If you haven’t noticed, volunteering is a big part of Boston College. Students go on service trips to different parts of the world during summer, winter, or spring break. As wonderful as these trips are, they’re also expensive and cut into vacation time. For those of us who don’t want to, or are unable to spend the money or give up a break, I’ve found alternative ways to help out on BC’s campus or in the city Boston!
1. 4Boston – 4Boston is a volunteer organization, run by Boston College, whose members dedicate 4 hours a week to a social service, health, or education placement in Boston. You have a weekly hour-long reflection with members who volunteer at the same placement as you. Placements range from shelters to after-school children’s programs to children’s hospitals.
2. Campus School – I’m always shocked at the amount of people at BC who don’t know what the Campus School is. The Boston College Campus School, located in Campion, is a day school for students (ages 3-21) with multiple disabilities. As a volunteer, you can decide whether you want to work with the children, help raise money for the school, or do both. If you want to work with the kids, you can be a classroom or literacy buddy. Classroom buddies volunteer about an hour a week doing activities with their assigned student; literacy buddies volunteer half an hour a week reading to a group of one to three students. To help raise money for the Campus School, you can join the Golf Tournament Committee and assist in planning and fundraising for the annual tournament. There are also other ways to get involved at the Campus School that you should definitely check out!
3. Eagle Volunteer Corps – Also run by BC, EVC alerts its Eagle Volunteers about both one-time and regular volunteer opportunities on and off-campus. As an Eagle Volunteer, you can easily add service to your schedule and diversify the kinds of places you volunteer.
4. West End House Boys & Girls Club – The West End House, located in Allston, is a place where children and teens from urban and immigrant families can go after school or while their parents are at work. As a volunteer, you can decide how often you want to volunteer: every day, one hour a week, multiple hours a week, etc. There are also tons of volunteer opportunities to choose from. Opportunities include helping a child with homework, attending a girls’ gym class with them, and simply playing with a group of kids.
5. Big Sister Association of Greater Boston – The Big Sister Association of Greater Boston provides mentors for girls (ages 7-15) so they have a friend and a cheerleader. As a Big Sister, you spend a couple of hours a week with your Little Sister, either during her lunchtime or after school. You and your Little Sister can decide whether you want to talk, play, or do arts and crafts.
Hopefully one of these programs sparks your interest and inspires you to get involved!