Student Volunteer Groups:
AIDS Awareness Committee
The AIDS Awareness Committee seeks to make a difference in the fight against AIDS through advocacy, service, and education. Our activities include the annual Artists for AIDS Benefit Concert, the 5K Run for Relief, volunteering at local HIV/AIDS organizations, and informational programs. Become involved to learn how you can help stop AIDS!
Contacts: Scott Jelinek and Erin Groden
The AHANA Leadership Council Volunteer Corps
The Volunteer Corps is a student-run organization under The AHANA Leadership Council of Boston College. We enthusiastically welcome students of all backgrounds to participate in volunteer activities in and around Boston to address various issues like poverty, HIV/AIDS, education, and disaster relief. The Volunteer Corps works with other service organizations at Boston College in a combined effort to promote increased AHANA involvement in service. The Volunteer Corps seeks to promote the five core values of The AHANA Leadership Council: Service, Respect, Justice, Excellence, and Community.
Contact: ahanaleadershipcouncil@gmail.com
American Red Cross of BC
The American Red Cross of Boston College (ARCBC) is a student organization that develops and offers services that address critical human, health, and safety needs on the BC campus and across the Massachusetts area. Working alongside the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay chapter, the ARCBC sponsors five blood drives each year, offers CPR and first aid training, assists with food distribution for the needy in Boston, and provides immediate disaster relief to the surrounding community. In addition, this year we are hoping to inrease the role our club plays in insuring campus safety during times of emergency/need, as well as offering more service opportunities throughout Boston to our members.
Contact: www.bc.edu/redcross
Appalachia Volunteers
The Appalachia Volunteers program is committed to working with the people of the United States who are poor. Our mission throughout the year is the following: to learn about the structural and societal realities in the United States that leave some people impoverished and marginalized, to discuss the injustices that create entrenched poverty, to consider a theological and faith perspective on social justice and to participate in local service opportunities throughout the year. This yearlong process culminates in an annual spring break trip to struggling regions of the United States. With these goals and our work, the Appalachia Program seeks to build a better future by entering into solidarity with the people who are poor in Boston and beyond.
Contacts: Erika Boltz, Ryan Boudreau, and Charles Crowther
Email: appalachia@bc.edu
Campus Office: 111 McElroy
www.bc.edu/appalachia
Arrupe International Solidarity Programs
The Pedro Arrupe, S.J. International Solidarity Programs, sponsored by Campus Ministry, include international immersion programs which allow students to learn about the lives of - and to be in solidarity with - people who live in social, economic and political marginalization in countries often described as "developing" and of the "Third World." The Arrupe programs typically occur during winter, spring and Easter breaks and during the summer, and last anywhere from five days to three weeks. The application process for participants begins more than six months prior to each trip's departure date, allowing each team of participants to meet regularly, typically once a week for two hours and occasionally for retreats. During the preparation and follow up processes and during each day of the trip, participants meet to share their thoughts and impressions, and struggles and joys.
Contact:
http://www.bc.edu/offices/campus-ministry/justice/immersion/
BC MACC
The Boston College-Massachusetts Campus Compact Tutoring Program is comprised of BC undergraduate students who tutor at either the James A. Garfield Elementary School or St. Columbkille's School - both in the Allston/Brighton area. At the start of each semester, tutors designate between 1 and 5 days a week to work at their site, between the hours of 3 and 6pm. Tutors travel by BC van, by public transportation, or by carpool to get to their respective sites.
Contact: Sara, School Partnerships Office, gess@bc.edu,
Room: Campion 305A
Best Buddies
Best Buddies Colleges pairs people with intellectual disabilities in one-to-one friendships with college students. Without friends and family, we are alone. In the past, individuals with intellectual disabilities have not had the opportunity to have friends outside of their own environment. By becoming a College Buddy, volunteers offer a Buddy the chance to explore a new way of life.
Contact:
http://www.bc.edu/clubs/bestbuddies
Campus School Volunteers
The Campus School Volunteers of Boston College (CSVBC) are a group of undergraduates established to work with and for the Campus School. The group was established in 1996, and has become one of the largest student volunteer groups on campus. We have a number of programs and events designed to benefit the students of the Campus School as much as possible. The Campus School Volunteers work both directly with the students in the classroom settings, and outside of the school by organizing fundraisers and promoting awareness.
Contact:
Laura Stokes and Laurena Mergenthaler
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/svp/st_org/csvbc/
Circle K
Circle K seeks to better the community and campus through service projects. As part of the worldwide service organization Circle K International, Boston College Circle K makes the community at large accessible to students who can too often get wrapped up in events only on campus. It introduces them to the world of service outside the campus walls and facilitates their involvement in numerous service activities. Virtually any unanswered need is a potential opportunity for Circle K commitment and dedication.
Contact: circlek@bc.edu
Dance Marathon
Boston College Dance Marathon is a community-building activity in which students raise money and awareness for the West End House Boys and Girls Club in Allston, a local institution that works to enable youth from all backgrounds to help realize and achieve their full potential. Dance Marathon participants will have the opportunity to volunteer at the West End House on a regular basis throughout the year. The yearlong efforts of members culminate at the 12- hour event in the spring when dancers, moralers, volunteers, and visitors join together to enjoy dancing, entertainment, and games.
