CCEL Serves

Images of students performing various volunteer activities

CCEL Serves is designed to offer CWRU students a variety of structured opportunities to get involved in community service. Students can opt to serve one time or once in a while through Flex Serves experiences, or on a weekly basis throughout a semester with Semester Serves experiences.

If you have any questions or would like to meet with a CCEL advisor to discuss your options for Flex or Semester Serves experiences, contact Assistant Director Samantha Cocco at sxc1207@case.edu.


Flex Serves

Through Flex Serves, students can engage with other CWRU students to contribute to a project that benefits a community organization. Topics and projects change throughout the semester and students can sign-up as their schedule allows.

Opportunities throughout the semester are listed on CCEL's CampusGroups homepage. Registration for each event opens two weeks prior to the date of service. Students are welcome to join the waitlist if their date of interest is full. Students not registered can also come directly to the CCEL office (Tinkham Veale University Center, Suite 165, first floor) at the program's start time on the day of the event to see if a space becomes available.

Check back soon for our listing of Fall 2024 opportunities! 

Day & Time (includes travel time!) Opportunities for Service Site Volunteer Activity

Mondays

3:30 - 5:30 pm

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CWRU Physical Resource Center Unbox and sort thousands of pounds of food, provide staff with proper expiration dates and inventory numbers for tracking, and then shelve items.

Wednesdays

4:30 - 8:00 pm

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Healthy Choice Food Market

Help with loading vehicles with food, organizing and consolidating products, cleaning as needed, and assisting community members with shopping and food selection. 

Thursdays

4:00 - 7:00 pm

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Church of the Covenant Hot Meal 

Volunteers will greet and direct community members, prepare and serve food, join guests for the meal and engage in conversation, and help with light clean up.

Thursdays

5:30 - 8:30 pm

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Cleveland Food Bank

Help sort, prepare, box and repack food to be distributed to local food pantries, hunger centers, and shelters to serve families and singles in need.

Fridays

1:00 - 4:00 pm

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MedWish MedWish collects and delivers medical supplies to those providing medical care in developing countries.  Volunteers will help sort materials for future shipments.

Fridays

2:30 - 4:30 pm

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CWRU Physical Resource Center Unbox and sort thousands of pounds of food, provide staff with proper expiration dates and inventory numbers for tracking, and then shelve items.

Saturdays

8:00 am - 12:30 pm

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Nourishing Beginnings Food Packing Volunteers are needed to help sort, prepare, box, and repack food to be distributed to local food pantries, hunger centers, and shelters serving food insecure pregnant individuals.

Saturdays

8:15 am - 12:45 pm

Check back soon! Hunger Network Midtown Market Pantry Hunger Network is committed to improving the experience of visitors at their local pantry.  Volunteers will help customers shop, check-out and pick up groceries utilizing new digital processes.

Saturdays

8:30 am - 12:30 pm

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Ozanam Center Food and Clothing Distribution The Father Michael Wittman Ozanam Center at St. Philomena Church in East Cleveland provides access to food and clothing to those in need. Volunteers will register and check in & out clients, offer hospitality, sort and hang clothing, pack grocery bags, and more.

Sundays

10:50 am - 1:30 pm

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A Place at the Table

A Place at the Table provides a hot, nutritious lunch each Sunday and is the only lunch program that serves those in need on Sunday afternoons downtown.  Volunteers will assist in serving lunch to guests.



Semester Serves

CCEL Semester Serves offers students the opportunity to serve at a local nonprofit organization on a more regular basis, typically weekly, with the same small group of students each week. These opportunities require at least one semester of weekly commitment. Many sites work directly with vulnerable populations, so building relationships and trust is critical. Semester Serves includes opportunities like tutoring and mentoring youth, tutoring adults on their GED journey, and visiting with seniors. Each site has a CCEL-trained leader who coordinates the group and provides transportation to and from the site.

Students interested in joining one of the available sites must register each semester on CampusGroups. Registration will open during the first week of classes each semester. If your preferred site is full, you can join the waitlist for the event or contact with questions. Spots are limited and filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Check back soon for our listing of Fall 2024 opportunities! 

Day & Time (includes travel time!)

Site

Volunteer Activity + Dates of Service

Mondays

3:15 - 5:15 pm

Cleveland Heights Public Library - Lee Road Branch 

Provide academic assistance in literacy, STEM, or related skill-building activities and games in a library setting to youth in grades K-8.

Registered students commit approximately 10 dates of service. Check back soon for specific fall dates!

Tuesdays

5:30 - 8:30 pm

Seeds of Literacy

Assist adults with academic material as they work to complete their GED. 

Registered students commit approximately 10 dates of service. Check back soon for specific fall dates!

Wednesdays

2:30 - 5:15 pm

AdvantageCLE Tennis & Education

Guide 1st-4th grade youth at a local elementary school in after-school activities including wellness, literacy, creative writing, and STEM. 

Registered students commit approximately 10 dates of service. Check back soon for specific fall dates!

Wednesdays

3:40 - 5:15 pm

McGregor Home - Opening Minds Through Art Program (OMA) 

Work with McGregor Home residents with dementia and help them express their creativity by completing art projects. 

Registered students commit approximately 10 dates of service. Check back soon for specific fall dates!

Thursdays

12:30 - 1:45 pm

Lunch Buddies at Bolton Elementary School

Mentor and spend lunch and recess with 3rd through 5th grade youth at Bolton Elementary School located in the Fairfax Neighborhood. 

Registered students commit approximately 10 dates of service. Check back soon for specific fall dates!

Fridays

1:30 - 3:30 pm

William Rainey Harper School 

Assist 1st-6th grade students at a Cleveland school with homework and academic learning on a tech-based platform during the school's activities period.

Registered students commit approximately 10 dates of service. Check back soon for specific fall dates!

Saturdays

10 am - 12:30 pm

Minds Matter ACT Prep Tutoring 

Tutor and prepare high school students to take the ACT test to attend college.

Registered students commit approximately 10 dates of service. Check back soon for specific fall dates!



Accessibility

CCEL is committed to providing all students with opportunities to take full advantage of our programs. Our staff recognizes that students with documented disabilities may require reasonable accommodations in order to achieve this objective. If you are interested in taking part in a specific project but have questions related to accommodations and/or the accessibility of a site, please contact the office of Disability Resources (216.368.5230 or disability@case.edu), and they will work with a representative from our office to answer your questions.