Center for Community Engagement and Social Change

Black Lives Matter
We stand in solidarity with the Black community.

Lawrence University is committed to preparing “students for lives of achievement, responsible and meaningful citizenship, lifelong learning, and personal fulfillment.”

The Center for Community Engagement and Social Change (CCE) aims to support this commitment by meeting and working with students to encourage critical thought and reflection on the purpose, responsibility, and potential for lifelong learning through service and engagement within the context of a Lawrence University education.

Complete our social justice interests form so we can curate our communications to you.
To search for volunteer opportunities and track your service log into Give Pulse and find virtual volunteer opportunities.

CCE 2019 Staff Photo

Life After Lawrence

Lawrentians enjoy careers in...

AmeriCorps, education, social work, community organizing, data analyst, dentistry, dog training

Recent employers include...

AmeriCorps, NAMI Fox Valley, Boys and Girls Club, Muchin College Prep, Fox Valley Literacy, Habitat for Humanity, Kimberly High School, St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor

The CCE teaches skills like...

Communication, education, ethical volunteering, organization, responsibility, problem solving, community engagment, social activism, managing interpersonal relationships, leadership, teamwork

Post-Lawrence Service Opportunities

AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, Peace Corps, WorldTeach, City Year

Visit our GivePulse page.
GivePulse is the website Lawrence uses to set up volunteer opportunities, record volunteer hours, and register students for volunteer events. By keeping a log of your volunteer hours on GivePulse, Lawrence is able to put these hours on your co-curricular record, which looks good when applying for a job or internship. Recording your hours is easy, just log in with your LU ID, click the big green 'Add Impact' button, and fill out the form. If you are interested in learning how GivePulse can benefit your organization or just want to know more about how to use this website, please contact us.

Viking Ambassadors in Service and Engagement (VASE)

Viking Ambassadors in Service and Engagement (VASE) aims to get first year students volunteering, making connections, and learning about issues in the Fox Valley community. Each of our six issue areas will run a version of this program in Winter and Spring terms 2020-21. Reach out to community.engagement@lawrence.edu for more information.

VASE Requirements

• Volunteers will commit to volunteer 1-4 hours weekly for the duration of the program
• Volunteers will attend a training and orientation session before volunteering begins
• Volunteers will attend an education session on their area of interest
• Volunteers will attend a recognition/celebration event at the end of the term
• Volunteers will be present for all scheduled volunteer opportunities unless communicated with their program leader at least 48 hours in advance with a valid reason. Sudden illness is, of course, excused but should still be communicated in advance when possible.

On-Campus Service Organizations

Interested in finding an organization with similar volunteer interests to you? Visit the campus organization directory and click "community service," "social justice," or something more specific like "environmental" to learn about students interested in working together to serve the community.

Arts Advocacy

The Arts Advocacy program forms relationships with the community to develop an understanding of how the arts can benefit the Fox Cities community with the help of Lawrence University. Through Artists Building Bridges in Appleton (ABBA) we form partnerships that help enrich the lives of the people around us and support local organizations.

Animal Welfare

The Animal Welfare program connects Lawrentians with a passion for animal care and wellbeing with like-minded organizations in the Fox Valley. By volunteering and collaborating with numerous organizations in Appleton, we provide volunteers with knowledge and opportunities to help further themselves and to become an advocate for animal welfare.

Equal Access to Education

The Equal Access to Education program provides students with an understanding of the issues affecting access to education at all ages in the Fox Cities. Our mission is to provide opportunities for Lawrentians and the greater Fox Cities to work together in combating matters that hinder access to education.

Child Advocacy

The Child Advocacy program partners with community organizations devoted to children in order to address issues facing children in the Fox Valley. Our LARY Buddy mentoring program is our longest standing program and provides one on one mentoring to youth at a local elementary school.

Environment and Sustainability

The Environment and Sustainability Program takes the joys of the outdoors and a clean environment and shares them with the community. Riverview Gardens, Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, and Bubolz Nature Preserve are great community partners to learn from. Through this program volunteers will become more aware of the environment in their everyday lives and take action in the community and personally to protect it.

Fair Housing & Hunger

The Fair Housing program connects Lawrence University and the Fox Valley community through outreach and volunteerism to ensure that stable and affordable housing, emergency assistance, and transitional housing are accessible to all. We partner with four organizations (COTS, Habitat for Humanity, Harbor House, Homeless Connections, Warming Shelter) that intercept different stages of the homeless continuum, serving families, women, men, and children.

Volunteer of Note

Hunter Dowds

"In our intense academic environment at Lawrence, volunteering provides students with the opportunity to serve their community while also taking a break from their studies. I have met some of my closest friends while volunteering, who have continued to support and encourage me throughout my undergraduate career."

Hunter has had the opportunity to volunteer both locally and abroad; a majority of his work has been in the areas of scientific literacy and disease prevention.

Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning is a program designed for students who are interested in exploring work in civic engagement.

Visit this page for more information.

Recent projects include:

Internship at Appleton Health Department

Working at Sustainable Lawrence University Garden

Working at MEDEP in the Management Information System and the Media Sector

Interning at the Public Health Delivery Innovations and Community Medicine program in Delhi, India

Volunteering for Health Development Initiative in Kigali, Rwanda

CCE Professional Staff

Teri Mueller

Director, Community Engagement and Social Change

teri.m.mueller@lawrence.edu

Hello! My name is Teri Mueller and I'm super excited to be serving as the Interim Director of the CCE. I recently moved to Wisconsin from Pennsylvania to join the staff at Lawrence University in January 2020. In addition to working with the awesome student team in the CCE, I work as an Assistant Director in the Career Center and advise students who are interested in exploring careers in the arts, education, and/or non-profit work. In my spare time I enjoy spending copious amounts of time outside, baking, reading, playing games, checking out local coffee shops, and spending time with family and friends. This year I am excited to help students connect to community-based experiential learning opportunities in new ways and to get to know more of the many non-profit organizations in the Fox Cities.

