This Week in Service
Department of Community Service
Th e Week of April 20
It's National Volunteer Appreciation Week!

National Volunteer Appreciation Week is an opportunity to celebrate the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to tackle society’s greatest challenges, to build stronger communities and be a force that transforms the world. This week, we are shining a light on the people and causes that inspire us to serve, recognizing and thanking volunteers who lend their time, talent and voice to make a difference in their communities. Check out the DCS  instagram page  to see highlights, programs, and more!
Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with all the available opportunities and programs we are sharing!

Are you hosting virtual programs? Fill out this form to let us know!
In this email:


  1. Today is the LAST day to Log Commitment to Service Award Hours for Seniors!
  2. Virtual Volunteer Challenge Week 4: Youth Engagement
  3. Waltham Group Alumni Virtual Service, Career, and Life Coaching Networking Zoom Event
  4. Commitment to Service Award Medalist Reveal!
  5. Virtual Celebration of Service!
  6. Join C2E at a virtual Memory Cafe!
  7. Take Back the Night
  8. Create@Brandeis: Living Room Fest - May 1 - 3
  9. 2020 City Nature Challenge - Bioblitzing where you are!
  10. Virtual Volunteer Opportunity with Change for Kids
  11. Meals on Wheels Temporary Jobs & Volunteers Needed
  12. Apply to the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship
  13. Apply to the Millennium Fellowship
  14. Volunteer with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Brandeis Community Opportunities
Today is the LAST day to Log Commitment to Service Award Hours for Seniors!
Seniors, the deadline to fulfill your CTSA requirements is  TODAY, Monday, April 20th at 11:59 pm ! To be considered for a medal (Bronze: 300+ hrs, Silver: 600+ hrs, & Gold: 900+ hrs), you must log at least 300 hours and submit your  senior reflection essay to  [email protected] . 

We would like to publicly honor those who qualify for a Commitment to Service Award Medal on the Department of Community Service's website and social media pages this week during National Volunteer Week. If you would like to be featured, please fill out this  form  by  the end of the day .
Virtual Volunteer Challenge Week 4: Youth Engagement
This week The Department of Community Service is challenging you to give back to the youth in your community! DCS has teamed up with the Community Engagement Ambassadors to begin the creation of a virtual activity packet that can be shared with the youth in our communities! 

 You can engage in this challenge by:
  • Contributing new content to our virtual youth activity packet
  • Sharing any virtual or physical activity booklets or games with youth in your community
  • Engaging in virtual tutoring and homework support
  • Promoting and sharing programs for youth in Waltham, such as food distribution and other support programs 
  • Researching what programs are happening in your home communities for youth and getting involved
  • Supporting organizations that are donating Chrome books to youth
  • Creating positive and uplifting messages for youth

Please log your service hours for this challenge in CTSA under the program name " Virtual Volunteer Challenge: Youth Engagement ".

Don't forget to document your participation in this challenge and tag @deis_dcs! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact  [email protected]  
Waltham Group Alumni Virtual Service, Career, and Life Coaching Networking Zoom Event
Wednesday, April 22 from 12-1:00PM (EST)

Calling all Waltham Group Volunteers and Coordinators. Please join a growing panel (below) of Waltham Group Alum from the past decade for an opportunity to come together, be in community, and learn from the sage wisdom and advice of our awesome alum. This casual discussion will span topics such as community engagement post-graduation, navigating a professional and personal life after Deis and other questions from our audience. Come be in community and share Waltham Group stories and be in a space that celebrates our community as part of National Volunteer Appreciation Week. Please join us over Zoom  HERE . Zoom password is: WG4LIFE and if necessary Meeting ID is:  977 7402 8567. If you have questions please feel free to reach out to  Lucas Malo  at or  Sarah Ernst . 

Guest Alumni:

Rebecca Bachman '13 - Associate Director of Development & Events at Change for Kids and former Big Siblings Coordinator
Mary Belleger '08 '16 - Planning Analyst at Single Point Partners and former Public Relations 
Mitchell Beers ‘17 - Health Policy Program Analyst at Mathematica and former Blood Drive Coordinator
Sophie Gordon '19 - Residential Counselor at Cambridge Eating Disorders Centers, former Brandeis Buddies Coordinator
Julia Brown '19 - Program Coordinator at Big Brother Big Sister of Massachusetts Bay and former Kid's Connection Coordinator
Lily Eligator '19 - Interpretive at Dunes Learning Center and former Prospect Hill Kid’s Club Coordinator
Abigail Gardner '19 - Content Marketing Specialist at Block O'Toole & Murphy, LLP and former Companions to Elders Coordinator
Ceara Genovesi '18 - Art Therapy Intern at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and Master Student in Art Therapy at the 
School of Visual Arts and former Community Connections Coordinator 
Emily Kessler '19 - Event Support Coordinator at American Heart Association and former Teaching Assistant in Public Schools Coordinator. 
Maya London '19 - Junior Specialist at University of California Davis, School of Medicine Center for a Diverse Healthcare Workforce and former Prospect Hill Kids Club Coordinator. 
Tom Rossetti '17 - PhD Candidate at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences and former Companions to Elders
Julia Wolinsky '18 - Master's candidate Occupational Therapy Master's Student at Columbia University and former Afternoon Enrichment Coordinator.
Commitment to Service Award Medalist Reveal!
The Commitment to Service Award program encourages students to engage in community service, further impacting their Brandeis experience, while addressing community needs. Seniors who reach different tiers of hours receive a Commitment to Service Award medal.

