Community-Engaged Leadership

Thank you for your interest in partnering with the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership to create social change around community-driven priorities. We strive to create and sustain community partnerships through programs and initiatives that strengthen the connection between campus and the community, in which we learn from each other to create more just and sustainable communities.

While we collaborate with several nonprofit organizations in Boone (the Heart of the High Country), we also foster relationships with organizations serving other parts of our region. Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties are collectively referred to as the High Country.

Our community partners have access to a wide variety of resources and opportunities through our office. A list of current community partners can be found on our website. Nonprofit organizations complete a short registration process to formalize our partnership and be featured in this database to reach student volunteers. Questions? Please call our office at: (828) 262-2545.

Request Support

The Office of Community-Engaged Leadership understands that many groups across campus and our community rely on hardworking volunteers to staff their events and accomplish key goals. We welcome requests from the community seeking individual or group volunteers for one-time or ongoing projects that may not be met by service-learning courses or other partnerships. Such requests might broadly address constant needs such as tutoring young students or serving meals to the hungry. Other requests might focus on one-time events or large-scale initiatives.

Our staff cannot guarantee a student response, but we can promote items to students through various platforms on behalf of our community partners.

Six weeks before an event (or sooner), you may reach out to our office to request a volunteer opportunity to be posted, including in your message: the specific volunteer need with expected tasks, dates, times, and contact details/registration instructions. Typically, these events are shared to the campus community, and interested students contact the community partner directly to arrange their volunteer appointment. We understand that organizations may have additional questions about reaching specific student groups or campus offices; community partners are welcome to schedule a meeting to request other input.