Do you CARE?

You’ve seen news reports about people who need assistance after a natural disaster or children in need. Maybe you’ve walked past people who are living on the streets of out of their car. You may ask your self “What can I do about these things?” The answer: You can volunteer.

Volunteering gives you an opportunity to change people’s lives, as well as your own life. If you’re feeling frustrated or overwhelmed by the news of a disaster, volunteering to help can be a great way to cope. If you’d like to support a cause but can’t afford to donate money, you can donate your time instead.

Helping others in need has always been an important part of the American way of life. In the upcoming presidency, I think we’ll see an even greater focus on giving back. In President-elect Obama’s acceptance speech, he talked about how we all need to participate in helping our country out of the tail spin we are experiencing. He advised us to reach out and help one another. So how do you go about it?

This week Career Services and the Community Affairs Board are co-hosting the annual UCSB CARE Expo: a Nonprofit, Volunteer and Internship Fair. If you are someone who wants your work to make a difference, if you want to give back to your community, or if you want to help others less fortunate than you, this is a fair you should attend.

Organizations present at this fair represent a good sampling of non-profits and NGOs. They offer services for disaster victims, women, the homeless, inner city students, even some of our efforts overseas. There are any number of organizations that need your help. Here is just a partial list of who will be there:

American Red Cross, Santa Barbara County Chapter

American Support for Afghanistan

CALM-Child Abuse Listening & Mediation

Domestic Violence Solutions

Habitat for Humanity of Southern SB County

La Casa de la Raza

Nonprofit Support Center

Nuclear Age Peace Foundation

Planned Parenthood of Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo

Teach for America

United Way of Santa Barbara County

Wilderness Youth Project

Click on any of the employers listed above, or on the complete list of participants, and you can find a brief description of the organization as well as the type of positions they are looking to fill. If non of the organization coming exactly match your own call to help, then check out idealist.org, a “a global clearinghouse of nonprofit and volunteering resources.” Or, for a local listing of over 2,300 local health, human and community service organizations in the Santa Barbara county, click here. This is your chance to be part of the change that Obama’s presidency represents.

Micael Kemp is the director of Career Services at UCSB.