As a high school student, Joni Zdunczyk volunteered with students with special needs as part of the Special Olympics program. Her experiences there led her towards her current career as a Morgan guidance counselor. By incorporating volunteering into her life, she expanded her horizon and broadened her perspective of the world. Today, she now hopes to offer the same experience to her students.
As high school students, volunteering is not only a way to strengthen our resumes, but also a way to make change in our community. Mrs. Zdunczyk describes having volunteer hours as the perfect chance to show future schools your personality. Here at Morgan, there is a wide variety of ways to get involved between sports camps, school clubs, or community businesses. A simple stroll down to guidance to talk to your counselor, can help you find the best fit.
When looking to plan your first volunteer opportunity Mrs. Zdunczyk said, “If a student is looking for a volunteer opportunity, coming down here and asking is the best way.” One thing Mrs. Zdunczyk always does is she tries to pinpoint places of interest. For example, if you had a passion for pursuing a medical career, your guidance counselor would be able to tell you about Yale and Middlesex which both have fall, spring, and summer volunteering. Zdunczyk believes it is extraordinary to be able to partner with these companies, so students can seize the chance to get a jump on their future education.
At Morgan so many teachers are involved whether they are club coordinators, or coaches. So many of them are dedicated to community service. Mrs. Zdunczyk only listed a few of the many, “I know Mrs. Rizzo runs Interact, they do a ton of community service, and she also just reached out to me about the new tutoring program. Mrs. Luther is doing the kindness closet, and Mrs. Luther is always offering opportunities for volunteer and humanitarian work because that is near and dear to her heart. Mr. Eves runs React. He’s in here all the time, and they do a lot of community service as well. Students with an interest in police work might love to work with our school’s very own SRO, Officer Corbin, “Officer Corbin runs the police youth group, and they do a lot of volunteering out in the community,” said Zdunczyk.
Speaking specifically on Interact, junior Lena Flaherty loves being a part of this club and encourages others to jump in on the fun, “I love the meetings when we get to do things together. Some things we’ve done are painted pumpkins, and we’ve made cards for Veterans. I like the mornings where we get to do stuff as a club, it’s a fun way to start the day. A lot of my friends are in it, and everyone who is in it is a good person so it’s really nice to be around people who care about helping the community.”
Lena describes the club as not only a club benefiting Morgan, but also something benefiting surrounding schools like Joel. A big part of Interact has been helping out with the Monster Mash for Joel. The kids light up when they see the uniquely decorated hallways, and to be able to be a part of those special moments is something to cherish. Interact meetings are held every other Thursday, and they start off meetings by talking about upcoming events and open opportunities. Lena thinks Morgan students should get involved in React because it’s a fun activity and “Interact is all about service over self, and the importance of community.”
Lena is not only involved with Interact, but she has been a part of Meals on Wheels at The Estuary in Old Saybrook that she does with her grandfather. Senior, Crisangel Afanador, shared his opinion about Meals on Wheels while overhearing Lena’s interview. He stated that “Meals on Wheels is amazing. The program helped my grandpa. It’s been a game changer for our family, it’s one of those community services that really helps people.”
Mrs. Zdunczyk doesn’t want students to shy away from volunteering beyond Clinton; there are places spanning across Connecticut that can benefit from help. For example, one big function is the Closer to Free bike ride. The ride starts in New Haven, and you ride through different areas of CT. This benefits Cancer research at the Yale New Haven Hospital. Depending on the length of your ride, you have to raise a minimum amount of money, which all goes towards finding an answer about Cancer. Opportunities don’t only lie within daycares, or vet offices, you can do all sorts of runs, and walks, and bike rides as volunteer as well, or you can even volunteer to work the concessions at these events as well.
The Morgan school, let alone our town of Clinton, may be small, but it is full of service possibilities. “I think it depends on the student, but the easiest thing to do is to just start getting involved here at the school. Join a club, join a sports team, there’s going to be opportunities in both of those whether it be fundraising for a team or knitting hats and booties for babies in knitting club. You’re leaving a legacy when you leave, and it is dependent on your leadership and engagement with the community to determine what that is.”
