Volunteer with S.O.U.L. and Volunteer Services

By Tamika Robinson
Feature Editor

Students interested in being more active in the community can volunteer with Serving Others Uniting in Love (S.O.U.L.) or Volunteer Services.

S.O.U.L. provides service trips over academic breaks so that students can spend time helping those in need.
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“Our mission is to provide service trips…so that (students) can grow in the Lasallian community and serve those who are in need,” said Ryan Langr, a S.O.U.L. Council member. The S.O.U.L. Council, which consists of six students, organizes, plans and funds the service trips.

In October, S.O.U.L. volunteered around the Winona and La Crosse area by working on farms and with Habitat for Humanity.

Next February, S.O.U.L. plans to host seven trips. “We will go to places like South Dakota, to an Indian reservation; Manhattan, to work with the poor, elderly and sick; and the Grand Canyon for camping and learning about environmental awareness. We will also go to Chicago, New Orleans, Kentucky and Kansas City like we have in the past,” Langr said.

Volunteer Services, which consists of 14 volunteer mentors and their faculty advisor Katie LaPlant, “provides students at Saint Mary’s with the opportunity to volunteer in the Winona community without a long-term commitment,” said junior volunteer mentor Molly Jewison. “Students are able to volunteer one time or they are able to volunteer every time we have an opportunity.”

Over Thanksgiving break, Volunteer Services will be hosting a trip to New York City, where students will volunteer in soup kitchens, schools and with other organizations.

In the spring, students will have the chance to volunteer for “Spruce Up Winona,” where they will be sent to different homes and organizations to help clean up from the winter.

“By having a hands-on experience, students will have a better understanding of how others live too,” said Jewison.

For students interested in volunteering with S.O.U.L., applications can be picked up at Campus Ministry or at the Saint Thomas More Chapel. Scholarships are also available for students who cannot afford the trips.

If interested in volunteering with Volunteer Services, students can sign up in Toner 8, read the weekly Volunteer Services emails or talk with Katie LaPlant or a volunteer mentor.