Service Immersions
Center for Community Engagement and Service
Service immersions offer a unique opportunity for students to volunteer, experience a new culture, build community and reflect on their service experiences. The Center for Community Engagement and Service invites all students to live the mission of Salve Regina through these programs.
Spring Break Service Immersion
March 11-16, 2023
The spring break service immersion is an opportunity for students to spend their break participating in service projects related to the critical concerns of mercy. Mercy Ecospirituality Center in Benson, Vermont is a sponsored work of the Sisters of Mercy. The organization is committed to reflection, education and living gently in mutual relationship with the Earth. The program will offer hospitality for those seeking solace and to refresh their spirit in the beauty of creation, as well as programs in ecospirituality.
Students will be working in labor-intensive outdoor spaces, clearing brush, snow and preparing the land for spring. All food and transportation will be provided. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Cost is $150 (payment taken at time of application). Registration will remain open until March 8, or until all spots are filled.
Service Plunge 2.0
March 24-26, 2023
Service Plunge 2.0 provides all students with a challenging and fun opportunity to lead and learn through direct and indirect service. Participants have the option to focus on environmental or hunger issues.
Quito, Ecuador
May 12-19, 2023
The service immersion in Ecuador is run through the Center for Working Families. Through comprehensive and integral family programming, the organization promotes the empowerment of the most vulnerable families throughout Quito by developing life plans and strengthening their abilities and skills.
Participants will have opportunities to meet families that the organization serves, work with children in the after-school program and assist with workshops. The cost is $1,500 per person.
Service Plunge
Service Plunge provides first-year students with an introduction to service through direct and indirect active experiences. Participants learn the importance of service, social justice and civic engagement. They also meet community needs, identify and build upon community assets, and share their experiences with the campus community. Selected students will move to campus early and meet new friends through this annual Salve Regina experience.
Give Kids the World Village
Sunshine Foundation answers the dreams of children ages 3-18 who have severe or profound physical, developmental or intellectual challenges or trauma from physical or sexual abuse and whose families cannot fulfill their requests due to financial strain that the child's illness may cause. Volunteers help to spread "sunshine" by helping the Sunshine Foundation create priceless memories for kids and families when they need it most.
Give Kids The World Village is a 79-acre, nonprofit resort that offers weeklong, cost-free vacations to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. The village provides children and their families with accommodations in fully-furnished villas, transportation, tickets to theme parks, meals, daily entertainment and much more. The village depends on volunteers, known as angels, to fill hundreds of shifts every day.
Each year 27,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. The goal of Give Kids The World Village is to provide everything these families need to make their trip the vacation of a lifetime. Since 1986, more than 150,000 children and families have had their dreams come true at the Village.
Jamaica
The service immersion in Jamaica is run through the Mustard Seed Communities, an organization that works with the local Catholic church to serve the needs of abandoned or orphaned children with mental and physical disabilities. The majority of their programs are dedicated to the care of children with serious physical and mental disabilities, children affected by HIV/AIDS and teenage mothers and their babies. Mustard Seed’s highly developed program for volunteers is based on meaningful interaction with the children, tangible work projects and participation in an inclusive Christian community.
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation
The service immersion in South Dakota is run through Simply Smiles, an organization that provides bright futures for impoverished children, their families and their communities. Students volunteer at the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation, sharing their attention, energy, talents and experiences with children. They organize activities for the children and work side-by-side with Simply Smiles staff to execute a variety of community programs, including sports tournaments, community meals, cooking classes and more.