On  Thursday, April 23rd,  join us in celebrating this year's Commitment to Service Award Medalists! The reveal will occur on the  Department of Community Service's website and social media pages.
Virtual Celebration of Service!
Celebration of Service is an opportunity for Brandeis University to come together and celebrate all of the incredible service students engaged in over the past year and truly thank our volunteers for the positive impact they have on our local community.

Please tune in to The Department of Community Service's social media on  Friday, April 24th  for the debut of our 2019-2020 Celebration of Service Video!
Join C2E at a virtual Memory Cafe!
Join Brandeis University's Companions to Elders and JF&CS at the next virtual Memory Cafe on Friday, May 1st from 10:00am to 11:30am. Jane Blair of ArtMatters will lead us in an exploration of the work, life and unique perspective of Marc Chagall.

If you are interested in joining,  please fill this  form  by April 22nd.  For more information, email  [email protected]
Take Back the Night
April 23
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Join FMLA, PARC, STAR, GSC, and JFAB for Take Back the Night, a community gathering and action to raise awareness about sexual violence; empower one another; and show solidarity with, or as, people who are impacted by violence. Due to COVID-19, restrictions, Take Back the Night will be occurring online this year. A video will go live on this Facebook event at 7pm and a Zoom gathering of activities will be open until 9pm.
Create@Brandeis: Living Room Fest - May 1 - 3
Since we can't hold the Festival of the Arts on campus this year, we're bringing it to you! The three-day  Create@Brandeis Living Room Fest  features a wide variety of online arts programs and activities presented by Brandeis students, alumni, faculty and staff, with special guests.

The complete schedule will be posted  online  on April 24. Follow us on  Facebook  and  Twitter  for updates. And we're sharing our community's creative moments of music, visual art, and more every day on our Instagram account,  @CreateAtBrandeis.  
2020 City Nature Challenge - Bioblitzing where you are!
The City Nature Challenge is set to take place in cities across the globe from Friday, April 24 to Monday, April 27.

Over the weekend, people of all ages and backgrounds are invited to get outside near their homes to observe and submit pictures of wild plants, animals, and fungi using the free mobile app iNaturalist, which enables observers to identify species through crowdsourcing. Environmental Studies is a lead organizer of the efforts in eastern Massachusetts, but there are lots of cities around the world participating. Even if you aren't in one of those locations you can join us for the weekend documenting nature.

Even if you can't get out to observe you can help by participating online to identify or annotate observations from April 28 - May 3. More information can be found on the City Nature Challenge website.
Community Partner Opportunities
Virtual Volunteer Opportunity with Change for Kids
Change for Kids, a youth development organization based out of NYC, has moved all programming to a digital platform: CFK | Digital. The platform is now live, free and open to the public. CFK | Digital includes a library section of recorded videos and activities and a place for students to sign-up for our live, interactive classes. Every week we are adding new content to the library. There are opportunities to pre-record reading a picture book or lesson for elementary school kids.

Please fill out the volunteer form and we'll share more details. For questions, please email Rebecca Bachman ,
Meals on Wheels Temporary Jobs & Volunteers Needed
Meals on Wheels Drivers deliver nutritious meals to homebound seniors Monday - Friday. The Meals on Wheels Program is one of many programs Minuteman Senior Services offers to support seniors who want to age independently within their own homes and communities. 

As a Meals on Wheels Driver, you will do much more than deliver a meal -- you will provide a friendly contact that will brighten the lives of homebound seniors. Drivers serve as our eyes and ears, often reporting health and well-being concerns before they become a crisis.
You will see many smiling, grateful faces among the seniors on your route.

Apply here or email Harriet Goldstein for more information.
Volunteer with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) is looking for student volunteers, with experience in public health, to assist local and state health departments with the COVID-19 response. Students may volunteer as much or as little as they can, but all applicants will be required to complete some training as part of this effort. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out this survey.

Those who apply may receive an email from MDPH containing two online trainings that must be completed prior to being matched as a volunteer. Due to the overwhelming response that they have received, MPDH will be making volunteer matches on an as-needed basis. 

Please direct any questions regarding this opportunity to Cindy Thomas.
Connect with us!
Department of Community Service
Shapiro Campus Center, Room 203
P: 781-736-3237

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