Regularly volunteering as a college student sounds great right? It does, until you realize how many other responsibilities you have. There are midterms, jobs, problem sets, readings, friends, finals and other activities already keeping you pretty busy. Volunteering gets pushed to the sidelines. It happens to the best of us… But, I bet you have ONE morning or ONE afternoon to spare for volunteering, especially if someone already found a service opportunity for you. That’s where Day of Service comes in.

Day of Service is a school sponsored program that allows students to volunteer for just one day. Generally, colleges connect large groups of students with different organizations throughout the community for the day. Many colleges actually organize their Day of Service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to celebrate his memory and legacy.

The Boston University Day of Service was last Saturday. At BU this day is organized by the Alumni Association and the Community Service Center and it’s HUGE. There are volunteer sites throughout Boston and THE WORLD (including Paris, Shanghai, Sydney, Madrid, London and many major US cities). Last Saturday, I worked with The Food Project in Boston, planting and cultivating vegetables to help hunger relief and sustainability projects.

Youth working in one of the urban gardens (courtesy of The Food Project)

Some other schools with day of service programs:

• American University ~ February
• Carnegie Mellon ~ February
• Georgetown University ~ September
• Georgia Perimeter College ~ February
• Marquette University ~ early April
• Southern Connecticut State University ~ September
• Suffolk University ~ early April
• Trinity College “Do It Day” ~ Fall Semester
• UMASS Amherst “Service Month” ~ April
• University of Colorado ~ April 24, 2010
• University of Missouri-Kansas City ~ September
• University of San Diego ~ February
• University of Vermont ~ February

Participating in Day of Service is a great way to give back to your community without making a huge commitment. It’s a fantastic experience, and although it may be too late to participate this year, I hope you’ll consider volunteering with your school in the future.