Note from the Volunteer Coordinator
More Ways to Volunteer
Since 2013, volunteering to read and respond to The Vegetarian Resource Group college scholarship submissions has been a yearly tradition for me. For much longer (since 2003!) many volunteers have taken time during the months of February and March to participate in this annual effort.
For the 2022 contest, I had the opportunity to coordinate 25+ volunteers to read over 160 essays. Working with the volunteers on this project gave me a chance to get to know the backbone of The VRG. These individuals put in the work that allows us to continue recurring projects and kick off new ones. For this particular effort, volunteers take time to read and carefully craft a thoughtful, personal response to send to each scholarship applicant. Sometimes, the response results in additional dialogue with the high school students, leading to recommendations on college programs, recruiting them as future volunteers, or expanding their veg network.
Over the years, the students who apply for this scholarship have evolved and expanded their veg outreach to something that might be coined "progressive activism." This activism comes in a variety of forms such as working on a completely vegan food truck. 2022 VRG scholarship winner Callie Showalter volunteered her time to support a food truck and its patrons, ensuring accessibility and visibility of vegan food in her community. You can read more about her on page 26. Other entrants created videos that expose animal cruelty and environmental issues, and then share them across different social media platforms, reaching multiple people within a matter of hours. While reading the submissions, the monumental impact these applicants are having and will have on the vegan movement becomes evident.
Recognizing the students who apply for the scholarship contest is one way to volunteer with The VRG. There are A LOT of other approaches to volunteering that can be as limited or involved as you would like. Helping with product research, interacting on our social media accounts, subscribing to our email newsletter, and distributing VRG resources are just a few ways you can get involved. If you're reading this, you're already a proactive member of The VRG community! You can email [email protected] for more volunteering ideas.
A huge shout out and thank you to all of our volunteers; your time and patience are invaluable! Thank you so much.
Whitney McVerry
Volunteering as the VRG Volunteer Coordinator
