say that their experiences were unforgettable and, in many cases, “life-changing”
• Diversify resume: A year of volunteer work may very well bring attention to your resume and help to distinguish it from another
• Explore lifelong values: Volunteer service work and reflection provides ample opportunity to discover the values and issue that are of ultimate importance to one’s future life

Year-long volunteers can defer student loans. Through Americorps, many volunteer placements include a financial education award to be applied to paying loans or future graduate education.

Other post graduation volunteer opportunities include:

• Clearinghouse of Yearlong Volunteer Opportunities
• The St. Vincent Pallotti Center: Catholic Based Volunteer and missionary service opportunities. Check out the job bank!
• International and local volunteer opportunities such as Peace Corp, the Christian Brothers Lay Volunteer Program, Maryknoll China Volunteer Teachers Program and many more!

For more information about year-long volunteer opportunities, contact Carl Procario-Foley (cprocario-foley@iona.edu) or Tiffany DiNome (TDiNome@iona.edu) in the Center for Campus Ministries, at 914-637-2772, or stop by their office located in LaPenta 217.