In less than two weeks, empty classrooms, abandoned dormitories and quiet campus grounds will stand as evidence of students’ month-long hiatus from the university. Yet while students take leave of the city over semester break, the needy of Madison will remain.

Those students staying in the area over break can use their freedom from the demands of coursework and classes to volunteer for Dane County’s less fortunate. Winter break falls in a time of year that can prove especially difficult for many in the Madison area as they cope with getting by during the Christmas season.

“There is an increase in need over the holidays as people try to make ends meet and have a happy holidays,” Kathy Martinson, the Volunteer Center director of United Way, said.

Students can help out in a multitude of ways throughout the holidays. Donating to giving trees, assisting at homeless shelters and spending time with lonely elderly are some of the most popular ways to volunteer over break. Additionally, students can go online and use the website volunteeryourtime.org to find the names of nearly 900 volunteer opportunities throughout Dane County.

Students are often ideal volunteers because of the excess free time they have as well as the enthusiasm they offer.

“College students bring a fresh perspective and energy,” Martinson said. “There are some really unique things that college students bring to volunteering.”

Rising numbers of University of Wisconsin students are volunteering as more students than ever before answer the call to serve. Martinson said these numbers are a reflection of the university’s progressive tradition, which facilitates the use of service-learning courses to engage students in the community and encourages students to bring about needed changes in their campus and city.

The university recently set the record for the number of graduates currently serving in the Peace Corps, with 153 Wisconsin alumni volunteering abroad. Over the past 13 years, the university has consistently been the leader among higher-education institutions in providing volunteers for the program.

Larger numbers of UW students are also volunteering while still attending the university. For the first time ever, all spots for the Alternative Breaks trips this winter have been filled. Students who have signed up for the trips will be traveling throughout the country to volunteer in a variety of venues, from assisting Texas migrant farmers to helping out in the Florida Everglades.

Mary Rouse, the director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service, attributes the rise in student volunteerism to young people’s desire to make a difference in their community.

“They are voting with their feet. Students really want to engage in service,” Rouse said. “Young people aren’t cynical. They have hope.”

However, although winter break is an ideal opportunity for students to serve on a short-term basis, Rouse stresses that students should commit themselves to volunteering all year long.

“Problems in society are happening throughout the year,” Rouse said, identifying the gap in service between semesters as a consistent problem in addressing the needs of the Madison community. “There is a need 365 days a year.”