Smashing a major milestone of their own this year, Boston University students wrapped up more than one million hours of community service (1,017,861 hours to be exact!) that they pledged when the campaign launched in September 2012. In FY2016, our undergraduates took part in everything from yearlong initiatives such as the Siblings mentorship program to annual events like the Community Service Center’s Alternative Service Breaks and the BU Athletics Holiday Reading Program. “It is a remarkable contribution, and shows how the campaign has permeated into our student body,” says President Brown.
Kyle Ortman (CAS’16), who started volunteering during his freshman year and then became a program manager with the Community Service Center, says he’s not sure how many hours he’s logged in doing maintenance work at animal shelters, serving food to the homeless, and other activities. But he is sure about how his life has evolved. “It’s definitely shaped who I am today,” he says. “I look at the world a little differently. It teaches you to be more cognizant of people coming from all different walks of life, and more able to see their perspective.”