The core value of service at CJ is to serve a wide range of people and inspire students to be people of service. Through partnerships with more than 50 organizations, students have a variety of ways to participate in service learning experiences in the Dayton region and beyond. In four years, a student will have the opportunity to serve the local, national and international communities through these opportunities and other programs including Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week, Little Sibs, Make a Difference Day, and mission trips.
Each year, students fulfill a service component for their religion class with a particular area of focus for each grade level culminating with the Senior Capstone Project. Students who go above and beyond their service fulfillment and achieve exceptional levels of volunteerism for the year are honored at the annual service awards held in May.
Examples of service learning opportunities made available to students include:
- Little Sibs Program – CJ’s “Little Sibs” program is open to juniors and seniors. Students are paired with a student from a designated elementary school and once a week, visit their “little sibling”, serving as a role model and mentor for the younger children.
- Make a Difference Day – For more than 25 years, CJ has been partnering with approximately 15-20 different service sites as part of Make a Difference Day — a CJ tradition. Each year, hundreds of CJ students and adults each year spend part of their weekend in October to volunteer at local parks and homeless shelters, clean up neighborhoods, visit nursing homes, and much more.
- Mission Trips / Immersion Experiences
Each summer, CJ provides faith based and service mission trips/immersion experiences to students to help them grow in their faith and develop the capacity to put that faith into action. Current trips include the Student Leadership Conference (Boston), sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur; Marianist LIFE Week; Taos, New Mexico mission trip; and the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice (Washington, D.C.).