Art Day takes place twice a month at Cleveland Elementary located in the Old Allentown neighborhood. Muhlenberg College volunteers conduct art projects with eager 4th grade students for a two-hour period. Cleveland Elementary currently only has art 8 weeks out of the school year so Art Day has become a very meaningful experience for the students. Together, the students and volunteers use watercolors, pastels and markers to create a variety of different projects, ranging from decorative masks to Van Gogh-inspired landscapes.

At Arcadia Hospice, we work with staff at different nursing homes and assisted living homes to provide companionship and support to patients with terminal illnesses and their families. We spend time reading to patients, talking to patients, and going on walks with patients--anything to make them more comfortable. It's truly a rewarding experience.

Aspires works with Allen high school as an after school program where students have access to homework help and have the opportunity to be mentored by Muhlenberg students in hopes to get them thinking more about life after high school.

The Caring Place reaches out to youth who may become entangled in a life of drugs, violence, unemployment and hopelessness by providing programs and activities designed to enable young people to overcome the pressures and disadvantages of their environment. At the Caring Place, Muhlenberg students create 2 lessons each week, for middle school and elementary school kids with visits 2 days a week. In addition, the Muhlenberg College students help the children to set specific goals and work toward achieving these goals throughout the school year. Volunteers have coordinated art projects, science experiments, and writing activities.

Casa Guadalupe's Pa'Lante Education Program works with elementary and middle school students from the Allentown School District. Each week 50-60 students attend the after-school programs. Muhlenberg College student volunteers have the opportunity to work with both middle school and elementary school students 3 days a week and in multiple ways. First, volunteers help students with any homework they may have and share a snack. Second, volunteers work with students on separate projects. Because tests scores show that reading and writing are weak areas of students in the schools that the Casa Guadalupe after school participants attend, a major focus in past years has been reading, writing, and communication skills. Students have participated in debates and have worked on putting together articles for newsletters.

Community Bike Works aims to give children alternatives to gangs and to encourage and support them to be successful in school. Community Bike Works provides Allentown children, ages 9-17, with an opportunity to earn a bicycle through a 12 week bike maintenance, safety, and skills class, and offers more traditional after school program activities including homework help, reading enrichment and fun events. Community Bike Works has an 82% retention rates for the kids that participate in the Earn-a-Bike program. Almost 65% of the children who participated in the reading program increased their reading level by at least one grade. Muhlenberg students participate in Bike Works sessions as mentors and assist with the after-school program.

Daybreak is a drop-in program for adults with mental illness, HIV/AIDS, or adults in transitional housing. Daybreak provides three meals per day, offers skills classes (and other educational courses), and provides emergency assistance in terms of laundry and clothing. Students volunteering at Daybreak help serve one of the meals in addition to participating in activities with Daybreak's members. Students may lead activities or courses as well.

Jefferson Elementary students of the month visit Muhlenberg to experience the college atmosphere and have fun.

Students visit the Pediatric Unit at Good Shepherd and read/perform stories with the children. Art is known to be therapeutic in hospital settings, especially with children, and the storytelling and crafts make the setting feel more like home.

Muhlenberg College has partnered with the IMPACT Project and developed a collegiate mentorship program for adjudicated Allen High School students. Each semester, approximately 13 Allen High School students choose to participate in the mentorship program to complete some of their probation requirements. Each high school student is paired with a Muhlenberg student, and the pair meets 3 hours a week for 8 weeks. The program is designed to nurture positive relationships between adult members of the Allentown community and youthful offenders. The collegiate program offers high school students an opportunity to gain a perspective on college life. A student coordinator and a coordinating parole officer schedule different educational and engaging activities each week, and the students share a meal at the end of each day. Throughout the course of the semester, friendships grow, Muhlenberg college students gain knowledge and respect for the teens, and the Allen High School students gain respect for and grow from the encouragement of college students. Recidivism among this group of teens is low, and the probation officers appreciate the program so much that they asked to expand it in 2008. They see the effect the interactions have on the teens and appreciate the hard work that both the teens and students put into their relationships.

Jefferson Arts is an after school program at Jefferson Elementary School. Once a week, Muhlenberg students go to Jefferson to work with a group of second grade students. Students are engaged in a variety of art, dance, drama, and craft activities.

