After living on the streets for two years without a home or family, Ariel Gruman knows that a few helping hands can go a long way.
In an event promoting community service Tuesday night, Gruman, 35, shared her experience as a homeless person and encouraged students to volunteer in and around Gainesville.
She spoke at a forum called "Service and You" in McCarty Hall A, which was attended by more than 50 people.
Gruman left her home in Colorado to escape from domestic abuse. She traveled first to Alabama and then to Florida with her infant son, Simon, in 2005.
"It was a long road," she said. "I was up and down and all over the place."
Because of a head injury she received in a snowboarding accident, Gruman suffered from memory loss and mental trauma. She was homeless until Florida organizations offered help.
If students approach homeless people as individuals, Gruman said, they could have a significant impact in Gainesville.
"You can't put a Band-Aid on homelessness," she said. "You have to get to the root of the problem."
While some people may need money or medical treatment, others may simply need someone to believe in them, she said.
Other speakers emphasized the importance of volunteering locally.
Pat Bellis, assistant manager of volunteer services at Haven Hospice, said students would only be effective volunteers if they do something they are passionate about.
"Volunteering feeds the soul," Bellis said. "You never know what your kindness might change."
Charlie Shaw, of the Campus Kitchens Task Force, challenged students to change Alachua County's poverty statistics.
He said people are impoverished for many reasons, but helping in just one specific way can benefit a person's entire life.
"Community service can be hard and draining," he said.
"But if we don't do it, who will?"
