Appa Volunteers — more commonly known as “Appa” — is a service-immersion program rooted in the Ignatian call to faith that does justice. Grounded in generosity, Appa invites students to encounter God through the lives and stories of our neighbors in the Appalachian region of the United States. During spring break, we journey to nearly 25 cities and towns, where we live simply in community and engage in both tangible service and a ministry of presence with our partners. By walking alongside others, we strive to form relationships rooted in humility, solidarity, and hope.

Register for Appa

Contact

For general inquiries, email appalachia@bc.edu

Campus Minister
TBD

Graduate Assistant
Rosie Schlidt
schlidtr@bc.edu

The Appa Experience

Each year, more than 250 students travel across the country — Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and West Virginia — to volunteer alongside underserved populations guided by a spirit of accompaniment. We partner primarily with Habitat for Humanity affiliates, local churches, schools, and other nonprofit organizations that are deeply rooted in their communities and committed to long-term impact.

As part of our yearlong formation process, students gather biweekly to reflect, engage in dialogue, and learn about the structural and social realities that contribute to marginalization. Rooted in Boston College’s Jesuit, Catholic tradition, these gatherings invite students to explore how Ignatian values can be embodied in their daily actions and relationships, particularly through their encounters with others in service and in the ongoing work of responding to social injustice.

What We Do

Learn, through discussion and reflection, about the societal realities in the United States that leave some marginalized.

Consider how our faith asks us to respond to the social injustices that create entrenched poverty.

Foster a commitment to service throughout the year.

Embrace the Gospel’s call to “love one another.”

How to join

All are welcome in Appa — no application required. Any student who feels called to serve is invited to participate. We simply ask that you complete our registration form and commit to the following requirements:

Terms & Conditions: All participants are required to complete a brief registration form and electronically agree to the program’s terms and conditions.

General Formation Meetings: Refer to the timeline below.

Meeting Attendance:  Attendance at all formation meetings is mandatory, as these gatherings are an essential way to build community, engage in moments of reflection, and stay up to date on fundraising requirements.

If a member is unable to attend, they should email appalachia@bc.edu in advance. Continued unexcused absences may result in removal from the program.

Finances & Fundraising

Given the high cost of the program, students are expected to contribute through both program fees and fundraising efforts. These contributions help make the experience possible and directly support our community partners on the ground.

Program Fee: There is a $100 program fee for Appa.

Letter Campaign: Students are required to send ten support letters to family, friends, and home parishes, inviting monetary contributions for the program. A template and detailed instructions will be provided during one of the general meetings in the fall.

Appa Raffle: Each student is responsible for selling and submitting a minimum of $200 in virtual raffle tickets by January 25, 2026. Details about the raffle will be provided at the general meeting on Sunday, December 7, 2025.

You can submit raffle payment via cash, check (payable to Boston College), or credit card. To pay via credit card:

  1. Visit bc.edu/ummstpm
  2. Log in with BC username and password via Sign in to My Account button in the upper right hand corner
  3. Under the list of UMM Programs You Have Been Accepted Into, click the red Make Payment button on the Appa Volunteers line
  4. Enter the amount you would like to pay in the respective Payment Amount field and click Make Payment
  5. You will be redirected to the secure CashNet page where you can submit your payment information. You will receive an email confirming your successful payment.

Become a leader

Appa Volunteers is animated by the work of 56 Student Leaders (SLs) in all facets of the program.

The following leadership positions are available: 

  • Appa Leaders are extensively trained on servant leadership and service immersion practices. Appa SLs are assigned in pairs or triplets to each site, and commit to facilitate respectful, safe, and meaningful experiences for participants and community partners.

  • Appa Council Members are 12 SLs that serve as the program’s executive leadership team. They work collectively to plan and execute fundraising initiatives, formation planning and trip logistics. 

  • Appa Head Coordinators are two students who serve as “leaders of leaders” in Appa’s community of Student Leaders and participants. They work closely with the Appa Campus Minister and Graduate Assistant and dedicate their time overseeing all Appa Council committees and much of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into Appa. 


Applications for leadership positions in the 2025 - 2026 academic year will be available in March 2025. 

History of Appa

Boston College was one of the first universities to sponsor an alternative spring break trip when Gregg Cassin, BC ’80, and 19 classmates traveled to Vanceburg, Kentucky in February 1979 for an eight-day trip centered on the tenets of service and solidarity.

“We’re out to raise the awareness of BC students in terms of the people of Appalachia,” Cassin told The Heights at the time. “People can’t conceive of third world conditions existing in our own country.”

The BC students lived simply that week, working to repair homes and farms while building relationships with the community and growing personally in emotional and spiritual ways. Their time together, Cassin told The Heights, brought to life “what Christ meant when he said, ‘Whatever you do to the last of mine, let you do unto me.'”

The Appa Volunteers program has grown substantially since then. The group nearly doubled in size in its second year, with 34 students traveling to Kentucky and Ohio in 1980 to experience poverty in the United States. Some 20 years later, in 2000, 460 students raised almost $150,000 to support a program that had grown to spread from the borders of Maine to North Carolina. 

Today, Boston College’s Appa program celebrates more than 35 years of service and solidarity with and for the poor of the United States. Students annually raise more than $300,000 necessary to travel around the country, building homes, building community, and learning how to live just lives.

Learn more about the beginnings of Appa Volunteers from an article in The Heights from 1979.

Read article

Donate

Students participating in Appa.

Thank you for considering a donation to the Appa Volunteers. Your tax-deductible donation is a valuable investment in a learning experience that many Boston College students will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Donate Online

  • Visit the online giving form by clicking the button below.
  • Enter your information; for the field "I wish to make my gift to:” select Appa Volunteers. If you are sponsoring a certain student, please select "In honor of a BC student," and include their name and year.
  • Click "Submit Gift"

Online giving form

Mail a Check

Appa Volunteers Program
Boston College, Office of Campus Ministry
McElroy Commons 233
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

If your corporation matches donations, please enclose the appropriate forms.

Appa Volunteers, under the umbrella of the Trustees of Boston College, is a non-profit 501(c)3 with a federal tax exemption number of 04-2103545.

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