Volunteer spirit strong in Barstow despite falling numbers
BARSTOW — The spirit of volunteerism struck Barstow Community College students directly after Tuesday’s Sept. 11 memorial at the college.
Joann Garcia, an advisor of the Associated Student Body at BCC, said two college students approached the group after the memorial and asked the group’s help to raise money for the family of Angelo Mitchell, a cancer patient. Within hours, the group organized a 24-hour fundraising drive on Wednesday and Thursday. They hope to raise $1,000.
“The students felt that if [the Associated Student Body] could do something like put on this memorial event for the community, then we could help to support a member of the college family,” Garcia said.
Quick response and excitement to help fellow Americans soared in the years following Sept. 11, however the heyday for helping out may be past. Sue Robinson, CEO of the High Desert chapter of the American Red Cross, said that is the cyclical nature of volunteerism.
“When something major happens, Sept. 11., Hurricane Katrina, or a wildfire, then people turn out in droves for the duration of the event,” she said. “Then things return to normal and volunteerism begins to decline.”
That trend is starting California and across the country. Marta Bortner, a spokeswoman for the organization California Volunteers, said the state saw its first drop in the number of Californians volunteering since Sept. 11 in 2006. 11. National trends, she said, are also on the decline.
“We certainly want to see more Californians engaged in service and volunteerism,” she said.
California, she said, is just below the national average in terms of percentage of population that volunteers.
Larry Deckel, the program manager for Hands On Inland Empire, said he has not seen that problem. Volunteering through the Inland Empire, he said, is still strong, especially among college and high school students.
“When we do a large scale volunteer event, we end up having to turn away volunteers,” he said.
Claire Ellis, principal of Barstow High School, said students assist with clean up campaigns, help at the hospital and choose projects throughout the year to donate their time and that high profile events, like Katrina and Sept. 11, encourage students to pitch in more.
But more can be done, volunteer groups stress. Deckel said more volunteers are needed to tutor children in reading and work with senior citizens. Bortner agreed that child literacy needs attention and said many cities need volunteers for emergency and disaster response.
