Volunteering Could be a Big Payoff

Here is some exciting news about volunteering: it could possibly be your new way to pay off college debt! I recently read an article in the October 2008 issue of CosmoGirl about a proposal that would help college students (like you and me!) pay off debt in exchange for one year of public service. I was really interested (hello, what college student doesn't like money?!), so I researched this proposal further on the internet. I read a web article titled "Service Pays: Creating Opportunities by Linking College with Public Service" and found out that this proposed government-sponsored program is called Service Pays. Under this program you could earn around $13,000 each year for volunteer work. Volunteer opportunities include rebuilding cities after natural disasters and teaching in inner-city schools. 

Sound awesome? I thought so. The only catch is that this program still has to be passed as federal law. So now is the perfect time to introduce my next challenge: simply write a letter to your elected officials, asking them to endorse the Service Pays Program. If we can get enough people to send such letters, hopefully it will convince our legislature to put this proposal into action. Like I said, this is the perfect opportunity to exercise your political power. You have a voice, so use it!  

For more information about Service Pays, visit <http://www.hlpronline.com/Vol1No1/warren.pdf>.