College students could soon be paid to volunteer

In President Barack Obama’s first address to congress he encouraged people to volunteer. He hopes that Congress will pass the “Serve America Act” that plans to attract 175,000 new volunteers. In return, those who give their time by volunteering could receive money through scholarships or stipends.
Samantha Pabich, a senior at the University of Michigan, is one of over 800 college students who are expected to volunteer in the Lowcountry during their Spring Break. She believes that the opportunity to be compensated for volunteer work will intrigue many college students. “A lot of people I know right now don’t have time to volunteer because they have to work jobs. So if they were able to receive stipends or scholarships for volunteering I think that would encourage a lot of people to give back more,” said Pabich.
Habitat for Humanity employees believes this could be monumental for their future. “That increased push towards doing your civic duty and helping other people would be huge. For Habitat we would be able to get so much more done,” explained Pat Filice, a construction supervisor for the Sea Island chapter.
If you would like to volunteer with the Sea Island chapter of the Habitat for Humanity go to: http://www.seaislandhabitat.org/volunteerinfo.htm