When you’re trying to get your first-ever student volunteer fair off the ground, it’s always helpful to have good collaborators, people who can get others excited for the event.

Landing former Pittsburgh Pirate Andrew McCutchen as a spokesman, for example, is a pretty good way to draw attention to Hempfield Area High School’s student volunteer fair on Nov. 21. It is being coordinated by junior Gianna Richason.

“We have a job fair and a college fair, and I thought, why not a volunteer fair?” said Richason, 17.

So how did she manage to get one of the most popular Major League Baseball players to be her hype man?

“My dad sent me a Trib story about him coming to the area for Cutch Charity Week (on Nov. 16-23), and he is kind of looking to do the same thing I’m trying to do: recruit volunteers,” Richason said.

She reached out by email and was pleasantly surprised to hear back.

“He made a great generic commercial that we can use for multiple years,” she said.

In the promo spot, Richason introduces McCutchen, who discusses the importance of volunteerism.

“Every Hempfield student can make a lasting impact on the community,” McCutchen says. “You have the ability to change the world one act of kindness at a time.”

Richason partnered with Hempfield teacher Katie Kertoy to organize the fair.

“We sent letters to any group that needs volunteers,” Kertoy said. “We emailed, we called — we were pretty obnoxious.”

And if a group did not have members able to work a volunteer-recruiting table during lunch and activity periods at the high school, students gathered information about the groups and will be on hand to offer that information during the fair.

“They emailed us fliers and information, and out students will work those tables,” Kertoy said.

Richason said she is very excited to see the results.

“We came together, decided what we wanted to do and did it,” she said. “The biggest challenge will be making we get students to come.”

The United Spartans Volunteer Fair will take place during lunch and activity periods Nov. 21 at the high school, 4345 Route 136, Hempfield.

For more on McCutchen’s volunteer efforts in the area, see the Project Pittsburgh page at CutchWeek.com.

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