Community Engagement & Volunteer Opportunities
Join an OSU Service Project
Participating in service with others from OSU is an engaging and rewarding experience! We offer weekly Beavs Volunteer projects and Saturday of Service projects as opportunities for you to connect with others over volunteering and making an impact in our community.
This annual event provides OSU community members with an opportunity to kick off the academic year engaged in our community. Registration and details can be found on our homepage on or before the start of fall term.
Examples of past projects:
- Volunteers did a variety of trail building projects in Chip Ross Natural Area, including path surfacing, trail grubbing, route marking, and hazard pruning.
- Volunteers helped prep food for a meal at the Stone Soup Kitchen.
- Volunteers worked at a home build for Benton Habitat for Humanity.
"We can begin by doing small things at the local level, like planting community gardens or looking out for our neighbors. That is how change takes place in living systems, not from above but from within, from many local actions occurring simultaneously." - Grace Lee Boggs
This day of service kicks off the OSU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration and is OSU's largest and longest running Saturday of Service. Join us to honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and then check out all the other great commemoration events and awards taking place the following week. Registration and details can be found on our homepage on or before the start of winter term.
Examples of past projects:
- Volunteers filled bins with gift supplies and helped to organize donation boxes for Trillium Family Services holiday gift program.
- Volunteers crafted cat and dog toys for SafeHaven Humane Society.
- Volunteers served food to 50 guests and played board games with the Unity Men's Shelter.
“True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.” ― Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Celebrate our planet and contribute to environmental restoration or conservation with us every spring through service! We share our event data with SOLVE who report on the amazing Earth Day work completed across the state. Registration and details can be found on our homepage on or before the start of spring term.
Examples of past projects:
- Volunteers removed 100 - 125 small coniferous trees encroaching on an endangered butterfly habitat at Bald Hill Farm.
- Volunteers painted 60 tiles to help beautify the Willamette Park Community Garden.
- Volunteers restored 2-3 miles of trail through the removal of scotch broom and other invasive species.
"The way we harm the earth affects all people, and how we treat one another is reflected in how we treat the earth." - Paul Hawken
Search for opportunities to volunteer on your own
In addition to groups service projects offered during Saturdays of Service and Beavs Volunteer, we also list a variety of volunteer opportunities on our community service database. These are ideal if you are unable to join group service projects and would like to volunteer independently.
For these opportunities, please contact the community partner using the information provided.
The information contained on this website is for general information purposes only, and OSU does not screen, recommend, endorse, or sponsor the entities, individuals, or events on this list. In no event will OSU be liable for any loss or damage resulting in reliance of the information provided, or participation in the event represented. Students are strongly encouraged to carefully review opportunities to identify those that best align with their interests and personal circumstances and reach out to the hosting organization with any questions or concerns.
Log your volunteer service hours
Keep track of your hours for future reference or to meet volunteer service requirements.