Based on their interests and schedules, students may coordinate their own service efforts by accessing our list of local community agencies and opportunities. Whether they are passionate about serving with seniors or children, addressing issues of food and housing insecurity, preserving the environment, helping animals…you name it…there’s a way for everyone to make a difference. To learn more about these and other opportunities, stop by the Office of Community Service and Volunteerism on the main level of Miller Chapel and chat with our Coordinator, Jen Liedtka, while you enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.
Community Service & Volunteerism
Preparing for a Life of Service to Others
At Lebanon Valley College, we are committed to service, sustainability, and civic engagement. We embrace intentionally the differences between human beings. These institutional values serve as foundational tenants for the Community Service and Volunteerism program at LVC. By providing a wide variety of hands-on service, unique experiential learning, and awareness-raising opportunities, the Office of Community Service and Volunteerism strives to prepare students for a life of informed and engaged citizenship both locally and around the globe. Each year, LVC students report more than 22,000 hours of service.
Local & Campus Opportunities
Each week, the Office of Service and Volunteerism coordinates a host of local and campus service initiatives, which are open to all LVC students. Through our weekly Dutchmen Serve emails, the online campus calendar, Redbook and the Loyalty App, students are made aware of these happenings which take place both on and off-campus, as well as other service-related speaker sessions and learning opportunities. Students sign-up to participate using Redbook or by emailing liedtka@lvc.edu.
Service Trips
At least two service trips are planned each academic year with most trips fulfilling one Immersive Experience requirement. Trips vary from year to year so that students may have the opportunity to engage in both domestic and international experiences that focus on different areas of service and learning.
Service-Focused Student Organizations
Students have the opportunity to join a variety of clubs, organizations, fraternities, and sororities that focus primarily on service. Some of these groups include:
- Alpha Phi Omega
- Cause for Paws
- Colleges Against Cancer
- Gamma Sigma Sigma
- Habitat for Humanity
- Lebanon Valley Educational Partnership (LVEP)
- Red Cross Club
- Students Helping Seniors
- Team FTK
Beyond this list, all of our athletic teams, along with many other organizations, participate in a wide variety of community service endeavors, as well.
Living and Learning in Service
This one-credit class was introduced in Spring 2019 and is taught by the Coordinator of Service and Volunteerism. By participating in a once-weekly class meeting, attending speaker sessions and engaging in a variety of service in the local community, students earn not only one credit but also fulfill one Immersive Experience requirement.
Individual Service Initiatives
Dutchmen Serve
I am passionate about serving because I understand that as long as I’m able to do so, I have a responsibility to serve those who need it.
Dayshalee Rosario Cruz
’20
