On Tuesday, Dec. 12, the Morgridge Center for Public Service’s Badger Volunteers (BV) program will celebrate the efforts of all its UW-Madison student volunteers who gave their time, energy, and support to the program. The celebration will take place at the School of Education from 4:45 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
“The impact of the work we get to be part of as Badger Volunteers can be seen all around us in our clean lakes, local schools, and food pantry system just to name a few,” said Reuben Sanon, first year Badger Volunteers Coordinator.
This past semester, over 800 students, led by trained Badger Volunteers Leaders, worked with more than 60 community organizations.

Volunteer opportunities fall into three categories: Education, Sustainability, and Public Health. Community organizations that students volunteer at include Friends of Lake Wingra, Second Harvest Food Bank, River Food Pantry, Gio’s Garden, and more. Students dedicate one to four hours each week at the same organization.
And while volunteering is an essential piece of Badger Volunteers, providing learning opportunities and exposing students to the tremendous assets already in the communities where they work is an important component as well.
“We’re putting an emphasis on Education Sessions in the BV program, making them mandatory this semester,” Sanon said. “This helps students gain a deeper understanding of issues facing communities in the greater city of Madison, allowing them to connect these issue areas to their career goals and skill sets.”

Badger Volunteer Education Sessions this semester include topics on Human Trafficking and Addiction, UW-Madison Campus Climate Survey, Affordable Housing in Dane County, and more.
As Badger Volunteers comes to an end this fall, many students have already began plotting which community organization to volunteer with next semester—many even applying to become BV leaders.
Spring 2018 Badger Volunteers registration opens on Jan. 26 accommodating those on a first come, first serve basis.