Michelle Buchinger

CCE Administrative Assistant

michelle.m.buchinger@lawrence.edu

I’m Michelle Buchinger, CCE Administrative Assistant. I was born and raised here in the Fox Valley. I received my bachelor’s degree from UW-Green Bay where I studied interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in human development. My passion has always been to support youth and students while working within the community, so I am very grateful to be in my role here at Lawrence University. In my free time, I love being at our family cottage up north in Goodman, WI and enjoying the outdoors with my three daughters and husband. I look forward to seeing new and returning students and connecting them to volunteering opportunities that best fits their interests!

TBD, Volunteer Programs Coordinator

CCE Student Staff

Papo (Carlos A) Morales, Resource and Outreach Office Manager

Hello! My name is Papo (Carlos A.) Morales and I am currently a Senior at Lawrence University. I am a History major with a Studio Art minor and am from Brooklyn, New York. Some of my favorite things to do include binge watching shows, public speaking , playing UNO and spending time with family and friends! I have been involved with a couple of organizations on campus which include the Brother to Brother, Alianza, and RISEUP. In my fourth year at the CCE, I look forward to helping local Appleton students from kindergarten to the 12th grade with accessing the education & college that they deserve and providing Lawrence students with the resources to make their volunteering experience easy and marketable.

Lili Xu, Service Corps Fair Housing & Hunger Program Coordinator

Hey! My name is Lili(Shirley) Xu and I am a junior from Korla, China. I plan to pursue a double degree in Piano Performance and English. I am also a Community Advisor in Big Exec, a member of Chinese Student Association and Lawrence International. When I am not practicing the piano, I love doing all kinds of crafting, watching TwoSet Violin on YouTube, hanging out with friends and talking with my families. I am excited to work in CCE and connect a lot of you with nonprofit communities around Appleton.

Morgan Fisher, Child Advocacy Program Coordinator

Hey there! I’m Morgan, your Child Advocacy coordinator! I am a junior Neuroscience major from the suburbs of Chicago. When I am not working at the CCE, you can find me playing Club Penguin on a zoom call with my LARY Buddy, in the CARE Lab working as a research assistant, or on the courts as the tennis team's captain. Recently, my free time has been spent making (very amateur) art on Procreate, playing Among Us with my housemates, and watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I am excited to enter my second year at the CCE and I am looking forward to working with you!

L exie Livingood, Access to the Arts Program Coordinator

Hey! My name is Lexie, and I'm a Junior Viola Performance and Economics major from Houston, TX. This year, I'm working as the Access to the Arts program coordinator at the CCE, and I'm super excited to organize new arts engagement opportunities! Outside of the CCE, I'm also on the exec board for Sigma Alpha Iota, I'm the treasurer for the Student Panel of the LU Symphony Orchestra, and I work as an assistant for the Theatre Arts Department. In my free time, I like to hang out with friends, play with my cats, and eat vegetarian food.

Molly Ruffing, Access to Education Program Coordinator

Hi there! My name is Molly Ruffing, and I'm the Access to Education Program Coordinator in the CCE. I'm a junior psychology and English major from Kaukauna, Wisconsin. In addition to working in the CCE, I'm also the Copy Chief for The Lawrentian. I'm also involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I play trombone pretty casually. This is my first year in the CCE, and I'm incredibly excited about this opportunity to learn alongside our volunteers.

Ellen Teerink, Sustainability Program Coordinator

My name is Ellen, and I'm from Milwaukee, WI. I am in my second year at Lawrence. In my free time I enjoy anything that lets me be outside (backpacking, camping, biking, etc.). On campus, I am involved in SLUG, LU Bike Club, and ORC. This year I am also the Sustainability Program Coordinator at the CCE. I look forward to working with the Sustainability Steering Committee and Riverview Gardens to promote opportunities for Lawrence Students to learn about and engage with the environment.

Maya Lines, Office Manager

Hello! My name is Maya, I am a sophomore from Dallas, Texas. I am pursuing a double degree in Bassoon Performance and Neuroscience. This year I will be working as an office manager in the CCE focusing on finding opportunities to get first and second year students more involved in the community. In my free time I love to watercolor, practice calligraphy, go on bike rides, and hang out with my 11 plants. I am so excited to learn more about how to increase community engagement on campus and how to make a difference in my community!

Carmen Magestro, Office Manager

My name is Carmen Magestro and I’m a senior studying chemistry, biochemistry and flute performance. I am an office manager at the CCE who focuses on social media marketing and this year I am looking forward to promoting service opportunities and showing off all the hard work our student volunteers do on and off campus. This year brings challenges, but challenges inspire creative ideas, and I am excited to share these ideas with the rest of our community!

Anna White, Animal Welfare Program Coordinator

Amellalli Herrera Alvarez, Office Manager

Contact Us

Come visit us! The CCE is located in the back of the Mudd Library across from the Wriston Art Center at the Lawe St. & Alton St. intersection. However, our physical building is closed at this time but we are virtually open!

Get in touch with us via email or calling at 920-832-6644

Visit our Virtual Volunteer Opportunities page

Learn more about us via our 2019-20 End of Year Report.

Community Engagement and Social Change

Black Lives Matter We stand in solidarity with the Black community.