Twice a month, students travel to Jefferson Elementary to assist at the school hosted food pantry. Students put together bags of food for patrons, organize food shelves and interact with community members to distribute food to local families.

The Caring Place Family Health Program began 5 years ago as a health clinic to serve Allentown's uninsured and underinsured. From the beginning, Muhlenberg students have assisted in various aspects of clinic operations. In past years, students have served in the clinic as state-trained HIV/STD counselors, diabetes support group facilitators, and as health advocates within the clinic structure. The health advocate role allows students to welcome patients into the clinic and follow them through their visit to assist the client. Students welcome visitors to the clinic, offer them a beverage and assist them in filling out the necessary paperwork. The students then follow the visitors through their visit and assist the doctor as necessary.

The Pen Pal Program is a partnership between Muhlenberg College multiple area schools. The program pairs Muhlenberg college students with a student from each participating elementary and/or middle schools to be pen pals for the academic year. One letter is written and received each month, with the hopes of promoting literacy, encouraging proper grammar and letter writing etiquette. In addition, Muhlenberg pen pals are asked to promote higher education opportunities to their pen pals by writing about their college experiences and serving as a positive role model.

The Phoebe Home and Terrace provides living care facilities for the varied needs of aging adults. Student volunteers attend Friday afternoon events at the facility and offer additional assistance for existing programming. This is only one element of the strong relationship between Muhlenberg College and Phoebe. Students also match one-on-one and in social groups with elder residents through the Club, Adopt-A-Grandparent (see below). Students also engage regularly with Phoebe Home residents through class work (academic service-learning) in Psychology of Women.

The Second Mile challenges young people to achieve their potential as individuals and community members by providing opportunities for them to develop positive life skills and self-esteem as well as by providing education and support for parents and professionals addressing the needs of youth. Muhlenberg collaborates with Cedar Crest College in sponsoring a Second Mile College Friend Program. The College Friend program is designed to provide a context for school-aged youth to consistently engage and connect with positive adult role models. More specifically, this early intervention program pairs "College Friends," collegiate volunteers recruited by The Second Mile, with "Young Friends," K-6th grade students in need of additional support, to participate together in recreational and educational events. To promote the development of healthy self-esteem and personal responsibility, College Friend and Young Friend pairs work together on goals targeting academic and social success, with the Young Friends submitting documentation (i.e., report cards; information from parents, teachers, counselors, or the College Friends themselves; certificates) to verify their progress toward achieving such goals at year-end. As well as volunteering as friends, Muhlenberg student leaders organize the events and recruit fellow volunteers; one leader has consistently been from the football team.

The Allentown Health Bureau sponsors this free fitness program to encourage youth whom may be overweight or live with a chronic illness to lead active and health lifestyles. The program is supervised by Bureau staff and student volunteers from Muhlenberg College. Weekly activities include organized games, stretching, aerobics, Wii Fitness and Dance, Dance Revolution.

Through the collaboration of dedication student volunteers and the Health Bureau staff, Shape It Up expanded to an on-school site in the fall of 2010. Shape It Up! At Jefferson Elementary brings this energy packed, non-competitive curriculum to school allowing increased program access to younger students. Shape It Up! at Jefferson works with approximately 30, 3rd-5th graders each semester.

Service Learning Club at South Mountain Middle School is a weekly program where Muhlenberg College students and South Mountain Middle School students work together to design and implement small-scale service-learning projects. Students will discuss their community, and ways in which they can improve their community. South Mountain Middle school is a community school in partnership with Communities In Schools of the Lehigh Valley and The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. This program adds to the community school notion of making the school the hub of the community by teaching students to respect and take care of their community.

Adopt-a-Grandparent is an interactive group that brings together Muhlenberg students and residents of the local Phoebe Home. Students are paired up with a "grandparent" from the Phoebe Home and are encouraged to spend time together, getting to know one another. There are fun organized group activities that volunteers can attend with their grandparent and are additionally encouraged to spend 2 - 3 hours with their grandparent a month, doing things like playing cards, board games, knitting, reading, chatting, anything of common interest. In the past, we have had ice cream socials, student performers, movie and popcorn event, and a trip to the zoo with our grandparents. The club is a great way to meet other Muhlenberg students and have fun while getting to know local Allentown residents!

