Sometimes all you need is a friend.

Fortunately, the Vincennes University Friends Club offers a heartwarming and engaging experience for anyone who wants to extend a hand.

The Friends Club is a service-based group that offers many opportunities for service learning. In an email, Jessica Zellers, a professor of sociology and social work said that most students in this group are typically studying things like psychology, social work, and education.

This club also works closely with the Vincennes-based group, Friends Who Care and Count, which is open to adults with various developmental and intellectual disabilities. This partnership creates lots of opportunities for students to be able to engage with people in the community, Zellers said.

“This benefits both the students and the ‘Friends,'” she said.

Over the years, the VU Friends Club has embarked upon a handful of projects, each offering memorable moments for the participants.  These projects include a Talent Show, a festive Holiday Dinner, a Halloween Dance, the romantic Valentine’s Dinner/Dance, a Summer Prom, a creative T-shirt Design Party, Green Bingo, Beach Blanket Bingo, and a Christmas Party.

Zellers called these their most “impactful” projects so far, but they’ve done many more.

The Friends Club is also unique in its structure. Unlike most traditional student clubs with regular meetings, this club encourages interested students to reach out directly to department chairs Ann Herman and Jessica Zellers.

Zellers said that students in the majors listed above will also likely have opportunities to get involved through their classes as well.

For more information about the Friends Club contact Jessica Zellers via email at [email protected].