Service Learning at MC

Do you like giving back to the community but aren’t quite sure how? Well, MC can help you with that!

One way to get involved is by being in a “service-learning course.” Some classes require you to have a certain amount of service-learning hours each semester—my small group communication class requires a minimum of 12 hours.

You can also just do some service on your own!

Now you may be saying “but Cassidy how do we find places to serve?” MC has got that covered!

One thing you can do is contact your campus’ Service-Learning Program contact: For Germantown it’s Suuraya Johnson (SA 186), Rockville it’s Nik Sushka (CC 005), and Takoma Park is Dr. Lucy Vitaliti (ST 216). These amazing people can get you started on the right service-learning path!

You can also visit MC’s Givepulse page. Here you can find a list of all the groups and affiliate s that MC works with for service hours. There are a variety of places to serve, from working with an animal shelter, helping the homeless, Latino student fund and more!

You will also see a calendar showing you upcoming events you can volunteer at.

This page is also where you can log your hours (or impact) to receive credit for class, or just to have somewhere to document your amazing work!  Just click “add impact,” find the program you did work for and input your data. If you work for a non-profit that isn’t listed (like me!) don’t worry, you can add that in too!

Still can’t find somewhere to volunteer? Try the Montgomery County Volunteer Center. Here you can actually use keywords to find something you are interested in, as well as put in your zipcode to find somewhere close to where you live.

Nowadays it is hard to not get caught up in our own lives. Volunteering is a great way to get out of our own bubbles and give back to the community that has supported us for so long.

There are plenty of opportunities out there, so which one will you choose?

Bonus: here is a video we made in my COMM 220 class on the steps for successful service-learning that may be helpful (or at least give you a laugh!)