Through partnerships with over 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 various immersion experiences.
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 30 different service sites as part of Make a Difference Day. 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.
- Immersion Experiences
CJ offers a variety of faith-based experiences and immersion trips to help students 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; Glenmary Home Missioners in Tennessee, Urban Plunge, Tacoma Catholic Worker and more.