Without volunteers, organizations like Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Tri-State would be little more than a catchy name.

Ohio University Southern's Campus & Community office lent a helping hand Wednesday by hosting Volunteer Day 2004 to assist nearly two dozen local organizations and companies in finding people interested in giving something back.

Dozens of people milled around inside the rotunda, visiting with agencies in need of community support.

For Big Brothers/Big Sisters, finding volunteers is absolutely critical and often very difficult.

"We solely work off of volunteers. Our agency wouldn't be possible without them," said case manager RaShawna Smalley. "We have a lot of children in the Ironton and Ashland (Ky.) area who have been on the waiting list for a long time."

Even by early afternoon, the day was a success because of the large amount of people showing interest, she said.

Laurie Saunders was one of several representatives of the Lawrence County Board of MR/DD's Service and Support Administration who took advantage of the Volunteer Day.

"We are trying to find opportunities for our adults with MR/DD," she said. "Volunteering gives them more opportunities to get out into the community. A lot of them just have their home life, so this gives them the chance to interact with the world."

As far as organizers were concerned, the entire day was a success, a worthy cause and a way to continue the Campus & Community office's mission to build relationships within the Tri-State community.

"We think this is very important. We hope it grows more and more each year," said Judy Gibbons, administrative manager for Campus & Community. "These are all agencies that need volunteers. Plus, we have students and community members who need to volunteer."

Organizations participating included Andrew's Buddies of the Tri-State, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Tri-State, Community Hospice, Festival of the Hills, Habitat for Humanity, the Lawrence County Community Action Organization, Lawrence County Veterans Services, the OUS Nature Center, the Workforce Development Resource Center, a variety of area health care providers and more.