CRANFORD, NJ — A group of passionate volunteers have created a groundbreaking artificial intelligence-powered search engine that launched last month. Samaritan Scout is a free platform which helps people find in-person volunteer opportunities.
The co-founders of Samaritan Scout are Will Rosenthal and Dvora Inwood. Rosenthal, of Cranford, is a 19-year-old computer science student at Cornell University. Inwood, of Springfield, is a former educational technology product developer. In high school, Rosenthal was good friends with Inwood’s daughter, which is how their paths connected.
In creating Samaritan Scout, Inwood led a team of volunteer software developers that included Jack Greenwald and Akash Dubey, recent graduates of Union County’s Academy for Information Technology, who created the front-end. Then, Rosenthal brought on two Cornell classmates, Pradhi Pakkerakari and Wyatt Sell, who built a search engine that analyzes 501c3 organization’s websites using AI to identify and describe volunteer opportunities.
Via the Samaritan Scout, users can get in touch with organizations about which they are enthusiastic. Currently, the website offers 5,000 volunteer opportunities, with 1,000 in New Jersey and 150 in Union County. In addition to New Jersey, the site serves New York, Utah and Wisconsin. The future of Samaritan Scout is expanding to all 50 states. “We plan on adding them on a weekly basis,” said Rosenthal. “It will happen quickly.”
Both Inwood and Rosenthal agree that volunteerism is declining. Rosenthal feels it’s especially because of the pandemic. “People were very limited,” he said. “It’s important to us (that) people are still active in the community.”
No stranger to volunteering, Rosenthal helped at Shining Stars Network in Cranford. It’s a 501c3 non-for-profit organization that specializes in shining a light on the special needs community through the performing arts while providing opportunities for people with and without special needs to improve their singing, dancing, and acting abilities. The program allows volunteers, known as “buddies,” to help the stars of Shining Stars to rehearse, practice and get ready for the show – a gala for entertainers with special needs. “I volunteered there for a long time,” Rosenthal said. It’s a personal cause to him because he has a family member who is a special needs person, and it hits close to home. He said, “I just know that being able to do this (Samaritan Scout) means a lot for my dad, for myself. He loves that I’m so involved.”
Rosenthal also volunteered at Reeves–Reed Arboretum in Summit on the weekends. “I look at a lot of software,” he said. “I’m a programmer. It’s nice to get outside, planting new trees. Helping out in the arboretum makes me happy. It’s really a great time.”
When Inwood came up with the idea for Samaritan Scout, Rosenthal thought it was genius. He said, “Our mission is to help people. It’s been an absolutely lovely experience. Volunteering has always been huge in my family. I am 19 and there’s still plenty of time to volunteer. Volunteering from a young age really helps a person shape who they become. It opens them up to wonderful experiences in life.”
Visit Samaritan Scout at https://www.samaritanscout.org/.
Photo Courtesy of Samaritan Scout