When a record number of disadvantaged kids requested presents this holiday season, College of Communication alumnus Matt Lebovic got worried.
As the director of volunteers for the non-profit organization Boston Cares, Lebovic raises money and collects presents for the ‘Frosty’s Friends’ program, which provides holiday gifts to disadvantaged children. When he received 1,100 requests for presents, however, he knew he would have to look for outside help.
Help came when Champions, the COM community service organization, stepped in and raised almost $500 in gift money by setting up a table in the George Sherman Union. Because of Champions donations, Lebovic said Boston Cares will be able to provide many more presents for children during the holidays.
This is a fact Lebovic said he was particularly proud of because the contributions came from his alma mater.
‘I was impressed,’ Lebovic said. ‘To have BU step in and contribute says a lot.’
Lebovic said the help of BU and other colleges is crucial this time of year, because even though there are an estimated 6,000 active volunteers, Boston Cares is comprised of only five full-time staff members who work with some 150 non-profits in the Boston area.
Boston Cares has come a long way since its initial six-person meeting in 1991 at the Harvard Square Pizzeria Uno’s, but Lebovic said it is no coincidence its presence on college campuses has increased over the years.
‘There is this stereotype that college students don’t care but in fact it’s the opposite,’ Lebovic said.
He said one of the reasons Boston Cares spends time to get college students involved is because it already participates on such high levels.
‘We had an orientation session in October because already more than half of the groups that help us are college students,’ Lebovic said.
Lebovic said he found out about Boston Cares as part of a report he did his junior year. His inspiration for volunteer work came when he studied in a 10-month fellowship program called the ‘Otzma project’ after graduating, which allowed him to experience helping people first-hand by working at immigration centers and teaching English. Today, he says national trends in volunteering are increasing across the country.
Nevertheless, Champions President Joelle Sarette, a COM junior, said problems with student commitment still take place. Even though there is a myriad of volunteer groups at BU such as Champions, the First-Year Student Outreach Program and Volunteers for Citizenship, Sarette said many students have a hard time committing to community service because they have so much work.
‘Many college students procrastinate, so when it comes down to following through with community service or finishing your paper, you know what they’re going to choose,’ Sarette said.
Sarette said the fundraiser for Boston Cares however was ‘super, super, super successful,’ and would be continued in the future.
She said Champions has 30 to 35 members ‘that really make the effort,’ and that even though many students ignored the Champions fundraising table in the GSU, when students were asked to donate money, most of them did.
Sarette said Champions’ next project would be the annual clothing drive in the spring.
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