Community Outreach is a four-day pre-orientation volunteer program for incoming first-year and transfer students.
About Community Outreach
Make new friends and explore the community that will be your home for the next four years before classes even begin! Throughout the Community Outreach 4-day trip you will volunteer alongside a variety of local nonprofit partners and learn about historical and contemporary social change movements in Central New York. Participants travel off-campus to host sites in Madison and Oneida counties, living together in local community centers. Experienced student leaders will guide you throughout the service experience and share valuable insights on how to stay involved on and off campus.
A group of Community Outreach volunteers pose with their trail trimming tools at the Chenango Canal Towpath Trail.
Community Outreach volunteer bonds with shelter puppy at the Chenango SPCA animal shelter.
First-year student volunteers spend a day at the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY.
Volunteers at the Earlville Opera House stand in front of a freshly painted fence.
Community Outreach participants learn about the history behind the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, NY.
What to Expect
Students participating in Community Outreach should plan to arrive on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. The program will begin that afternoon and conclude on Saturday, August 23.
- Tuesday, August 19: Campus arrival, move-in, and program welcome events. Participants depart campus and begin their stay at community host site.
- Wednesday, August 20: Volunteer experiences begin! Participants split into groups to support various nonprofit partner projects.
- Thursday, August 21: Visit historical and contemporary cultural sites across Central New York.
- Friday, August 22: Explore our closest urban centers through volunteer service experiences.
- Saturday, August 23: Return to campus and share reflections over a group meal.
All students will participate fully in the first-year orientation following the conclusion of Community Outreach pre-orientation. Student families are welcome to return to campus to join Arrival Day activities.
Fees and Financial Aid
The $175 trip fee covers all aspects of the Community Outreach experience, from food and lodging to transportation and events. You will also be provided with a sleeping bag and camping mat for the duration of the trip if requested.
Financial assistance is available, provided by the Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education, for participants receiving need-based aid from Colgate. All students who receive need-based aid can indicate their request for financial assistance on their application for pre-orientation programs. Upon program acceptance, you will receive individual instructions to complete your trip fee submission.
Community Partners
As a Community Outreach volunteer, you will have the chance to work with a number of nonprofit partners around Colgate's hometown of Hamilton and beyond. Activities may include indirect service supporting an agency's overall capacity or direct service through their public-facing programs. Examples of past service experiences include:
- Preparing soil beds at the Colgate Community Garden.
- Serving meals to local residents at Hope House in Utica, NY.
- Clearing trails for public access at Chenango Canal Towpath Trail.
- Learning about indigenous community networks at the Shako:wi Cultural Center in Oneida, NY.
On pre-arrival day, you will drop off your belongings for the semester in your assigned campus housing. We recommend separately pre-packing a small bag with your clothes and supplies for the pre-orientation experience. On your first night you will be traveling off campus to stay in a host site within our local community such as a church hall or recreation center. You will have a chance to fully unpack and set up your campus housing during Orientation weekend.
Student family members are not required to return for general Arrival Day but are welcome to participate in any scheduled activities. Family and student informational sessions will be offered at pre-orientation as well as at Arrival Day.
Program dates for Community Outreach pre-orientation do not allow for early arrival outside of students pre-approved for summer programming. We will make every effort to integrate unexpected late arrivals into regular Community Outreach programming.
Most pre-orientation programs have overlapping dates that do not allow participants to join more than one session. However, students interested in session 1 of Wilderness Adventure through the Office of Outdoor Education may be able to participate in a second pre-orientation experience if travel permits. Students may not stay on campus during the interim weeks between pre-orientation programs.
A willingness to be hands-on in your community, comfy clothes that you don't mind getting messy, close-toed shoes (sneakers are fine), and basic items for staying 4 nights off-campus. The full recommended packing list is available here.