Best Buddies is an international organization that pairs people with and without intellectual disabilities in one-on-one friendships. The colleges program pairs college students in friendships with people in the local community who are referred by the ARC. Our campus chapter is large (50 members) and involves the most students of any campus in the Lehigh Valley. The chapter hosts around 4 events per semester for the buddy pairs, and the pairs are expected to call one another every week and see each other 2 times a month.

Challah for Hunger (CfH) raises awareness of and money for hunger and disaster relief through the production and sale of challah bread. Muhlenberg’s chapter meets at the Hillel house where volunteers gather every Thursday from 2-8pm to make challah--often from scratch--which we sell on Friday morning to the Muhlenberg Community. The chapters produce challah in a variety of flavors: plain; chocolate chip; Whole Wheat chocolate chip; cinnamon sugar; and many more surprise flavors. Fifty percent of our chapter's profits are donated to the national CfH cause--the American Jewish World Service's Sudan Relief and Advocacy Fund. The remaining fifty percent is donated to Day Break, a local adult drop in center and long time Muhlenberg College community partner.

One of the most active and robust organizations on campus, Colleges Against Cancer at Muhlenberg has received national recognition for their activities. Each month they are charged with hosting 4 different types of activities related to survivorship, awareness, fundraising and advocacy. The scope of these activities differs depending upon the month and the motivation of the group's members, but the group is able to come together regularly to work on issues related to cancer. The culminating Relay for Life at the end of the spring semester brings together a huge amount of campus clubs and organizations and has historically risen over $50,000.

Muhlenberg students collect gently used formal wear from the Muhlenberg community and other venues. They raise funds to purchase accessories such as jewelry and shoes and host an event in the spring for young women in the community to come and select a dress. This event provides dresses and accessories so that young women in the community can attend formal dances such as prom and reduces waste from throwing out unwanted dresses. The event takes place at William Allen High School, right here in Allentown, PA.

Muhlenberg College has a collegiate chapter of Habitat for Humanity International (HFH). Habitat for Humanity seeks to eliminate low and sub-standard housing worldwide. Through no-interest loans and volunteer labor, Habitat allows low-income households to purchase their own homes at an affordable price. The campus chapter falls under the auspices of Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley as an affiliated organization.

S.H.A.R.E raises campus awareness of social injustices and engages students in direct action. S.H.A.R.E. works to raise campus awareness of social injustices and provide an opportunity for students to engage in direct service, advocacy, and activism in a local context. S.H.A.R.E. works to promote civic awareness and to provide support and resources for all students and student organizations interested in community outreach. S.H.A.R.E. coordinates several large events throughout the school year including Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week and Senior Soiree.

During the summer of 2009, OxFam America trained a Muhlenberg student to serve as a CHANGE leader on campus. This student gathered together other students during the fall of 2009 to form a new group on campus that would work toward eliminating poverty worldwide. The students will participate in letter-writing campaigns, raise funds to support micro-lending and actively (and creatively) seek ways to create a more equitable world.

STAND or Students Take Action Now Darfur is an anti-genocide organization on campuses across the country. The chapter at Muhlenberg is affiliated with the national student organization. STAND seeks to eradicate genocide worldwide and ensure that it does not occur again. Much of the action of the current organization focuses on the genocide currently occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan. The students hosted large awareness-raising events in the spring semester of 2009 including an art show across campus featuring art of children in Darfur and a guest speaker. These events also included advocacy components including writing letters to local senators and representatives.

These regular events bring local elementary school students on to campus for a day in the life of a college student. Children learn about sports, library resources, science activities and the arts throughout their Friday at Muhlenberg. Student volunteers serve as classroom leaders, event planners and station workers.

Work with Pinebrook and Diakon foster agencies to host a holiday party for all foster children. The 2009 Holiday party included foster families working with the County of Lehigh, a relationship we hope will continue in future years.

This event brings many on campus together. The Office of Community Engagement collaborates with Pan-Hellenic Council (the council of sororities) to coordinate the event in partnership with both Pinebrook Family Services and Diakon Adoption and Foster Care. These agencies work with approximately 100-150 youth each year. The Muhlenberg College community sponsors all of these childrens’ holiday gift requests and the Board of Associates buys books for each of the children. As a culminating event, all of the children, their foster and adoptive families, and their caseworkers are invited to a holiday party at Muhlenberg. Approximately 300 people attend this annual event. Fraternity and Sorority members help to set up, clean up and provide activities for all of the children to participate in during the evening.

