{"id":393,"date":"2025-08-11T14:49:31","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T14:49:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/?p=393"},"modified":"2025-08-12T00:46:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T00:46:22","slug":"registration-now-open-to-volunteer-with-epic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/2025\/08\/11\/registration-now-open-to-volunteer-with-epic\/","title":{"rendered":"Registration Now Open to Volunteer with EPIC"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"postie-post\">\n<p>IDS is now accepting applications for the Empowering Pathways to Independence in Communities (EPIC) Volunteer Program!<\/p>\n<p>EPIC is a community-based volunteer initiative launching this fall through the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) at The University of Southern Mississippi. It\u2019s designed to support adults with disabilities ages 18\u201340 in building skills for greater independence and employment\u2014with help from passionate volunteers like YOU!<\/p>\n<p>As an EPIC volunteer, you\u2019ll complete 100 service hours between September 1, 2025 \u2013 August 31, 2026, through a flexible range of options, including:<\/p>\n<p>* Participating in the Community Volunteer Club (CVC) on Tuesdays<br \/>\n* Supporting community and recreational events, especially those hosted by IDS<br \/>\n* Engaging in environmental service activities<br \/>\n* Volunteering with outside organizations such as nonprofits, schools, or faith-based groups<br \/>\n* Completing remote or virtual hours by providing technical assistance for programs or individuals<br \/>\n* Counting community service hours you\u2019re already doing\u2014if you\u2019re meeting a requirement for school, clubs, or other programs, those hours can apply here too!<\/p>\n<p>Volunteers who meet service and conduct expectations will receive a $1,000 stipend paid in two installments:<\/p>\n<p>* $500 in December 2025<br \/>\n* $500 in June 2026<\/p>\n<p>EPIC is open to anyone ready to serve\u2014whether your part of STEP UP, STEP OUT, SO College, RISE, a USM student, or just looking to make a difference. All backgrounds and experience levels are welcome!<\/p>\n<p><em>WE HAVE 20 VOLUNTEER POSITIONS OPEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Apply today:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/usmforms.formstack.com\/forms\/epic_volunteer_membership_application\">usmforms.formstack.com\/forms\/epic_volunteer_membership_application<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For more information on volunteering with or receiving services through EPIC, contact Scott Mullins, Transition Coordinator, at 601-266-6129 or <a href=\"mailto:scott.mullins@usm.edu\">scott.mullins@usm.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IDS is now accepting applications for the Empowering Pathways to Independence in Communities (EPIC) Volunteer Program! EPIC is a community-based volunteer initiative launching this fall through the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) at The University of Southern Mississippi. It\u2019s designed to support adults with disabilities ages 18\u201340 in building skills for greater independence and employment\u2014with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[22],"class_list":["post-393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epic","tag-august2025"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=393"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":404,"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393\/revisions\/404"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmids.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}