Service Projects
NOTES: Below is a list of community partners and service projects for staff to participate and engage in virtually and in person. We do ask that staff RSVP for a service project (feel free to RSVP for more than 1) so we can track where our service and outreach is taking place. If you would like to participate in our UL Gives Back Social Media Campaign to track our service, please use #ULgivesback when posting and sharing photos.
In Person Projects
- Blanket Making for Animals (Volunteer spaces available: 15)
- Volunteers will help make blankets using t-shirts for local area animal shelters. We are also collecting gently used t-shirts (any size) to make the blankets. T-shirts can be dropped off to SBUS Suite (Mason Square) on July 24th or July 24th.
- Location: SBUS Suite (Mason Square – Arlington)
- For questions, contact Elizabeth Henderson at ehende@gmu.edu
- Creativity Corner (Volunteer spaces available: 25)
- Cards for Veterans
- Chew Toys for Animal Shelters
- Blankets for Animal Shelters
- Mason Chooses Kindness Rock Painting
- Location: The Hub, Student Involvement (Room 2300)
- The EDGE at Mason (Volunteer spaces available: 10)
- Volunteers: Outdoor work, moving mulch or clipping weeds, trail clearing, etc. Please be sure to wear close-toed athletic shoes, bring water & sunscreen
- Location: 9100 Freedom Center blvd. Manassas
- Fairfax Humane Society Admin Building (Volunteer spaces available: 3)
- Volunteers will help with whatever needs to be done that day. Typical daily needs may include: folding towels, sorting food donations, unpacking deliveries, making copies of contracts, etc.
- Location: 4057 Chainbridge Road
Fairfax Humane Society Thrift Store (Volunteer spaces available: 2)Volunteers: Will help to organize and inventory donation items (ex: clothing, household items, shoes, etc.).Location: 4057 Chainbridge Road (right behind the main building)
- Fairfax Humane Society – Farm (Volunteer spaces available: 10)
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Volunteers will help with fence painting, mowing/weed whacking, filling in holes in dog yards, Potentially baths for dogs, and weeding the front gardens.
- Location: 15911 Lee highway, Centreville VA 20121.
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- Fairfax Library (Volunteer spaces available: 3)
- Volunteers will will assist with cleaning and disinfecting of library tables.
- Location: 10360 North St, Fairfax, VA 22030
- LGBTQ+ Trans Closet (Volunteer spaces available: 2)
- Volunteers will help with clothing inventory and sorting.
- Location: SUB I, Room 2200
- Mason Chooses Kindness: Chalking (Volunteer spaces available: 10)
- As part of Mason Chooses Kindness’ Mission, “create and sustain an infectious kindness revolution at Mason”, volunteers are needed to help chalk various locations around campus with inspiring and positive messages. Chalking will take place in various locations around campus.
- Location: Various locations around campus
- Potomac Heights Vegetable Garden (Volunteer spaces available: 20)
- Join our part-time gardener, Sven, at the Potomac Heights Organic Vegetable Garden to help clear garden beds and plant seeds for a fall harvest. We recommend wearing a hat and sunscreen and bringing a reusable water bottle. We have used gardening gloves to share, but feel free to bring your own.
- Location: The garden is hidden behind the Potomac Heights residence hall, near the back of the Aquatic Fitness Center, at 10350 York River Road, Fairfax, VA. You will need to approach the Potomac Heights building, and then go around the corner to the back of the building before you see the garden
- President’s Park Innovation Food Forrest (Volunteer spaces available: 15)
- Join Doni at the Innovation Food Forest to help clear weeds from the pathways and prune shrubs. The Food Forest is full of perennial plants like fruit trees, edible tubers and berry bushes that produce food sustainably with fewer inputs. Plants like passion fruit vines and fig trees produce hundreds of fruits every fall! Learn how to identify edibles and invasive weeds. We recommend wearing a hat and sunscreen and bringing a reusable water bottle. We have used gardening gloves to share, but feel free to bring your own.
- Location: The food forest is located near the south/lower-level entrance of the Johnson Center, next to Innovation Hall at 4699 Mattaponi River Ln. Volunteers can walk in and find staff near the center of the site.
- President’s Park Greenhouse (Volunteer spaces available: 12)
- Join Doni and Lily at the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse to help maintain the worm compost bins, set up grow systems, treat pests organically, and transplant seedlings. Check out our aquaponics system with live fish!
- Location: The Presidents Park Greenhouse is located between Ike’s Dining Hall and Taylor Hall, near Robert’s Road, at 10440 Presidents Park Dr. and is shown as #26 on the right/eastern side of the campus map. Feel free to call the manager, Doni, at 703-993-4220, if you have trouble finding the greenhouse.
Hybrid Projects (in-person and virtual options available)
- Mason Square: Planting Kindness (Volunteer spaces available: TBD)
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Join us in person (Mason Square Plaza – rain location: Van Metre Hall 211) or virtually as we paint and plant. In person we will be painting mini flower pots and planting seeds in them once they are dry. Virtual guests are free to join us with their own art or garden project. Participants are encouraged to give finished flower points as an act of kindness to a colleague, a friend, or organization. For questions, contact: Mary O’Connor at moconn5@gmu.edu.
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- Create Your Own Service Project
- If you have a service project you are interested in doing that isn’t listed here, please select this ticket. We realize that many folks have connections to other organizations (ex: non-profit groups, youth groups, churches, etc.) and may have other areas of need or service possibilities. If you select this option and would like to share, please email Lisa Snyder (lsnyder2@gmu.edu) to share which project you are doing.
Virtual Projects
- Chalk your driveway and sidewalks
- In your neighborhoods or areas outside, write a message of hope or encouragement for others to see
- Make a Change: Call or write a letter to your senator or local leaders
- Is there something in our communities/society that would like to see change? Call or write a letter to your senator or reach out to local leaders to share your concerns and ideas for positive change.
- Rock painting
- Paint rocks with inspiriting messages of hope, encouragement, or fun designs to share with others. Painted rocks can be hidden around your neighborhoods or other local area locations.
- Thank a colleague
- Write a letter or send an email to a colleague(s) to let them know how amazing they are and give them some KUDOS and encouragement.
- Patriot Pantry
- UL Gives Back is partnering with the GMU Patriot Pantry to host a donation drive. Donations can be purchased via the Amazon Wish List to be sent directly to the pantry. In addition to the Amazon Wish List, multiple drop-off sites will be available for your convenience. If you plan to donate physical items, please do so by dropping in the boxes located at the following offices:
- Fairfax Campus
- SUB I, Room 4211 (UL Central)
- The Hub, Room 2400 (The LEAD Office)
- Sci Tech Campus
- Colgan Hall, Room 202
- Mason Square
- Van Metre Hall Room 222
- Fairfax Campus
- UL Gives Back is partnering with the GMU Patriot Pantry to host a donation drive. Donations can be purchased via the Amazon Wish List to be sent directly to the pantry. In addition to the Amazon Wish List, multiple drop-off sites will be available for your convenience. If you plan to donate physical items, please do so by dropping in the boxes located at the following offices: