With extremely busy lives between classes, sports, clubs, jobs, and other involvements, it is hard to find time, let alone the mental capacity, to be an active participant in the community around us. Let’s be honest: community service for most of us was simply a requirement of hours we could put on our resumes so we could get into college. While community service does bring obvious benefits to the people we serve, it also has many benefits for our own spiritual and mental health. While it may not seem like it on the surface, involvement in acts of service helps to improve mental health. Mental and spiritual fulfillment is found when people invest time in the individuals around them, ranging from family, friends, or the community of people in town or living around us. While family may live far and interactions with friends are a daily occurrence, the Hamilton community provides a place for students to find ways to make a positive impact while doing things they enjoy. So, here’s a list of ways YOU can get involved in Hamilton that will ultimately be rewarding for your exhausted mental state, kind to your community, and a good way to connect with others!
- Tutoring and Mentoring with Children
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1. Liberty Kids
Meeting once a week with first and second-grade students at Hamilton Central School, student volunteers are paired up with a Hamilton student “buddy” to assist with learning-based activities and reading.
2. Madison Elementary Tutors
Colgate students volunteer in pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms at Madison Elementary School every week to provide classroom assistance and support the education of children in subjects such as writing and math. Volunteers provide one-on-one attention to help build students’ confidence in their academic abilities through encouragement and consistency.
3. Hamilton Central Elementary School Tutoring
Hamilton Elementary Tutors have the opportunity to tutor on their own time and in a subject of their choosing. Students pick from a variety of time slots, as well as academic subjects and grades, to dedicate an hour of their week to help out at Hamilton Elementary.
4. Friends First
Friends First allows Colgate students to give back to the greater Hamilton community by mentoring a middle or high school student from Hamilton Central School. Colgate students have the chance to form a strong relationship with and provide support to the younger generations and will be paired with a student based on shared interests and needs.
5. Sidekicks
Sidekicks is a mentorship program with local children and the students of Colgate University, where each child is set up with an elementary school child of similar interests.
6. MadCrafts
MadCrafts is an after-school art program where volunteers work with 4th-grade students at Madison Central School on various art projects. Colgate students work with 4th graders to make things like slime, masks, hats, and clay sculptures.
7. Ophelia’s Girls
Ophelia’s Girls is a volunteer-based mentorship group between female students at Colgate University and middle school girls at Madison Central School. Working with the middle school counselor at Madison Central to schedule and execute a variety of lessons, activities, and conversations surrounding adolescence, the team focuses on the benefits of group discussion to facilitate conversations about bullying, family conflict, female empowerment, and physical and mental health. Through consistent and dedicated service, they develop trusting relationships with the middle school girls that allow them to successfully execute lesson plans based on issues the girls are facing in their lives.
- Investing Time with the Elderly
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1. Colgate Caretakers
Colgate Caretakers partners with Crouse Community’s Adult Day Health Center in Morrisville. At this day center, folks with developmental conditions or other health complications receive care from health aids, nursing assistants, and a nurse. Our role as volunteers is to have one-on-one interactions with patients, giving you the chance to become an extremely important part of patients’ lives!
- Colgate Hunger Outreach Program
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CHOP is a volunteer organization focused on spreading awareness about food insecurity both locally and on Colgate’s campus. Colgate students volunteer at community organizations aimed at reducing food insecurity and serve as a support system for community partner organizations. There are various ways to be involved, including the following:
1. Roots and Wings
2. Hamilton Food Cupboard
3. Morrisville Friendship Inn
4. Hamilton Friendship Inn
5. Madison Lane and Frank Dining Hall
Reaching out to the Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education (COVE) is also a great way to start your involvement in the community. The COVE seeks to foster a commitment to social responsibility and civic engagement among the Colgate community through mutually beneficial, community-centered partnerships. Housed in 109 Lathrop Hall, the COVE supports volunteer experiences, service learning courses, social change career exploration, and skill-based learning initiatives.