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Active community involvement is a core value among our
10 Independent Colleges of Washington member institutions. Community service brings our campuses and the surrounding communities together, facilitating the mutual exchange of ideas, labor, and goodwill.
"I want to take what I have learned and use it back home. I will take with me the values of reflection, creativity, and hope to live out the mission of Seattle University. Service is now part of my life.” Gerri Mangahas, SU student
October proclaimed as Independent Colleges of Washington Service Month
October 2009 has been proclaimed
Independent Colleges of Washington
Service Month by Governor Christine
Gregoire.
Our member institutions
are actively coordinating service projects
this fall semester and throughout
the year.
Here are selected projects from our members:
September
- 22nd - Whitworth University - Community Building Day connected over 800 Whitworth students, faculty and staff to 43 Spokane organizations
- 26th – Seattle University – Serve Seattle cleared a critical 43-acre Seattle greenspace of invasive plants, and was the largest single service project in SU history with 450 participants
- 26th - Seattle Pacific University - CityQuest
brought more than 800 SPU students, faculty, and staff together to partner with 32 community organizations in Seattle
October
- 2nd –Saint Martin’s University –
staff a local food kitchen, Bread and Roses, each first Friday of the month
- 2nd – Gonzaga University
– Knights and Setons student groups are raking leaves for elderly residents
- 3rd – Whitman College – stream restoration in collaboration with CURB (Creating Urban Riparian Buffers)
- 10th – University of Puget Sound – students participating in Pierce County Hunger Walk
- 10th – Pacific Lutheran University – "Into the Streets" introduces students with local agencies in the Tacoma area
- 10th Seattle Pacific University - The women’s volleyball team hosts “Dig Pink!” during their game against Northwest Nazarene. Fans who wear pink will have the amount of their admission fee donated to the Side-Out Foundation, which helps raise money for breast cancer awareness
- 10th – 11th – Gonzaga University – trail maintenance project with Washington Trails Association at Big Rocks
- 10th – Whitman College – students assisting with the Harvest Festival at the Walla Walla Children’s Museum
- 14th – Walla Walla University and Whitman College –
Day of Service Project with over 50 service sites in Walla Walla , drawing over 300 student volunteers
- 17th – Gonzaga University– Take Back the Neighborhood Project has students assisting with neighborhood clean up
- 17th – 20th – University of Puget Sound – Alternative fall break introduces students to community service opportunities throughout Pierce County
- 19th – Pacific Lutheran University – Mini-volunteer fair to encourage year-round student volunteering
- 23rd– 25th – Gonzaga University – Canned food drive, pancake breakfast and charity auction to raise funds for a local non-profit
- 24th – Whitman College – Make a Difference Day and National Day of Service has students volunteering with local non-profit organizations and hosting a wine auction to raise funds for persons living with HIV/AIDS
- 24th – Whitworth University – Tour of Service, a community development partnership with local neighborhoods
- 28th - Gonzaga University - Center for Community Action and Service Learning received grant from Washington State Mentors and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation
- 29th – Saint Martin’s University – Halloween party for children at Evergreen Apartments
- 31st – Saint Martin’s University – Ivy pulling at St. Placid Priory
- 31st – Seattle University – Labor of Love connects new SU students with the campus and greater Seattle community
- 31st – University of Puget Sound – Trick or Canning is a canned food drive to donate to area food pantries
‘The Center for Community Action and Service Learning (CCASL) manages to change the life of every student on campus. Service finds its way into classrooms, dorms, and even Gonzaga’s student cafeteria.”
Gonzaga University recent graduate
Campus Resources
Our member institutions have committed to fostering a spirit of service among students, faculty, and staff. This commitment includes dedicated programming and support on campus.
Notably, Gonzaga University, Heritage University, Seattle University, University of Puget Sound, Whitman College, and Whitworth University have been placed on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in the past two years, by the Corporation for National and Community Service – the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service learning and civic engagement.
Pacific Lutheran University students spent more than 212,000 hours volunteering in the 2008-2009 academic year.
Saint Martin's University has established 40 partnerships with local organizations and governmental agencies for student internships.
Walla Walla University has established Pathways to Change, a community mental health clinic open to the public and staffed by Walla Walla end-year counseling psychology master's students and faculty.
“Spring Break '09 ... service-learning trip through SERVE! The group made all the difference in the world, and I am grateful for getting to know all of them on a personal level; they have been a true blessing in my life. We remain close amidst the busy college life here at Whitworth...The children we served stole my heart forever. They played with us, loved on us, accepted us and taught us. The trip was truly life-changing.”
Anthony Priest, Whitworth University ‘10
Please visit the following pages of our member institutions for more information on campus service resources.
‘[Through service learning], my hope is to broaden the student’s view so they will stop seeing stereotypes and start seeing people. This is how we come to understand and grasp concepts like community and compassion.”
Dr. Catherine Punsalan, Theology and Religious Studies Professor, Seattle University
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