Each year at least one-third of the Lawrence student body participates in volunteer activities within the community. The Volunteer and Community Service Center, located in the Memorial Union, provides information and referrals for Lawrence students, faculty, and staff. Staffed and operated by students, the center maintains resource files and information, produces a newsletter, and facilitates the activities of several student organizations dedicated to service, such as the Lambda Sigma honor society. The center also works with community organizations to establish volunteering opportunities.
Among the worthy projects and community organizations with which Lawrence student volunteers have worked are
Over the years, Lawrence volunteers have paid particular attention to working with at-risk youth, those children in the community at risk of failing to complete their education.
The Lawrence University Tutoring Program, established in 1992, matches student volunteers with Appleton elementary, junior high, and high school students in tutoring relationships covering a variety of subject areas. The Oneida Tutoring Program, located at the nearby Oneida Indian Reservation, provides similar tutoring assistance.
Along with PALS and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Lawrence Assistance Reaching Youth Program, also known as LARY, provides one-on-one mentoring of local youth. LARY was publicly recognized in 1991, being designated by President George Bush as the nation's 312th Point of Light.
Community groups interested in hosting Lawrence volunteers, as well as Lawrence students interested in volunteering their services, may contact the Volunteer and Community Service Center at (920) 832-6644.
The mailing address is Volunteer and Community Service Center, Lawrence University, P.O. Box 599, Appleton, WI 54912-0599.