Who can use the BVN office?

Any Purdue University student, faculty, staff, or retiree. Greater Lafayette non-profit agencies use our office as well to give us updated volunteer opportunities.

What kind of time commitment is required to volunteer?

That varies from agency to agency. Some agencies allow "spot" volunteering, that is, a project that only takes an afternoon or a day. Others prefer a weekly visit. Some require a longer amount of time for training. You can find out which opportunity would best fit your schedule by reading the opportunity guide or talking with someone in our office or contacting the agency directly.

If my group wants to run a food drive (or clothing drive or other service event, etc.), how do we go about it?

The Purdue Student Activities and Organizations Handbook answers most of the questions involved. The site describes everything you need to know about planning events and fundraising - especially, the University regulations involved. The Event Planning Form that you need to fill out can be found there too.

What is Service Learning?

Service Learning involves the following five elements:

1. Community Voice: Hearing and responding to community needs is essential to build bridges, make change, and solve problems.
2. Orientation & Training: Preparing participants for service by providing information about the community they will enter, the issue and the agency.
3. Meaningful Action: Community action has value and meaning to all parties involved - students, community agencies and those being served.
4. Reflection: Participants reflect on their volunteer experiences, record or share their reactions and think critically about the service performed, the need and underlying social issues.
5. Evaluation: Measures the impact of the learning experience and the effectiveness of the service. Provides direction for improvement. Volunteers find better ways to serve.

(from Campus Outreach Opportunity League, 1998)

So what services does BVN provide?

We connect the Purdue community to service opportunities in the Greater Lafayette area. Our connection with the Volunteer Bureau allows us to provide information regarding volunteer needs at over 120 agencies. We also design our own service projects to get Purdue involved. For more details on specific services, see our Services Provided page. For groups to volunteer with, see the Service Student Organizations page.