Community Outreach

Support cancer patients and other immunocompromised individuals in the Capital Region by providing them with access to grocery store commodities from their home. Volunteers will meet with participants via zoom to help them create fiscally responsible and nutritious grocery orders. Additional volunteers who have access to transportation are needed to pick up and deliver orders to patients’ homes.

For more information, contact Joe Bott at bottjm1@gmail.com.

The After School Program links Union student mentors with children from local elementary schools to help them complete their homework and participate in fun activities.

*Please note, the After School Program is temporarily inactive. Please check back here for more information on when the program will resume.

Discovery Academy is a without walls day program offered by Schenectady ARC. Program participants come to Union College Campus to have a college life experience while also receiving both academic and life skills instruction. Union College student volunteers participate in a variety of ways including having lunch with the participants on campus, providing academic support, or helping to coordinate on-campus workshops for the group.

This community event raises awareness and funds for local food programs. With the help of a ceramics professor, Union students have made hundreds of bowls, some made jointly with local Schenectady students.

Schenectady Girls Inc. offers after school programming to local students in grades K-12. Student volunteers visit Girls Inc. twice weekly to serve as tutors and mentors.

Junior Science Program is a hands-on science and math program that introduces girls and boys in grades 4-6 to the wonders of science and technology. Volunteers help participants conduct small science experiments and learn about various types of technology.

Students and staff volunteer together to recycle potted plants and other living arrangements from the college and give them to local nursing homes, senior residencies, and rehabilitation centers. The Union College community visits several communities a month to bring smiles, conversation, and plants.

UCARE provides you with a link to volunteer opportunities in the community. UCARE also provides information about community organizations to assist you in identifying service opportunities that meet your interests. UCARE hosts an annual carnival in May that has become a well-attended and popular event for the community.

The Kenney Community Center provides space for the Economics Department to run the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site at Union College. Representatives of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the Internal Revenue Service and the Schenectady County Department of Social Services participated in the development and implementation of the program. Student VITA volunteers work directly with low-income families to assist in filing their tax returns.

For information about the VITA program, please leave a voicemail at (518) 388-6652, and your call will be returned. Kenney Center Staff are unable to help with VITA inquiries.

X-Quest is a local organization that serves youth from early childhood up to the age of 14. Student volunteers visit Quest twice weekly to provide homework help, mentoring, and support.

The Kenney Community Center offers an optional community service themed Pre-Orientation Experience for incoming students.

Next Event: September 2021

John Calvin Toll Day is Union’s annual day of service. Every fall hundreds of students volunteer at local sites. This is the single biggest day of volunteering at Union College.

Next Event: TBD

Each year the Kenney Community Center hosts Union students for a holiday potluck. All food is prepared or donated by Union College faculty and staff.

Next Event: TBD

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day local middle and high school students are invited to campus for a day of activities including a workshop, Union’s annual Unity March, and a Q & A session with Union College students.

Next Event: January 18, 2020

During Random Acts of Kindness week student volunteers organize a wide variety of efforts to spread kindness on campus and in the surrounding community. Activities include visiting a local nursing home to play BINGO, delivering candy bars to City Mission, and a free raffle for students and staff.

Next Event: TBD

The Volunteer Appreciation Banquet is a celebration of community partnerships. Campus members and community organizations come together to recognize efforts that have been made throughout the year to serve the local community.

Next Event: TBD

UCARE day is Union’s annual free carnival for kids in the local community. The carnival is held at the Memorial Fieldhouse every spring. There are games, crafts, food, and fun.

Next Event: TBD