The mission of Service-Learning & Civic Engagement is to collaborate with the campus community and external stakeholders in an effort to increase the quality of student learning, engagement, and civic roles as realized within intentional and mutually beneficial community service-learning experiences that uphold the University's mission and Franciscan values.
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Madonna University Office of Service-Learning & Civic Engagement (OS-LCE) is adapting its outreach and programming to help protect the safety of our community members. Please continue to check in here for more information, or contact OS-LCE Director Colleen McLellan at cmclellan@madonna.edu.
For information about campus operations and health advisories, please visit https://madonna.edu/coronavirus/
Opportunities for service-learning and civic engagement are described below. These reflect recent changes due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Updates are made on a rolling basis. If you would like to add your organization to this list, please contact Colleen McLellan at cmclellan@madonna.edu.
| Organization | Description |
| 2020 Census |
The 2020 Census is currently taking place. If you have not yet done so, you can visit 2020census.gov in order to take part or submit your answers by phone or mail. College students who live off-campus should submit information that reflects their off-campus housing, even if they were not there on April 1, 2020. More information is available here. |
| Community Opportunity Center |
Community Opportunity Center is accepting volunteers who would like to help with yard clean-up, raking leaves, and pulling weeds. Items for donation include masks, hand sanitizer, paper towels, and coloring books. For more information please contact Glean Heran: ghearn [at] cochomes [dot] net. |
| Forgotten Harvest |
During the COVID-19 outbreak, Forgotten Harvest is providing “pop-up pantries” throughout our area. Volunteers are needed to help with the distribution of emergency food boxes throughout Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb County. For more information, visit their website here. If you volunteer, please log your hours on Presence here. |
| Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeast Michigan |
The My Neighborhood Mobile Grocery is currently accepting a limited number of volunteers. Here is a link to learn more and to register. If you don’t see a shift that is supposed to be scheduled it because it is full. Gleaners is also partnering with Kroger to reduce food waste by rescuing food from Kroger retail stores at our Pontiac Distribution Center. Here is a link to learn more and to register. Volunteers are needed to help with food distribution at the Ford Resource and Engagement Center (FREC) 2 Mobile Pantry. Here is a link to learn more and to register. |
| Voter Registration |
Michigan voter registration information is available here. The next election date is November 3, 2020. If you would like to register to vote outside of Michigan, resources like Vote411 are available online. If you would like to be more involved in voter engagement on campus, please reach out to Colleen McLellan at cmclellan@madonna.edu. |
| Zaman International |
Zaman International is accepting donations for COVID-19 outreach through this link: bit.ly/zamancovid. Non-perishable food items and hygiene items may also be donated for client families. To learn more, contact Abigal Demars: ademars [at] zamaninternatoinal [dot] org. |
The Ford Community Corps program is formed by both discipline-based and interdisciplinary teams mentored by faculty and staff. The teams serving this year are Business, Dietetics, Education, Science, Social Work, and the Mosaic Leadership Academy.
Ford Blue Oval Network
Student participation doubled in 2019! We partnered with nonprofit organizations, such as Michigan Urban Farming Initiative, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, St. Christine's Soup Kitchen, Zaman International Hope for Humanity, and the Community Opportunity Center.
During MLK Week, students served in the Livonia community as we look inwards to reflect upon leadership and diversity. From making blankets for hospice patients, labeling soap, reading and teaching children about MLK's message of peace, justice and leadership, to playing Bingo with senior citizens, more than 150 participants served.
We love our partners! They include Gleaners , Wolverine Human Services, Forgotten Harvest , S.O.A.P., Alternatives for Girls, Capuchin Kitchen, Earthworks, Angela Hospice, Marywood Nursing Care, Montessori Center of Our Lady, St. Vincent Sarah Fischer, Siena Literacy Center, St. Joseph Infirmary, St. Mary Child Care Center, Heart to Heart Hospice, and many others.
In collaboration with Student Life, we organize community service activities during one Friday and one Saturday per month in the fall and winter semesters.
We offer unique learning experiences by partnering with nonprofit organizations such as the Detroit Zoo, Healthy Communities, Rutherford Elementary, Mittens for Detroit, St. Joseph's Infirmary, Redford Interfaith Relief, Wheelchair Hockey League, St. Edith's Catholic Church, and many others.
In this program, students meet every week in the service-learning space (room 1403) to discuss any topic that interests students and explore ways to "do something about it." Topics range from music, current and historical events, art, science, movies, etc. Dialogue is one of the pedagogical tools we use in the co-curriculum.
Our College Positive Volunteers are academically diverse with interests in many areas including broadcast and cinema arts, criminal justice, dietetics, education, nursing, and social work.
Access & Success Digital Toolkit
Madonna University earned the elective Carnegie Foundation Classfication for Community Engagement. This is a testament to our commitment to live our Core Value of serving others, enrich community engaged scholarship; enhance teaching and learning; and prepare our students to contribute to the public good.
