The urge to be more active, more aware and supportive of those less fortunate, still lingers after September 11.

The days and weeks after September 11 also saw an unprecedented flood of volunteerism. Even those not normally caught up in the spirit of community activism were inspired to find personal ways of contributing. The event left many of us wondering about the meaning of our own lives, the purpose and value of our roles in a community.

Many Juilliard students—feeling a need to do something—found innovative ways to contribute their time and talents. One wrote in the October 2001 Juilliard Journal about his experience performing at the Armory for soldiers returning from rescue efforts. Other students involved themselves by performing on the streets for rescue workers, and lending a helping hand with food and water at Ground Zero. At Juilliard, a student-initiated volunteer list was organized and distributed throughout the School. That list became a beacon of hope for our office; as requests for student performers came in, we forwarded them to students on that list.

Juilliard students, of course, were not the only people who felt moved to contribute in some way. The response here was but a microcosm of a mass feeling that spread across the nation and even internationally.

Though the memory of the events surrounding September 11 has been slowly receding, the urge to be more active, more supportive, and more aware of those less fortunate still lingers. Charitable organizations that had struggled to recruit compassionate people for their causes before that day have been inundated with new recruits. The events of September 11 began a renaissance in community volunteerism.

Performing artists who have played for the sick, the elderly, and others shouldering great burdens are no strangers to the healing, comforting, and inspiring effects of their art. There are literally hundreds of opportunities for performers to donate a small amount of their time and talent to communities in need in the New York metropolitan area. A simple search through online databases such as volunteermatch.com and idealist.org will yield many of these opportunities.

We are excited to invite to Juilliard the larger organizations that manage and distribute lists of volunteer opportunities for artists. Among them are Art Start, Life Beat, Community Service Society of New York, the International Partnership for Service and Learning, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of New York City, the Mayor's Voluntary Action Center, the Peace Corp, Mentors Inc., and many more. We are also including those organizations which offer internships for students interested in exploring aspects of the arts outside performance. These include WQXR, New York Theater Workshop, WNET of New York, the American Dance Festival, Lincoln Center, Actor's Equity, and others.

I hope that you can join us on February 28 for the first Juilliard Volunteer and Internship Fair. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the different ways that you might contribute a little of your time and talent to make a difference in the world—and in yourself.

Please e-mail any comments, questions, or ideas for future columns to careerfile@juilliard.edu.

Derek Mithaug is Juilliard's director of career development and an alumnus of the School.