Signature Community Engagement Experiences for Students

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a week-long immersion program where students explore regional communities facing social justice issues. The program promotes a deep understanding of these challenges and personal responsibility for community change. Coordinated by the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) and Office of Identity and Inclusion (OII), leadership team applications are available from April to August, and participant applications from August to February on Engage. All participants pay a $75 deposit. All other expenses, including travel, lodging and food, are supplied by the CCE and OII.

The Bellarmine Bonner Leaders Program upholds Bellarmine’s commitment to preparing globally fluent, engaged citizens, while addressing critical social issues related to equity and inclusion.

The Bellarmine Bonner Leaders Program is specifically designed for students who express a commitment to community engagement and who demonstrate financial need. Bellarmine Bonners are matched with nonprofit organizations, schools, and government agencies that address diverse social and community issues, with an emphasis on the following areas: 

• Health & Wellness
• Education
• Financial Empowerment
• Criminal Justice
• Human Services
• Environmental Sustainability

The Bellarmine Bonner Leaders Program includes up to 10 students per incoming class, who serve as part-time employees at an approved nonprofit organization off-campus. The program is open to all Federal Work Study students. Upon applying to the program, students will meet with the Center for Community Engagement to match students with an approved community partner site based on the student’s area of interest and career goals. 

Bellarmine Bonners will enter a cohort of student employees dedicated to strengthening the quality of life for people and their community. Students will also have access to training sessions, workshops, and weekly seminars that address social issues and cultivate career-readiness skills. 

To apply, contact Sydney Bland at sbland2@bellarmine.edu.

Expectations: 

• All participants commit to working approximately 10 hours per week. Number of hours per week is based on the student’s total award, organization’s needs, and the student’s class schedule.
• Engagement, where students meet and build relationships with the Bellarmine Bonner Leaders cohort.
• All participants commit to a 4-year community engagement and leadership development pathway.

Benefits: 

• Students earn $11 per hour, until annual award is earned (approximately 136 hours per semester). 
• Students gain access to weekly leadership development, civic engagement, and career-readiness training. 
• Graduates join a network of nationally recognized Bonner Leader alumni and go on to make a significant impact in their professional and civic communities. 

• The Bellarmine Center for Community Engagement launched a new program entitled, Bellarmine Road to Ignite Student Excellence (RISE).
• The Bellarmine Center for Community Engagement initiated a new program entitled, RISE tutoring, in the spring 2021, which connects Bellarmine undergraduate students with K-12 students to help meet the academic needs of local students. This program is in partnership with Metro United Way through grant funding. 
• Through Metro United Way funding, RISE tutors will be paid $20/hour until the grant has been fulfilled.

Knights in Action

Knights in Action: Co-hosted by the Office of Orientation, New Student, Family Programming, and the Center for Community Engagement, this program allows incoming first-year students to explore community engagement opportunities outside of Bellarmine and engage with neighborhoods and nonprofits in the greater Louisville community before even starting classes. As the largest annual service project at Bellarmine, it introduces students to our tradition of community engagement, creating connections between their Bellarmine community and the Louisville community. View pictures from our latest Knights in Action event. 

MLK Week of Service

MLK Week of Service: Co-hosted by the Office of Identity and Inclusion and the Center for Community Engagement, MLK Day of Service has looked different each year, but is now expanded into a week that involves students volunteering for at least two hours and participating in educational, interactive programming honoring the legacy of civil rights hero Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Community Connections

Community Connections feature monthly service events promoted by the Student Government Association as an avenue for engagement between students and a number of surrounding communities. These events encourage group participation and allow students to partake in meaningful service experiences by acting as an active stakeholder in their community.

Family Weekend Service Projects

Family Weekend Service Projects: Hosted by the Office of Orientation, New Student, and Family Programming, Family Weekend service projects provide an opportunity for Bellarmine students’ family members to get acquainted with the Louisville community and spend time with their student through service projects with local nonprofits.

Knights Pantry is a no-cost food pantry that provides supplemental items to Bellarmine students, faculty, and staff. The pantry locations are Centro Treece Hall 224 and Siena Terzo 117. To visit the main pantry outside of normal business hours, call Public Safety at 502.272.7777. Students and staff are welcome to take whatever they need from the pantry as often as they need. Please reach out to the Center for Community Engagement if you would like to host a donation drive or be involved in the student leadership team for Knights Pantry.

Bellarmine boasts a number of student-led organizations whose missions center around volunteerism and community engagement. Check out Engage.Bellarmine.edu to explore all Registered Student Organizations. 

What is GivePulse

GivePpulse is the community engagement tracking platform for Bellarmine University. GivePpulse efficiently connects with Bellarmine’s Student Activities software, Engage, to allow convenient publication and documentation of service-based events. GivePulse provides students the opportunity to share their service experience stories, track and log their volunteer hours, and promotes a culture of commitment to the greater good.

How do I sign up?

1. Go to Bellarmine Experience and click on the three lines in the top left corner. From here click on the ‘Discover’ icon where you can search GivePulse (be sure to click the bookmark icon in the right corner or the GivePulse application for easy access in the future).
2. Click on the GivePulse application, and then click “Login via Bellarmine” (All Bellarmine students should be preregistered within GivePulse, as long as you logged into Bellarmine Experience with you Bellarmine account).
3. From here, click the blue rectangle labeled “Add Impact” in the right corner to document a service experience.

How do I log hours for a class or Registered Student Organization? 

1. Once you have logged in via Bellarmine, you can scroll down on the GivePulse homepage and click on the service event you participated in if you see it displayed.
2. If you are logging hours for a class, you can click the “classes” button at the top of the screen. From here you can search for your class, or scroll until you see it listed.
3. Alternatively, if you click the “add impact” rectangle on the top right of the screen, you can begin documenting your service experience. Then, when you encounter the question, “Did you attend a listed event or volunteer opportunity?” click on the dropdown and select your RSO event from the list.
4. If the experience was for a class, when you encounter the question “Is this impact for a course?” click yes and select your class from the drop-down menu.