A tradition of service lives on

Written by Bryn Gregory | Published April 2025

What do picking up trash along the Charles River, writing heartfelt letters to first-generation students, and packing meals have in common? They’re all ways to give back to your community—and just a few of the many volunteer opportunities available during BU’s Global Days of Service (GDS).

GDS is a series of volunteer projects organized by BU throughout the month of April. Students, alumni, faculty, and staff around the globe gather to participate in nearby or virtual service opportunities with the common goal of being better stewards of our planet and each other.

Projects are posted on the Global Days of Service website beginning in early March. These one-time events offer busy Terriers a way to volunteer at times that work for them. “I think a very pleasant aspect of [Global Days of Service] is that it takes away some hesitation people might have in donating their time for volunteering activities. Having this organized… with a group leader, an address, and a specific set of tasks really decreases the barrier to entry to volunteering,” says Matteo Chiampo (Questrom’02), a dedicated GDS participant and global sustainability professional.

BU programs that paved the way

Before April was filled with a constellation of volunteer opportunities across the globe, programs and leaders at BU fostered a sense of community and mutual responsibility. It started in the early 1950s when Marsh Chapel was constructed under the leadership of BU President Daniel Marsh (STH’08, Hon.’53), with an emphasis on service. A place of worship and togetherness, Marsh Chapel has played an integral role in the spiritual and communal development of BU students for generations.

With the guidance of Marsh Chapel leadership, a group of students founded “The League” in 1986 to address critical issues facing the Boston community. By 1989, it had launched 17 different volunteer programs, including First Year Student Outreach Project, Alternative Service Breaks, and Student Food Rescue.

Recognizing the need for more support, the University took over operation of The League, renaming it the Community Service Center (CSC), in 1991. The early days of FYSOP exemplified the need for more structure. “The first year, it was just a couple first-year incoming freshman being housed on their living room floor, going out in Boston and doing service,” recalls Orpheo Speer, current director of the CSC. “And then that grew quickly to like, 50 people the next year. And it’s not really safe to have 50 people in this one-bedroom apartment in the Allston / Brighton area. So, the University really needed to figure out ways to support their powerful work.”

Now facilitated by the CSC, FYSOP offers opportunities to engage in community service activities in Boston. Staffed by a group of volunteers, FYSOP aims to educate students on the impact of service and encourage reflection. It also helps new students discover their new city and step out of their comfort zone. Johnny Cohn, a 2024 FYSOP program manager, tells BUToday, “It’s about the breadth of opportunity that you have in college in general, but then also taking a step back and realizing we are at BU, and the privilege we have as being really in the thick of a real city grid.”

Building on FYSOP’s opportunities for first-year students in Boston, Alternative Service Breaks (ASB) takes students of all class years deeper into the world of service. ASB offers a weeklong experience where students can volunteer alongside community organizations across the United States to address critical social issues.

For countless students and chaperones alike, ASB trips ignite a true love for service. Speer remembers an ASB trip he chaperoned to Nashville, Tennesse, in which the group rented 25 vans and students decorated the outsides with washable paints—decking them out with BU-flair. “When we left Tennessee, we were coming back up through Virginia, and somebody started honking,” he said, “they pulled up, then backed away, and then pulled up, but this time, they held a sign up to the window, and it said ‘Thank you for your service.’”

It turns out, the group of people in the neighboring car had all met on a BU ASB trip seven years earlier. The two groups exchanged notes through the car windows—an unforgettable moment of BU serendipity.

GDS was born

While BU offered volunteer opportunities for students through programs like FYSOP and ASB, no programing existed for alumni. To bridge this gap and connect service-oriented alums, the CSC began hosting volunteer events open to both students and alumni. Soon, they joined forces with the BU Alumni Association to plan what is now known as Global Days of Service.

Chiampo still remembers the first GDS project he participated in with his family—an organization in Singapore that provides packaged lunches for elderly and low-income people. “It was fantastic,” he says, “There was a very well-organized assembly line, so to speak, and it was really fun. The kids had fun. I think we went once or twice outside of BU Global Days of Service. So it kind of started a small tradition.” The one drawback: it started early—around 6 am. “Convincing the boys to wake up and get there was probably the hardest,” Chiampo laughs.

In 2024, GDS hosted 80 projects across the world, in which 425 volunteers participated—serving 1,771 hours across 57 cities. This year, there are many opportunities to choose from—tending to a vegetable garden in NYC, restocking pantry shelves at a community food bank in Rhode Island, cleaning up a riverside in Seoul, and so many more.

If there isn’t a volunteer group in your area, or if there aren’t any opportunities that align with your schedule, you can volunteer at local organizations on your own and log your hours to be counted as part of the GDS impact.

Over the years, Speer consistently hears the same feedback about GDS: that the opportunity for students and alumni to come together for a common cause is what makes it special. “There’s an energy that’s oftentimes really palpable when working with younger people, especially when there’s that enthusiasm and joy for living,” he says. “So, to take a moment from your day-to-day grind of work and go do some community service—it’s infectious hope and optimism.”