On Sept. 9, from noon to 6 p.m., Thompson-Boling Arena was filled with representatives from over 70 non-profit organizations, hundreds of students and community members, one box turtle and one ferret.
This array of characters converged for the first annual Volunteer Knoxville Expo. Volunteer Knoxville is a regional branch of an international network of 250 Volunteer Centers that connects community members to non-profits both online and in person. The expo sought to make those connections in a hands-on way.
“It’s a great opportunity for students and community members to go around and to learn more about what organizations do and how they can give back their time,” executive director of Volunteer Knoxville Alexandra Brownfield said.
Brownfield continued saying “it’s a great resource, especially at the beginning of the year, for students to plug in.”
UT students were plugged into the expo in a number of different capacities. Nicholas Mann, senior in forestry, worked the Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad booth where he described the group’s activities and recruited new members. Freshman political science major Anna Burkhart learned about the event on the UT calendar. While she had worked with some of the organizations before, she was able to find new interests.
“I really wanted to do stuff at Knoxville Museum of Art and then I found out that we have a Coalition to End Human Trafficking,” Burkhart said. “I didn’t know that Knoxville actually had that.”
Burkhart’s statement speaks to the diversity of organization present at the expo. The non-profits ranged from well-known groups like Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity to lesser-known institutions like the International Biscuit Festival. Many were Knoxville specific, like the Young Williams Animal Shelter and the Beardsley Community Farm. Most of the institutions present actively encouraged community volunteerism with sign up sheets as a common theme at the booths.
“We’re really reliant on our volunteers,” Maya Carl of the Beardsley Community Farm said. “We have over 1500 volunteers and we couldn’t do it without them.”
But besides the more pressing matter of seeking out volunteers and disseminating information, the event allowed room for fun. Both Ijams Nature Center and the Knoxville Zoo brought animal representatives of a box turtle and a ferret respectively. Visitors were also able to participate in on-site service projects that involved drafting letters to veterans and putting together personal care kits for the homeless.
“We had a great turnout for the first year and we’re excited … that there’s been lots of people getting connected.”
To learn more about Volunteer Knoxville, visit volunteerknoxville.org.
Non-profit organizations lined Thompson-Boling Arena Wednesday afternoon to meet students interested in finding volunteer opportunities and other ways to get involved.
