Emmanuel College provides multiple opportunities to raise awareness, donate, and volunteer. Saints Giving Back assists the Boston community at least once a week, our Notre Dame residence complete weekly service requirements, Alternative Spring Break trips and Habitat for Humanity builds are popular, and dance marathon raised over $100,000 for Boston Children’s Hospital this year. In honor of National Volunteer Week, I’ve made a miniature guide to volunteering off campus if you’re looking to branch out or add to your service experiences. Here are some resources to check out if you’re looking for a way to give back in the Boston community!
If you want to empower and assist women and families below the poverty line:
Rosie’s Place is the first women’s shelter in the U.S., and is dedicated to helping homeless or economically challenged women get back on their feet. Rosie’s Place provides meals, short-term residency, language classes, and an arts program to women of different races and ages in need of assistance. If you’re interested in donating some time to their organization, check out their website!
The Nazareth Residence for Mothers and Children is a transitional home facility for low income families located in Roxbury. The workers and volunteers provide their guests with a place to stay, meals, classes, and childcare for up to two years. For more information, stop by their page on Boston Cares.
If you’re passionate about the environment:
Join the Poland Springs Green Team at Fenway Park! Volunteer team members collect recyclables from fans throughout the game to make sure that bottles are being recycled. Working at Fenway Park and doing your part to help the environment? Sounds like a win-win to me.
Keep the Charles River beautiful by volunteering for the Charles River Conservancy program. Their volunteers garden and spend time outside to keep the areas surrounding the Charles River clean.
If Education is your specialty:
The Science Club for Girls is located in Cambridge and dedicated to teaching young women and girls about science. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields are dominated by males, in part because women and girls are not exposed to enough STEM opportunities or encouraged to explore these fields.
Boston Cares also has a Boston Cares Corps Program, which provides technology classes to people of all ages, and academic assistance for K-12 students. Check out their website to see if you’d be a good fit for one of their programs!
These are only a few examples of ways to volunteer in Boston, and there are hundreds of organizations and causes that need your help! Check out bostoncares.org to find more volunteer opportunities in different fields.