Wake Forest University
EN-13: Community Service

Employees may take up to four hours of administrative leave at the discretion of their supervisor to serve as tutors and mentors for area young people. Annually, our Pro Humanitate service awards recognize up to 3 exemplary faculty and staff servant leaders.

Data is from 2017-18 and includes undergraduate students only. Thousands of Wake Forest undergraduate students engage in service each year through service-learning courses, domestic and international service trips, long-term and short-term service projects and initiatives, the President’s Honor Roll, and other opportunities facilitated by the Pro Humanitate Institute. For the past twelve years, the university has sponsored the Academic and Community Engagement (ACE) Fellows program for faculty members interested in incorporating service-learning into new or existing courses. The program provides workshops on course development, guidance, and stipends to implement a service learning course that enhances teaching and enriches learning. This initiative links our commitment to academic excellence and service to humanity. We encourage students to begin participating in community service activities during their first year at Wake Forest, and offer a pre-orientation program that allows students to learn about service opportunities in the Winston-Salem area. We offer 12 alternative spring break programs in locations throughout the country, a fall break service experience, and four international service experiences yearly. Wake Forest students also serve the community through their philanthropic efforts for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund. The Piccolo Cancer Drive has engaged thousands of students, faculty, and staff annually, raising $1.5 million dollars to support the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Cancer Center since its inception. Many of our community service and philanthropy programs are campus traditions that define who we are and what we believe. Wake Forest also sponsors a Campus Kitchen. Established in 1999 by two undergraduate students, Campus Kitchen is a food security program that uses cooked, but never served, food from the campus dining hall to make healthy and nutritious meals for those suffering from food poverty in our community. Each year over 5,000 meals are delivered. Over 500 volunteers give more than 2,400 hours of their time and help save more than 5,400 pounds of food. The national Campus Kitchens program, which now includes twenty-five colleges and universities, was founded by two Wake Forest alumnae. As evidenced above, community engagement is a key part of the leadership experience of Wake Forest students. It is quite common for student organizations whose primary focus is not community engagement to participate in service projects in collaboration with other student organizations. For example, Greek organizations, campus ministry groups, and academic and social clubs have organized efforts to participate in Campus Kitchen, volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, host canned food drives, and volunteer at local nonprofit agencies.