Service Opportunities
Benedictine University is Committed to Service
Benedictine University is committed to service. We stand in solidarity with local, regional and global communities. We live out a call that is reflective of our Catholic and Benedictine heritage and identity to work toward the common good.
Are you aware of a local organization that is in need of service or volunteers? Is that group found on our list of service sites? If not, please let us know! We want to make our students aware of as many local service opportunities as we possibly can.
Local Service
Our Benedictine tradition calls us to care for our community. Our students are engaged at a number of different local nonprofits throughout the year. Where are you being called to serve?
In Lisle, every first and third Wednesday of the month, we host a potluck dinner at Catholic Charities Hope House Transitional Housing. It is an opportunity to provide a meal for someone in need and learn from the residents of Hope House.
Local NonProfits BenU Students Serve
National Service
National service opportunities allow students to expand their commitment to service throughout the country. In the past, Benedictine students have worked at a mission parish with Native Americans in Wisconsin, and built and repaired homes in Louisiana destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. We offer national trips during the winter, spring and summer break periods so that students do not have to miss class. More information about these trips can be found below.
Hopkins Park, Ilinois
Benedictine University has partnered with the Sacred Heart Mission Parish for years. For nearly a decade, we have sent students there to help make life a little easier for residents by distributing food or helping them with household chores.
Baldwin, Michigan
Baldwin is located on the west side of Michigan. Each May our scholars students work on improving homes and visit with those in the community.
Misericordia, Chicago, IL
Misericordia is a 31-acre residential community serving individuals with developmental disabilities. It offers a wide variety of programs and currently serves more than 600 children and adults. BenU students are encouraged to serve this underserved population in Chicago, Illinois.
International Service
Benedictine University currently offers international service opportunities through a partnership with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet. Two trips are currently available: one to the Philippines at the end of the fall semester in January and one to Bolivia at the end of the spring semester in June. More information about University mission trips offered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet can be found on their website.
Sucre, Bolivia
The University Mission to Sucre, Bolivia began in 1995 through the efforts of Sr. Dolores Zemont, OSF, at the University of St. Francis. In 2001, it was expanded by the diocese’s Peace and Social Justice Ministry to include students from all three of the diocese’s Catholic universities: Benedictine University, Lewis University and the University of St. Francis. In partnership with the diocese’s Peace and Justice office, students from the College of DuPage, Elmhurst College, Joliet Junior College and North Central College are also included in this mission opportunity.
While in Sucre, students serve at several orphanages, day care centers, a hospital built by the diocese and two psychiatric centers.
Bolivia dates: TBA
Contact [email protected]
Bacolod, Philippines
Benedictine Campus Ministry has joined the diocese for the past dozen years on service trips to Bacolod, Philippines. The primary goal of the service trip is to build a house with the Gawad Kalinga organization. Students who attend also dialogue with local university students and spend time with families in the village.
Philippines Dates: June 8-23, 2025
Application Deadline: Jan. 10, 2025
Spring Break Service
Check back here for more information on the 2025 Spring Break Service.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Student Ambassadors
CRS Student Ambassadors serve to strengthen our relationship with the international humanitarian nonprofit organization Catholic Relief Services. They also educate the Benedictine community on global poverty and injustice and advocate for the poor and marginalized.
Events organized on campus include Fair Trade sales and the Lenten Rice Bowl Feast Friday programs.