Voter registration on campus to encourage young people to vote, poll worker program, voter education, and transportation to the polls. Students organized both during primary season and the November election season to register their peers to vote. They staffed tables in the Union, went to student's rooms on campus, attended various speakers and events, and worked in every way possible to register people to vote. These efforts registered 1/4 of the student body during primary season and this past fall semester with voter turnout at an all-time high in November. Eighty-two percent of students registered to vote here in Allentown voted in the November election.

Kids from organizations involved in our Weekly Program partnerships come to Muhlenberg to see where their student friends live and to learn about college life. Every semester Muhlenberg invites children from all the after-school programs with which our students are involved to come to campus for a special event. Children and youth from The Caring Place, Community Bike Works, Casa Guadalupe and Sixth Street Shelter come to campus where their college friends have organized several hours of activities and fun. Big for a Day allows the children to regularly be exposed to a college environment and to see where their college friends spend most of their time. Since most of the time Muhlenberg students go to the kids' "turf". This allows for a better understanding about where Muhlenberg is and where the college students live. The events always culminate in a pizza party where the groups get to spend time over a meal.

Girls from all after school programs come to campus to learn the importance of physical fitness & nutrition and engage in sporting events. An annual event held at the start of spring semester, women's athletic teams from Muhlenberg College organize demonstrations and trial stations for girls from Weekly Program after school programs sop that they may explore athletics and be active. From Lacrosse to Volleyball the girls practice drills and play with their newly found college role models. The afternoon wraps up by sharing a healthy snack and talking about the importance of nutrition and hydration to a healthy body and mind. This day is co-organized with the Athletics Department.

Each year we host 2 campus blood drives, receiving 100-140 donors each.

Muhlenberg College partnered with Allentown's Jefferson Elementary School in 1990 to encourage the academic persistence and achievement of Jefferson students and enhance the education of Muhlenberg students. The partnership extends from teachers, students and parents at Jefferson to Muhlenberg faculty, staff and students. The relationship between Jefferson and Muhlenberg familiarized the elementary students with a college campus early in life and according to Jefferson administrators has increased student attendance and performance. The partnership has come to include a variety of programs and events throughout the academic year, and the programs continue to develop based on needs and interests, one of these programs in Jefferson Field Day.

Every spring over 600 Jefferson students travel to Muhlenberg for their annual Field Day. Each class of Jefferson kids rotates through 8 different stations where Muhlenberg students run physical fitness activities and get to know the children. Field Day is a favorite day of the year for both Muhlenberg and Jefferson students. As one third grader states: "I want to go to Muhlenberg when I grow up."

The basketball team visits Jefferson Elementary in early January to read to the first graders and reinforce lessons in the stories.

A committee of students plans a day of raising awareness about various mental health issues including depression. They raise money for local mental health agencies, pass out information throughout the day, and organize an evening event. Usually the event features a mental health professional and a student who has dealt with mental health issues.

In 1972, students at Villanova University in Pennsylvania recognized the power of education and held the first Hunger Week. This week of coordinated activities has since become the most widely organized hunger and homelessness event on campuses nationwide. Co-sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless and held the week prior to Thanksgiving, Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week consists of a series of events designed to educate the campus community, increase community service, and build campus and community coalitions. More than 500 campuses and communities participate during this week each year by organizing educational programs, fasts and sleep outs, community service events, letter-writing campaigns, and congressional call-in days. A committee of Muhlenberg students forms at the beginning of the fall semester and plans events for the week. The events vary from year to year, but have included Faces of Homelessness Panels, Oxfam Hunger Banquets, food drives, volunteer events at local community kitchens, and days of community action.

Dance for a Cure is an annual event coordinated by student leaders. Historically, the dance raises funds for different causes relating to medical research. The dance began as an event to raise funds for the Women's 5K Classic. The student leaders select the cause to highlight each year. Greek organizations help to plan, set up, and clean up after the event. Around 600 students attend the dance and the event raises between $2000-$4000.

