CARE program enchances students’ collegiate experience

Ayano Mizumoto, a Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College student, visits with Sister Beth Kelso during a recent afternoon at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Ayano participates in the Volunteer Services program.

If you are a college student and looking for a rewarding experience, the Sisters of Providence CARE Volunteer Program may be for you.

Sister Rebecca Keller, coordinator of Sisters of Providence Volunteer Services program, said the  CARE Volunteer Program is designed not only to provide work experience in a field of interest, but will also foster positive working relationships. CARE stands for “Career And Resumé-building Experience.”

(Watch Sister Becky’s interview about CARE with WTHI’s Susan Dinkel.)

Sister Becky developed the program to reach out to students attending Harrison College, Indiana State University, Ivy Tech Community College, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, in addition to DePauw University in Greencastle and Indiana University in Bloomington. Illinois college students attending Lakeland College, Lincoln Trail College and Eastern Illinois University are also invited to participate.

According to Sister Becky, participation in the CARE Volunteer Program is a win-win situation.

“I think this program is valuable because it gives the students a broader perspective of life,” Sister Becky said. “They will also have a clearer understanding of what the Sisters of Providence are all about … as a group of women creating a better world.”

Indiana State University student Cory Rehs enters menu information. He is a volunteer with the Sisters of Providence Food Services department.

College students interested in participating in the CARE Volunteer Program must be age 18 or older and have their own transportation to get to volunteer sites.

More details can be obtained by contacting Sister Becky at 812-535-2878 or at rkeller@spsmw.org.

The CARE Volunteer Program sites are:

• Woods Day Care/Pre-School at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Providence;
• White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Providence focusing on organic agriculture, spiritual ecology and social advocacy;
• St. Ann’s Clinic in Terre Haute, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Providence that provides free medical care to the low income and uninsured; and
• Providence Health Care, a sponsored institution of the Sisters of Providence that oversees health-care operations at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

The volunteer sites are sure to be of interest to those students majoring in health care, environmental science and issues, education and social work, among others.

The CARE Volunteer Program will go a long way in providing potential work-related references, gives students a means to give back to the community and learn time management skills.

“It’s a great way to get experience and build that resumé,” Sister Becky said.