GLENDALE : College Volunteer Group Gets to Work

A Glendale Community College project aimed at providing local groups with student volunteers already has attracted its first request for help.

The idea to start up a campus-sponsored volunteer program came from Hoover Zariani, a program assistant for staff development at the college, and Fred Wells, a college services consultant.

Zariani said he believes such a project would make students more aware of not only the surrounding community, but of ethnic diversity as well.

“We’re hoping to kind of build this bridge between the community and the college,” Zariani said. “I think we need to do these sort of things not necessarily to point out the ethnic differences, but to show we can work together.”

Although the program needs between $15,000 and $20,000 for start-up costs and a subsequent annual budget of $10,000, its coordinators hope funding would come through local, state and federal grant applications or community donations. The college itself is facing a budget crisis and cannot provide funding.

Zariani said he plans to recruit student volunteers and come up with a list of community organizations that need volunteer assistance. A survey conducted in May showed 150 out of 571 students expressed interest in volunteer work.

So far, the Glendale Teen Center has contacted Zariani for college student tutors to help high school students in the fall with academic subjects ranging from math to science to foreign languages.

“We are thrilled to be part of the program that Hoover is putting together,” said Sheila Ellis, founder of the Teen Center at 115 E. Lexington Drive.

Ellis and Zariani are scheduled to meet Friday to discuss the center’s needs. Any Glendale college student interested in being a volunteer or any groups seeking help should contact Zariani at (818) 240-1000, ext. 5390.