Guilford College

Our Mission:

Action plus reflection prepares people to make both a life and a living.

The Bonner Center for Community Service and Learning provides resources, opportunities, connections and direction that encourage the integration of academics and experience, campus and community, self and service, passion and purpose. Each year, 60 Bonner Scholars at Guilford perform more than 24,000 hours of community service as part of their commitment to the scholarship program. One of the first Bonner Scholar’s Programs in the country, Guilford prides itself on making sustained commitments to smaller groups of core partners, community groups and neighborhoods.

We offer:

• assistance and resources for faculty members who wish to include service learning in their courses, including grants, stipends and workshops for service learning course development
• service-oriented internships or independent studies for academic credit
• alternative break service projects
• non-credit service through ongoing campus groups or placement in service agencies off campus
• forums and panels with community partners
• extensive service learning library with general information, as well as discipline specific literature.

Bonners enjoy a unique opportunity to form friendships with other students who share their commitment to service, both on the college campus and in the wider Bonner network. In this way, students are encouraged to extend their learning beyond the classroom. Student reflections emphasize this, showing the unique impact the Bonner Center has on students’ course of study, career path and view on community service. To learn more about the unique experience of being a Bonner Scholar, please read this article from the Winter 2012 Guilford Magazine.

Ongoing Service Sites and Programs

The Bonner Center has several service opportunities with which Bonner Scholars can become involved. The Bonner Center at Guilford is unique in that it has established relationships with these sites, reflecting its ongoing programmatic approach.

• African Services Coalition/Avalon: Students volunteer with an African immigrant or refugee at their home to tutor their children and assist the adults with their English proficiency and socialization skills.
• Change Through Art and Theatre (C.A.T.) Kids: Students tutor and mentor children after school while working with issues of social justice through art and theatre projects.
• Community AIDS Awareness Project (CAAP): Students organize events to educate other students on issues related to HIV and AIDS.
• Gear Up Program at Oakwood Forest: Students help children with homework and leadership development through fun physical activities such as soccer and basketball.
• Glenhaven Multicultural Afterschool Tutorial: Students tutor, mentor and design extracurricular activities for refugee children from Vietnam, Liberia, the Sudan and other countries.
• Glenwood Library ESOL with Adult Immigrants: Students serve as tutors for adults in an ESOL program, as well as participate in social activities and discussion groups.
• Hunger Fellows/CKP: Students work to educate, inform and provide the community with basic nutritional needs.
• Latin IMPACT: Students serve as tutors and mentors as part of a program attempting to increase the number of Latinas and Latinos in college.
• Lunch Buddies at Newcomer’s & Jefferson Elementary: Students act as a “buddy” to mentor a child during their lunch hour.
• Pathways Tutoring and Enrichment Program: Students tutor and design activities five nights a week for children at this local shelter for homeless families.
• Project Community: Students organize service-related events on and off campus and promote a campus-wide ethic of service.
• Servant Center: Students participate in evening activities and conversation with occupants of a temporary shelter for homeless men with health  problems.