The UofM has entered into an official partnership with Volunteer Odyssey
August 25, 2017 - ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ has entered into an official partnership with Volunteer Odyssey as the University's official service partner. Volunteer Odyssey, a ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½-based one stop shop for meaningful volunteer opportunities in the city, will allow the University to provide vetted service opportunities to students that contribute to real community needs.
In February 2017, Dr. Sarah Petschonek, a four-time UofM alum and founder and CEO of Volunteer Odyssey, unveiled a city-wide volunteer engagement platform, VolunteerCompass. This platform is a comprehensive volunteer management system that houses volunteer information for individuals, nonprofits and businesses to mobilize and match volunteers with opportunities for ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ organizations and track volunteer data in real time.
"The partnership between the University of ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ and Volunteer Odyssey is a tremendous strategic advantage for our entire community. Through targeted volunteering, we can better equip our nonprofits to tackle social issues while also enriching the lives of the University's students," said Petschonek.
VolunteerCompass provides an easy way for students, student organizations and campus partners to find volunteer opportunities that match their skills and interests, and for nonprofits to recruit student volunteers. Students can instantly reflect on their experience while keeping a verified record of their service experience. Ultimately, the University of ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ will utilize this partnership to better connect its students to the community, increase volunteer capacity, and make ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ a truly hands-on, philanthropic community.
"We consider ourselves the University of and for ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½. This partnership is an outstanding example of our University's commitment to helping the city of ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ thrive," said UofM President M. David Rudd.
About University of ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½, Student Leadership & Involvement
The Student Leadership & Involvement staff seeks to engage students in promoting positive
social change through transformative learning, community engagement and leadership
development. Staff members engage thousands of students in experiential and community-based
learning to foster socially responsible leadership throughout the University and greater
ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ community. As a result of the Volunteer Odyssey partnership, dialogues, classrooms,
relationships and learning environments will have increased opportunities to share
perspectives, ask critical questions, and engage meaningfully with the entire ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½
community.
About Volunteer Odyssey
Volunteer Odyssey was founded by Dr. Sarah Petschonek in 2013 with the mission to
develop a pathway to volunteering that enriches the lives and communities within ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½.
The corporation launched the country's first virtual volunteer fair, called Volio,
and supplies volunteers to more than 50 nonprofits in the ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ area. For more information,
please visit volunteerodyssey.com and follow Volunteer Odyssey on facebook.com/VolunteerOdyssey/.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Gabrielle Maxey
901.678.2135
gmaxey@memphis.edu