COVE volunteer teams partner with dozens of local community organizations each year. Our students are youth tutors and mentors. They engage with elders and train to be first responders. They care for rescue animals and advocate for civil rights on and off campus.
Community Based Teams
The core of activity at the COVE is done by student-run organizations that work in the community. Groups receive guidance and leadership training from our professional staff.
More about community-based teams
Team Leader Resources
Alternative Breaks
A variety of alternative breaks are offered during winter and spring. These trips engage students in community service and deepen students’ understanding of pertinent social issues through interaction, collaboration, and experiential learning. The COVE also offers service learning and non-profit immersion trips.
Afternoon of Service
Each year, the COVE invites students to join in the national days of service surrounding 9/11 and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Students dedicate an afternoon to volunteering with a local community partner.
Salvage
Through student donations at the end of the academic year, the salvage program donates more than $60,000 worth of items to local non-profit organizations. Those groups receive much-needed supplies to furnish transitional housing; provide warm clothing, bedding, and educational materials; and stock food pantry shelves.
Colgate Vote Project
The Colgate Vote Project is a campus initiative that strives to increase voter registration and voter turnout among Colgate students by facilitating the voting process and making election information more readily accessible. The organization creates a population of engaged student voters at Colgate by streamlining the registration and voting process. Regardless of party affiliation, current political engagement, or voting eligibility, the project aims to support all students and create an on-campus environment that encourages political awareness and voter participation.