Contact: Carolyn Cardaropoli, Kathleen Best, Jessica Ulcickas
marathon@bc.edu
http://www.bc.edu/dancemarathon
Eco Pledge
Ecopledge is a student-led group that works toward making Boston College a more sustainable campus. Ecopledge holds events like Harvest Fest and Earth Day to create awareness about environmental issues, runs campaigns to promote water and energy conservation in the residential halls, heads recycling at football game tailgates, promotes competitions like RecycleMania and the Better Off Contest, and participates in community clean-ups and national environmental conferences. This year, in collaboration with Facilities Management, Dining Services, and the Office of Residential Life, Ecopledge is improving recycling in the residential halls, performing an incandescent light bulb switch-out, and campaigning for an Office of Sustainability and on-campus clean energy production.
Contact:
4Boston
4Boston is a program of Campus Ministry which places undergraduate students in a supervised social service or social change agency 4 hours/week for the entire academic year. The aim of 4Boston is twofold: 1 ) to provide students with a significant extended urban service experience which is enriched by regular opportunities for reflection on and analysis of the work in which they are engaging; and 2) to provide reliable, consistent assistance from the Boston College community to Boston agencies which work with and on behalf of the city's poor and marginalized. Placements are available for students interested in working on issues of hunger and homelessness, health care and elder services, youth and tutoring work, and correctional services.
Contact: Vicki Morte, Christine Griffin, Nate Macedo
Campus Office: McElroy 111, Phone: 2-3503
www.bc.edu/4Boston
Hoops for Hope
Hoops for Hope is a 3-on-3 basketball tournament held annually to raise money for the Jimmy V fund to support cancer research. The tournament takes place in the Plex and is a fun and interactive way to get involved in a great cause! Come out and play or volunteer!
Contact: bchoopsforhope@gmail.com
Or check out our website at: http://www.bc.edu/clubs/hoopsforhope
Jumpstart
Students who sign up to work with Jumpstart will be paired one-on-one with a local preschooler. With that child, they will work 10-12 hours a week on language, literacy, and social development skills, helping to prepare them for success in Kindergarten and beyond. Contact the Boston College Jumpstart Site Manager for more information.
Contact: Jessie Gildea
To apply, visit: www.jstart.org/apply
Learning to Serve
Learning to Serve is a service and mentoring program for freshmen led by a council of upperclassmen. Throughout the year, small groups consisting of about five freshmen led by one or two council members spend a few hours a week volunteering at a placement in the greater Boston community. Placements include tutoring at local schools, playing soccer and arts and crafts at a Boys and Girls Club, and working at homeless shelters. Additionally, the group meets as a whole once a week to hear various speakers, from BC Res Life to community leaders from various placements. The focus is on introducing freshmen to volunteering, facilitating their adjustment to the Boston College Community, as well as introducing them to essential ideas of Social Justice relevant to their volunteer work.
Contact: http://ugbc.org/freshmen/lts
Loyola Volunteers
The Loyola Volunteers, sponsored by Campus Ministry, seeks to offer service and assistance to people in the Greater Boston community. Specifically, Loyola Volunteers are committed to community service and regular, deliberate reflection on the service experience. Volunteer placements include work with children, adolescents, senior citizens, and disabled members of our community. The Loyola Volunteers program challenges each student to integrate the wisdom from the service experience into their lives in such a way that it leads to spiritual growth and a greater awareness of the social justice dimensions of his or her service placement and the world around them. Loyola Volunteers program welcomes graduate students as well as undergraduates.
Loyola Hospital Volunteers: Katherine Riedy and Emily Burns at loyolavolunteers@gmail.com
Relay for Life
Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society's signature activity; a community event where individuals join in the fight against cancer. The event raises cancer awareness and funds for our mission while serving as a way to remember loved ones, inspire others, and celebrate life. Relay for Life is the largest and most successful special event in the world dedicated to fighting cancer. Relay for Life participants at Boston College spend a night at the Flynn Recreation Complex walking around the track, enjoying entertainment and activities, and building camaraderie. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more and getting involved!
Contact: Caroline Maguire and Michael Giblin at bcrelayforlife@gmail.com
Strong Women, Strong Girls
Strong Women, Strong Girls is a program in which college women mentor 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade girls weekly in local elementary schools. The mission of the program is to build upon the lessons learned from strong women throughout history to help girls and young women become strong women themselves. By building communities of women committed to supporting positive social change, Strong Women, Strong Girls works to create cycles of mutual empowerment for women and girls. It's a great opportunity to make a difference in the Boston area, and to get to know a group of incredible women.
SWSG is no longer accepting applications for 2009. Thank you.
Contact: Christa Campanella bcswsg@gmail.com
Departments - Centers - Programs
Boston College Neighborhood Center
Campus Ministry (Justice Programs)
Career Center (Post Grad Volunteering)
Church Ministry Internships (Intersections Project)
Global Proficiency Program
Lynch School of Education (Outreach)
Pulse Program
Urban Catholic Teacher Corps
Urban Ecology Institute
Women's Resource Center