Despite the hot Texas weather, organizations around Austin came to campus in order to recruit student volunteers and spread the word about their organizations in front of Gregory Gym on Wednesday.

The 40th biannual UT Volunteer Fair brought out more than 70 non-profit and government organizations. The fair was sponsored by the UT Volunteer and Learning Service Center, a department that is part of UT’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement.

Graduate assistant for VLSC Berenice Rodriguez, coordinator of the fair, said the event was a spotlight on how it’s possible for students to get involved.

“You give back to that community and also become part of that community whether that is on the UT campus, Austin or central Texas,” Rodriguez said.

Pre-nursing junior Janesca Barrera, a student assistant at VLSC, said being involved in community service can be a great way to meet people and the see what causes they are truly interested in helping out in.

“There’s many organizations that pertain to all kinds of interests and majors,” Barrera said. “I hope that when students walked around, they got more information on all the organizations and decided to participate in something.”

Planned Parenthood of Austin was in attendance to inform students not only about volunteering but also about their mission to advocate for and provide sexual and reproductive health care, said Brittany Yelverton, the community outreach specialist for the organization.

“We have a lot of opportunities to volunteer because of the presidential election coming up and then followed by the Texas Legislative session where we focus on advocacy,” Yelverton said. “Volunteers help us empower men and women to take control of their own health and advocate for women’s health.”

Yelverton said students get to help out with community engagement and education events and help people have a voice during the election and Texas legislative season.

“UT is one of the most exciting places to do volunteer outreach because everyone is so invested, excited and passionate, which is what we look for in volunteers,” Yelverton said.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a non-profit organization that works to prevent drunk driving, underage drinking and aids victims of violent crimes, was seeking student volunteers who wanted to help get the word out about MADD.

Karah Ricketts, volunteer coordinator for the Texas State Central Region, said she is a firm believer in volunteerism as it’s important to reach out to someone in need.

“You’re fulfilled with joy when you are selfless because everyone needs a little help once in a while,” Ricketts said.

Social work junior, Alex Abraham, said he is interested in volunteering with Animal Trustees of Austin in order to fulfill his community service hours required for his social work class.

“I feel like they give you the most hands-on work rather than doing data entry, filing or any normal office duties,” Abraham said. “Volunteering gives you personal satisfaction with what you’re doing and helps you learn things outside the classroom.”

Rodeo Austin, a non-profit organization that focuses on merging youth education and Western heritage, was also recruiting volunteers to help out at the rodeo by performing different duties from attending the ticket stations to running the livestock shows.

Jennie Richmond, manager of Rodeo Austin, said volunteers could be a part of an organization that raises funds for scholarships that are awarded to deserving Texas students.

“We raised about $450,700 this year with a large percentage of those scholarships going to UT students,” Richmond said. “Now, we want to raise even more funds and volunteers can be a part of that.”

The Texas Advocacy Project, an organization that provides free legal services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, was recruiting students to participate in this organization’s cause.

Catherine Hood-Foster, volunteer coordinator for TAP, said students should always consider helping out in their communities.

“It’s a great way to know more about non-profit organizations in terms of what we do and how we do our work,” Hood-Foster said.

Advertising freshman Siri Sjoboen said she attended the fair in order to take advantage of the chance UT was giving her, along with her fellow students, to get involved.

“I believe volunteering makes you a better person and I would be interested in doing some community service hours at a soup kitchen or just helping people in the general community,” Sjoboen said.