Opportunities for Community Involvement: Volunteering Schools have long relied on volunteers to support their activities. Room mothers, Parent Teacher Associations, booster clubs, and work-sponsored programs are among the groups that provide much-needed moral and financial support to schools. Volunteering refers to more than providing a warm body as a teacher aide or chaperone, however. Community and business members can volunteer funds, equipment, time, or expertise. All are valuable assets that can support teaching and learning. Unfortunately, some schools attempt to build relationships with their surrounding community simply as an effort to procure funds and only do so at times of greatest need. While a strong relationship can result in opportunities to receive funding, the best relationships provide benefits to all parties involved. For example, a local business may be willing to provide funds or equipment if this in turn results in a better trained talent pool of future employees. Communities may support school-based initiatives that provide service beyond the student population. Schools have long reciprocated community support in a variety of ways, such as offering facilities and equipment for community-related activities after school hours. Instead of trying to draw funds from local businesses or agencies, a school-community partnership may become a unified entity to apply for and procure funds—bringing funds into the community. This reduces some of the financial burden on local communities. Meet the Expert Dr. Joyce L. Epstein is the Director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University and is one of the leading scholars on school/community partnerships. She is a prolific author and has numerous publications about research, practice, theory, and policy issues as they relate to school/community partnerships.