Jazpreet Kaur Gosal recalled her younger days at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manteca.
“I was there for fun but had all these great volunteers helping out,” she said at Wednesday’s Community Service Fair at Sierra High. “Now, I would like to be one of those volunteers.”
The local Boys & Girls Clubs was one of several organizations at this first-ever event hosted by the Community Leaders of America.
Advisor Jared Rio was thrilled with the strong turnout at the school event, noting that this event was modeled after the one at Manteca High under the direction of Nina Norton and her Leadership group.
“The purpose of the Community Service Fair is to put students in contact with the local groups and nonprofits,” he said. “There were several hundred (students) here.”
Those participating also included Manteca Police Explorers, Manteca Parks & Recreation, Doctors Hospital of Manteca, Second Harvest Food Bank, East Union Cemetery Association, HOPE Shelters, Manteca Branch Library, Hispanic Youth Leadership Council and Give Every Child A Chance, to name a few.
Isabella Velasquez is in Leadership and an officer for the Community Leaders of America. She, too, was overwhelmed by the large number of students at the inaugural service fair. “We were expecting a good crowd but nothing like this,” she said.
Mark McCool, who is the Site Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manteca, ran out of volunteer applications early on, instead, referred students interested helping out to click on to www.bgmanteca.org.
Velasquez, who is a sophomore, has already volunteered for several of the local nonprofits.
“Since eighth grade, I’ve been a tutor for GECAC during the summer – it’s been a great experience,” she said.
Velasquez also helped out the Hispanic Youth Leadership Council.
Rio, meanwhile, listed some of the other benefits of the Community Service Fair.
Students can receive an Activity Block “S” by earning 100 hours of volunteer work – those achieving this distinction, in turn, would be recognized at the Lobo Gold rally.
In addition, they could be eligible for scholarships not to mention getting a boost on their college admissions.
Gosol, who is a junior, hopes to get into the medical field.
For that, she was using the Community Service Fair to find volunteer work this summer at Doctors Hospital.
To contact reporter Vince Rembulat, e-mail vrembulat@mantecabulletin.com.
