Civic Engagement Scholars are responsible for identifying their own primary site placement, but CCEL is happy to provide support in this process.
Community Service Resources
CCEL has a variety of resources that can help Scholars identify potential primary sites.
- CCEL E-News: When nonprofits have volunteer needs, CCEL lists them in our weekly E-newsletter. Join us on CampusGroups to sign up.
- CampusGroups: Check out our events list to view upcoming opportunities.
- CCEL Community Service Advising: If you would like more individualized help finding service opportunities, please visit the CCEL office on the first floor of the Tinkham Veale University Center, Suite #165 near the Bellflower Rd entrance or email adrian.griffin@case.edu to schedule an advising appointment.
- Issue Area Resource Sheets: Browse CCEL's primary site resources google drive folder for a list of nonprofit suggestions categorized by community issue area (refugees, health, animal welfare, and more).
- Date-specific opportunities: Business Volunteers Unlimited has a helpful database that you can use to search area nonprofits, including sorting by event date if you have specific date requirements, as does HandsOn Northeast Ohio.
CCEL Serves
Another great way to complete your Scholars hours is by becoming a regular volunteer at one of our weekly CCEL Serves sites. Transportation is provided to these sites.
- CCEL Flexible Serves: You can make a flexible CCEL Serves site your primary site if you sign up on a date-by-date basis and attend enough times to complete at least 20 hours at one site.
- CCEL Semester Serves: These sites require a semester-long commitment, so they can easily be your primary site as long as you fulfill your commitment and serve weekly. Semester Serves sites are full for the Fall 2019 semester. Stay tuned for new sites to be added at the beginning of the Spring 2020 semester.
Contact Erin Corwin with any questions about the CCEL Serves program.
Student Organizations
Many student organizations coordinate regular service opportunities at local nonprofits. You can find student organizations in CampusGroups (community.case.edu). In addition to joining organizations' CampusGroups pages, students are encouraged to email directly club officers to learn how to become involved.
Below are some organizations that have offered regular service opportunities in the past. Please note that a Scholars primary site must be a Cleveland nonprofit that benefits from the service, not the student organization (with the exception of the Labre Project and CWRU EMS). Some examples of nonprofit beneficiaries are listed below.
| Student Organization | Type of Volunteer Opportunity | Nonprofit Beneficiary |
|---|---|---|
| Big Brothers Big Sisters | College students are assigned a local youth to mentor | Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cleveland |
| Cleveland Public Schools Connection | Facilitating after school activities with middle school students | Michael R. White School |
| Labre Project | Building relationships with people experiencing homelessness | Labre Project |
| Habitat for Humanity | Building and restoring homes. Volunteering at the "Restore" shop. | Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland |
| Spartans for Special Olympics | Opportunities to volunteer with individuals with disabilities | Various |
| Colleges Against Cancer | Opportunities to volunteer with cancer patients and caregivers at Hope Lodge | American Cancer Society |
| SpartanTHON | Opportunities to volunteer at Rainbow Babies Children's Hospital and with the Children's Miracle Network (note: volunteering at SpartanTHON can also be counted towards Scholars hours, but solely dancing at the event cannot) | Rainbow Babies OR Children's Miracle Network |
| Alpha Phi Omega | Various service opportunities at nonprofits | Various |
| Advocates for Cleveland Health | Public health outreach opportunities | Various |
| Kids Against Hunger | Packing food to be donated to local pantries | Cleveland Food Bank |
| CWRU for Autism Acceptance | Advocacy, education, and awareness about autism. Sparties Running Buddies, running program with children on the autism spectrum. | Autism Speaks |
| Art Forward | Connects college student volunteers with youth involved in the juvenile justice system over monthly art projects | Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center |
| Camp Kesem | Serve at day camps and fundraise for a camp experience for children affected by a parent's cancer | Camp Kesem |
| CWRU EMS | Support the workload of Cleveland EMS by responding to EMS calls on campus (note: only time spent actively responding to calls, leading education and outreach efforts such as Stop the Bleed sessions, and completing required training up to 20 hours max in a program year can count towards Scholars) | CWRU EMS |
| CWRU MedWish | Repair medical supplies that are donated to developing nations | MedWish International |
| Food Recovery Network | Divert excess food from campus to area community centers | Food Recovery Network (or name of center) |
| Girls Who Code | Teach youth computer coding lessons | Various |
| Project Sunshine | Provide activities (arts, baking, games, etc.) for children with life-threatening illnesses | Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital or Ronald McDonald House |
| Shadowing Case By Case | Various service opportunities at nonprofits | Various |
Popular Transportation-Accessible Sites
The below sites are located within walking distance or are RTA HealthLine accessible from campus and are often popular primary sites. Please visit the links below first, and then reach out to these sites directly to learn about their volunteer needs. Here are sample email and phone call templates.