"See and Serve" / "Connect with Community"

Pre-Orientation trips occur the 3-4 days prior to the official Orientation Program. These excursions are memorable experiences intended to help first year students get to know other Muhlenberg first-year students in small group settings. The Office of Community Engagement partners with the Chaplain's office and sponsors the pre-orientation trip "Connect with Community." On this trip, students learn about their new community by meeting with local leaders, volunteering with a number of community partners, and exploring the greater Allentown community through restaurants and activities. The experience builds solid relationships and a firm foundation for students preparing to enter their first year of college and connect with Allentown communities.

The program is structured to provide students a community leadership experience that expands upon their current involvement and provides opportunities for other students. Each Civic Fellow is expected to choose a focus area for the semester (e.g., immigration, housing policies, health care, literacy, etc). Students work particularly with 1-2 community based organizations on a weekly basis. Civic Fellows also participate in a weekly (for 8-10 weeks) non-credit course exploring different methods to work on his/her selected issue, think critically about community engagement, engage with other student leaders and gain skills needed to work effectively in community. The Director of Community Service & Civic Engagement includes local leaders throughout the term of the course to work with the students and will facilitate the class.

In addition to participation in the course and direct work with a community organization, students spend the remainder of their 4-5 hours weekly researching his/her chosen issue, selecting readings and planning 1-2 training/event(s) per semester for other students working on similar social issues.

The Office of Community Service & Civic Engagement at Muhlenberg College is excited to announce the second year of the Summer Service Fellows Program*. This program matches interested students to work with community organizations in Allentown during the summer months (May-August).

Each spring the Office receives phone calls from community partners interested in student participation over the summer. However, most students need to work over the summer in order to pay for their education or related college costs during the school year. In an effort to bridge this gap in service and student involvement, the Office has procured funds to provide a monetary stipend ($2,600) and housing for students matched with participating organizations.

*A congressionally-directed grant allows us to offer the program this year. However, this does not necessarily mean that the program is endorsed by the Federal Government.

Scholars in Service to Pennsylvania is an AmeriCorps Education Award Only program (Ed Award). This means that participating students enroll as AmeriCorps members on a part-time basis and receive a partial Education Award at the end of their term. Students who apply and are accepted to the Muhlenberg program will enroll as "minimum-time" members making a commitment to complete 300 hours of service in one year from August to August. Students who complete 300 hours of service during their one year term can earn a $1,132 education award. The award can be used to pay for any legitimate educational expense at your current undergraduate institution or to pay for future educational expenses, as well as to re-pay student loans. Currently, only two AmeriCorps educational awards may be earned be any individual participant.

*A congressionally-directed grant allows us to offer the program this year. However, this does not necessarily mean that the program is endorsed by the Federal Government.

Scholars in Service to PA at Muhlenberg College will be encouraged to partner with a primary non-profit organization/agency in hopes that student Scholars will have the opportunity to get a feel for the diversity and complexity of the site's work. The chosen Scholars will also participate in bi-weekly (sometimes monthly) group discussions and training sessions focused on the impacts of volunteerism and social justice issues more broadly. All training hours are reported as part of the 300 hour goal.

*Funding for this program is distributed and managed by PHENND. Program support is conditional and subject to change.

Service Council is facilitated by the Office of Community Service & Civic Engagement and meets monthly to bring together student leaders from all community-based and social justice oriented groups on campus to share ideas, collaborate and become more aware of what is happening on campus and in the community. This group seeks to involve all of the student clubs, student-lead weekly programs, monthly programs and other clubs/organizations mentioned on this site. The council also included those groups the Office does not advise but which relate directly to our office mission and goals including: EnAct, College Republicans, College Democrats, Alpha Phi Omega, RRNOLA and Cystic Fibrosis on Campus, etc.

Alternative Break Experiences are a great way for Muhlenberg students of all class years to get to know the people, businesses, and community organizations/agencies of Allentown. Participants volunteer their time at a number of different organizations with which Muhlenberg College has an established partnership. In the past, these organizations have included local schools, food banks, and elder care facilities. Participants also experience various restaurants and recreational activities in Allentown. Participate in an Alternative Break and get to know your home away from home!

Students active in Multicultural Life, and students actively involved in local communities are invited to attend a fall retreat to build relationships amongst students striving toward social justice. The retreat asks students to consider how they can collaborate and cross-pollinate the work of community engagement and activism.