Center for Community Engagement and Social Change

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. To best find your volunteer match you might consider subscribing to our weekly email highlighting upcoming one-time and ongoing volunteer opportunities near campus.

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.

We use a website called GivePulse to track the volunteer hours for Lawrentians. Using GivePulse, we are able to easily set up volunteer events that Lawrentians can register for and it helps us publicize upcoming volunteer opportunities. GivePulse also allows us to record information about what community organizations Lawrentians are serving with, how many hours Lawrentians serve, and what campus groups volunteer the most.

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.

Fall Term Programs

• Environment and Sustainability

Winter Term Programs

• Elder Advocacy
• Fair Housing and Hunger

Spring Term Programs

• Arts Advocacy
• Child Advocacy
• Equal Access to Education

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

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 initiative of the Arts Advocacy program is to form relationships amongst the community to develop an understanding of how the arts can be of benefit or asset to the Fox Cities community with the help of Lawrence University. Through Artists Building Bridges in Appleton (ABBA) our goal is to form partnerships that will help enrich the lives of the people around us and be of support.

Elder Advocacy

The focus of Elder Rights and Care is to raise awareness about volunteerism and service to the elderly in the community. Elder loneliness is a serious problem and our mission is to Build Intergenerational Relationships (BIR) by providing entertainment and companionship to better support community elders.

Equal Access to Education

The Equal Access to Education program strives to understand 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 combatting matters that hinder access to education.

Child Advocacy

The Child Advocacy program aims to understand the issues facing children in the Fox Valley and partner with community organizations devoted to children in order to address these root issues. 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 Environmental and Sustainability Program seeks to take the joys of the outdoors and a clean environment and share them with the community. Riverview Gardens, Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, and Bubolz Nature Preserve are great community partners to learn from. Our hope is that 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

Our mission is to connect Lawrence University and the Fox Valley community through outreach and volunteerism to ensure stable and affordable housing, emergency assistance, and transitional housing is accessible to all. We do this through a partnership with four organizations (COTS, Habitat for Humanity, Homeless Connections, Warming Shelter) that intercept different stages of the homeless continuum, serving families, women, men, and children.

Volunteer of Note

Danielle Dixon

"My favorite part about volunteering is being able to give back to the community. Tutoring is a great way to make a direct impact in a kid's life."

Danielle is a VITAL tutor, a LARY buddy and volunteers with Food Recovery Network. She consistently tutors a kid every week in areas they need help in.

Lawrence Scholars in Civic Engagement

Lawrence Scholars in Civic Engagement 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

Kristi Hill

Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Social Change

kristi.hill@lawrence.edu

Doniell Ericksen

CCE Assistant Director

doniell.m.ericksen@lawrence.edu

CCE Student Staff

Papo (Carlos A) Morales '21, Service Corps Access to Education Program Coordinator

Hello! My name is Papo (Carlos A.) Morales and I am currently a Sophomore at Lawrence University. I am a History major with a Latin American Studies 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 am currently involved with a couple of organizations on campus which include the Black Student Union, Men of Color Alliance and RISEUP, which is an college access organization that I am the Co-President of. I look forward to helping local Appleton students from kindergarten to the 12th grade with accessing the education and college that they deserve.

Weiqi Liang '19, Service Corps Elder Advocacy Program Coordinator

Hello! My name is Weiqi (Pounced: “Vicky”), a senior, studying in Philosophy and minor in Gender Studies. I was born in Guangdong, China, but I moved to SF when I was 15. I was raised by my grandparents, which motivated me to work with elderly since high school. I am so excited to work for the CCE as the Elder Advocacy program coordinator this year. Volunteerism as a way to giving back to the community and collaborating altogether so I want to encourage everyone to volunteer and learn the community. I could see myself beyond volunteer and make some many different impact in the community, and join us today and make friends that might have the same interest as you.

Barbara Espinosa '20, Service Corps Fair Housing & Hunger Program Coordinator

My name is Barbara Espinosa, I am a junior and I want to major in Anthropology and Economics. I like to play soccer, read, dance and I love to ride horses. I am a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, I am a part of the Lawrence University Women's Soccer Team and I am the Public Relations Officer for the Student Ambassador Program.
In the CCE, I am the service corp for Fair Housing and Hunger, which means I connect Lawrence students with organizations that help with fair housing and hunger issues in the Fox Valley. It is a very exciting job, the best part of it is that I get to know and help a lot of people.

Alexis Shannon '20, Office Manager

Hi! My name is Alexis. I am from right here in Appleton, Wisconsin. I am a Psychology major with an Art History minor. I am a member of the women's tennis team and a part of Kappa Kappa Gamma. In my free time you can find me reading a book by my favorite author Stephen King, cuddling my kitty Cole, on the courts or hiding in my room watching Netflix. During the summer I spend most of my time volunteering with several organizations including Camp Hope and Miracle League. I am so excited to be part of the CCE team for another year.

Angie Carabello '21, Office Manager

Allie Horton '19, Service Corps Environmental Sustainability Program Coordinator

Hi! My name is Allie Horton and I'm from the tiny town of Dodgeville, WI. I'm a senior, majoring in general/choral music education. I'm involved in some awesome things on campus, including SLUG, ORC, intramural soccer, the LARY Buddy program, Deep Listening Club, and CORE. I'm also a member of Cantala and IGLU (Improvisation Group of LU) over in the conservatory. I love being in the sunshine, listening to good music, and saving worms who are stranded on the sidewalk. I'm looking forward to bringing amazing volunteer opportunities to Lawrentians as the Environmental Sustainability Coordinator!

Sonya Breiz '21, Office Manager

Sam Taylor '19, Service Corps Access to the Arts Program Coordinator

Hey there! My name is Sam Taylor. I'm a senior from Madison, Wisconsin pursuing a double major in psychology and music. Aside from classes and ensembles, I am a LARY Buddy and started a new student service organization, Artists Building Bridges in Appleton (ABBA). In my free time, I love jamming with friends, playing board games, and eating my favorite snack, the sacred corn dog. The community can benefit a lot from artists, especially talented and creative Lawrence students like those reading this bio. So let me know how I can help you engage with the community through your passions and crafts!

Sam Parkhurst '20, Office Manager

Hi my name is Samuel Parkhurst and I am a junior from St. Paul, Minnesota. I am majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Chinese. I like to read a lot of books, play video games, and watch Netflix. On campus, I am a member of the Men's Soccer team and of Sigma Phi Epsilon. At the CCE, I manage the website and facilitate communication between staff members. I am excited to be a part of the CCE staff this year!

Sophie Dion-Kirschner '20, Service Corps Child Advocacy Program Coordinator

Hello! My name is Sophie and I am thrilled to be returning to the CCE for another year! Growing up I split time both on a small island in Washington State, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Here on campus, I enjoy my research in the biology department, spending time with my LARY Buddy, going on adventures with my friends, and piratey things. My work in the CCE will be as a mediator between Lawrence and the Appleton community, enhancing Child Advocacy, and coordinating LARY Buddies at Edison Elementary. Come find me if there’s anything I can do for you!