Administrivia

A score of service

For 20 years, the University Community Service Center has helped students build a more just Chicago.

Jeanie Chung

The University Community Service Center (UCSC) connects students with local community organizations in need of volunteers. Through UCSC, founded by Michelle Obama in 1996 when she worked as UChicago’s associate dean of student services, students have found opportunities large and small to get involved. The Core ran the numbers on what UCSC has accomplished over the years.

Hours worked by Summer Links interns since its 1997 launch:
165,440

Student interns running UCSC programs during the current academic year: 26

Student volunteers at the first Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in 1997: 42

Volunteers at the 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend of Service:
356

Dollars allocated to student-led projects by the Community Service Fund since 1997:
831,727

Average number of partner organizations served each year:
250

Chicago neighborhoods supported by UCSC efforts:
55*

Pounds of clementines consumed by the 15-person Alternative Spring Break team in March 2016, which students spent living and working at organizations throughout Woodlawn:
19

*The total number of Chicago neighborhoods varies depending on whom you ask, but most estimates put the total around 200.