Two students work with the United Way to offer help
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By Nicole Brown
Evan Miller would be a lime-green Converse tennis shoe with white trim if he had the chance.
“I like bright colors,” said the 22-year-old University of Nevada, Reno speech communications major. “There’s more energy involved.”
But that’s not his claim to fame. Miller uses his vibrant personality to try and help people over the phone — or at least to direct them to the right human services and resources.
He works part time for Nevada 2-1-1, an information hotline run by the United Way and its partners to help those seeking help but not knowing where to find it. In essence, it’s a phone number an individual can call for help with a wide range of issues, whether it be a financial situation or expertise on autism.
Miller is one of two bilingual phone-handlers that are University students. The other student working for the health and human services helpline is Daniel Harrison.
While answering phones, these students and other professionals direct callers to people who can help them by scanning over a database of more than 6,000 experts. These experts include professors and staff at the University.
The 2-1-1 program is funded by contributions from individuals in the community and considerable support from the State of Nevada. The 2-1-1 helpline is open for business Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to midnight and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends
Miller completed four years of Spanish and said it helps him aid a variety of callers.
“You get that fuzzy feeling,” Miller said about helping callers. “Sometimes people say I’m like a godsend.”
He heard about the job from one of his brother’s friends.
He scheduled a training session to become a suicide hotline phone-handler, but hotline officials asked him to work for 2-1-1 instead.
He said he’s pleased to work in a professional environment as well as have kind co-workers. And he’s still in awe about the system, including the phone log.
“It’s kind of ridiculous the numbers we do have,” Miller said of the volume of phone numbers in the 2-1-1 log.
Miller attends the University as a third-year transfer from Southern Oregon University. He is a native Nevadan from Elko.
Nicole Brown is a student writer in University Communications.
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