Service Projects

 

 

In WLP, we believe that a major part of leadership and building community is being of service to others. We have scooped out a few service and volunteer opportunities in Washington D.C. as listed below. All of the opportunities below are accessible by the Metro or are virtual. If you come across additional opportunities, please reach out to WLP at [email protected] so can we spread the word!

 

Vote forward: Vote Forward volunteers send heartfelt handwritten letters to unregistered and low-propensity voters encouraging them to participate in our democracy. Volunteers will be writing letters to increase voter turnout in Virginia.

For more information, contact: Madeleine Deisen (WLP Alumnae): [email protected]

 

Girls on the Run: Sign up as a site leader or a volunteer to help out at an elementary school in the DC neighborhood. Volunteers will be completing tasks to improve the school such as painting classrooms, building classroom furniture (easels, shelves, etc.), organizing storage spaces, exterior beautification, etc.

 

Miriam’s Kitchen: Miriam’s Kitchen continues to provide food, and housing support to homeless citizens in Washington D.C.

Location: 2401 Virginia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20037

Contact Info: Martha Wolf, [email protected]

 

Bruce-Monroe Elementary School: Sign up as a site leader or a volunteer to help out at an elementary school in the DC neighborhood. Volunteers will be completing tasks to improve the school such as painting classrooms, building classroom furniture (easels, shelves, etc.), organizing storage spaces, exterior beautification, etc.

Location: Bruce-Monroe Elementary School at Park View

3560 Warder St NW, Washington, DC 20010

 

Hippathon Dance Marathon: ​​The GW Hippathon is a fundraising event, sponsored by the GW Dance Marathon, that raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

 

Habitat for Humanity ReStore: Volunteers help accept donations, organize inventory, assist customers with finding items, fix and repair furniture and other donated items, create or improve displays, and much more.

Location: 869 South Pickett Street Alexandria, VA 22304

Dates/Times: Monday - Friday: 10am-6pm and Saturday 9am-5pm

 

Habitat for Humanity Build Day: Open to volunteers of all skill levels, commit to the entire day, and all the tools and safety equipment needed will be provided. Help with the different stages of construction at  the build sites. There are no build days available for the remainder of 2023, the schedule and build sites for the new spring 2024 projects will open between Jan. and Feb. 2024. Once build sites are announced, signup becomes available.

Contact Info: Rachel Jones, [email protected]

 

Little Lights Homework Club: Little Lights has provided sanctuaries of encouragement, hope, and practical assistance to underserved children, youth, and families in Washington, DC. Serves roughly 200 students and 300 adults each year who live in DC's public housing communities. 

Dates/Times:

Homework Club: Mon.-Thur. 3:30-6pm 

For more information, contact: Alizah Wilson, [email protected]

 

Grate Patrol: Volunteers help the homeless get meals (on days Miriam’s Kitchen is closed) by going out to distribute prepackaged breakfast and coffee on weekend mornings. 

Location: Meet at St. Paul’s Parish at 5:45 and go on one of two routes. One route is around Georgetown and the other route is by the National Mall.  

St. Paul’s Parish address:  2430 K St NW, Washington, DC 20037

Dates/Times: Every Saturday and Sunday from 5:45am to 9am

For more information, contact: Glenn Marsh, [email protected]

 

St. Mary’s Court: St. Mary’s Court provides a supportive environment in safe affordable housing for elderly and handicapped persons. Volunteers get paired with and assist residents for the day with cleaning, organizing, or any other day to day tasks they may need help with. 

Location: 725 24th St. NW Washington, D.C. 20037

Dates/Times: Email to schedule in advance

Contact Info: [email protected]

 

Conversations of Remember: Conversations to Remember is seeking outgoing college and high school student volunteers for virtual visits with residents in senior living communities who are lonely or just looking to expand their social circles. All volunteering is virtual, and can be done from your home, dorm, or any other area that is suitable.  Volunteers receive virtual training and ongoing support. The virtual visits are weekly, and have 2-3 students on the video call with one senior citizen.

Location: Virtual

Dates/Times: Volunteers are expected to allocate a minimum of one hour each week to be on a video call with a resident from a community that they have been partnered with.
 

Track your service: 

Student Guide on how to track hours.

 

Keep track of all your service hours on GivePulse. 

GivePulse has additional service events that you can sign up for with other GWU members in the DC area. 

 

Get more information about tracking your service on the Nashman page.

Service Opportunities suggested by the Nashman Center.

Leadership Events

Ambassadors Night

The EJS Women’s Leadership Program, with the support of H.E. Ambassador Hunaina Sultan Ahmed Al Mughairy, hosted ambassadors to an evening symposium and discussion. The event, “Diplomatic Leadership by Women: Benefits and Challenge” was moderated by Ms. Tara Sonenshine, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy in the Obama Administration.  The distinguished panelists shared stories about their work, identifying the complexities of diplomacy and the importance of exchanging ideas and perspectives across different cultural environments. We feel it is particularly important to stress the value of diplomacy in today’s fractured world and we intentionally bring our students into a meaningful dialogue about these issues. The evening symposium began with an informal reception where students had a chance to interact at small tables with individual ambassadors. 

Health Night

Each fall, the SHM cohort organize and host Women's Health Night, an event designed to bring the WLP together to discuss important issues in women's health. Started by the initiative of an SHM student in 2014, this annual event is an opportunity for student-led conversation and brainstorming about how to effect change around issues such as body image, mental health, reproductive care, and sexual health. The topics are chosen by students each year, and expert guests are invited to lend their voices to the conversation. 

Founder's Day

Yearly, the WLP hosts a Founder’s Day celebration that honors our namesake Elizabeth J Somers and recognizes the Mount Vernon College legacy. We invite past WLP students to participate in a panel discussion with our current students, centered on the themes of mentorship, scholarship, internships, and research. The upper-class WLP students highlight some of their active investment in the GW community and their leadership work on campus, showing our current students possible opportunities to consider. We also open the conversation to study abroad, research work, and internships. There is a massive network opportunity during the second hour where many WLP alumnae return to connect with our current students. The GW undergraduate fellowship office introduces their work with WLP, and we present our Mentor/Mentee program at the event. This exciting community platform introduces our students to the many achievements of our WLP alumnae and they begin to see themselves as a part of this larger WLP community.

Annual Research Conference

Every year the Women's Leadership Program holds a successful and well-established Research Conference. Following a rigorous selection process by their peers and professors, twelve students get to share their writing and research on a wide range of topics. Past conferences have included papers analyzing the role of Islamic feminists in pro-democracy movements, the African diaspora, music, politics, and celebrity culture and last (but not least), Jane Austen.The conference heralds an intellectually stimulating evening, where students engage in academic discussions in a setting that manages to be simultaneously professional and convivial. In the past, research and writing carried out by WLP students has led to their success in the Eckles Competition, a university-wide writing contest that awards excellence in academic writing and research.