UCARE

Ursinus Center for Advocacy, Responsibility, and Engagement

The Ursinus Center for Advocacy, Responsibility, and Engagement (UCARE) inspires the belief that positive change can be made in our world and helps students make that change happen. UCARE serves as the focal point for community service and civic engagement at Ursinus College. UCARE’s goal is to help students develop as thoughtful and responsible civic leaders, attuned to the context, strengths, and needs of the communities in which they serve. In the process, students begin to make connections between their classroom experiences and their society.

National Partnerships

Ursinus is a partner with the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and communities. The Bonner Program is designed to heighten the overall education students and members receive by asking them to engage in ongoing service work and helping them develop the experience, skills, knowledge, and values necessary to make that work meaningful and lasting.

  • Ursinus is a partner with the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and communities. The Bonner Program is designed to heighten the overall education students and members receive by asking them to engage in ongoing service work and helping them develop the experience, skills, knowledge, and values necessary to make that work meaningful and lasting.

    • Ursinus is a member of Project Pericles, a national organization of colleges and universities committed to make socially responsible and participatory citizenship an essential part of our educational program—in the classroom, on the campus, and in the community. Project Pericles brings its hands-on advocacy and activism workshop, Debating for Democracy (D4D) to Ursinus once per year (usually in February), which is offered to students at no cost.
    • K-12 education and after-school programs include ACLAMO (Acción Comunal Latinoamericana de Montgomery County), Barnstone Art for Kids, Phoenixville Area Positive Alternatives, Centro Cultural, Arte, Trabajo y Educación (CCATE), Crescendo Phoenixville, Girls on the Run, the Children’s Schoolhouse of Collegeville, Perkiomen Valley School District, Write Away, and America Reads (in partnership with the Institute for Inclusion and Equity). In these programs Ursinus students tutor and mentor local Pre-K-12students.
    • Food and shelter assistance programs include Daily Bread Community Food Pantry, Manna on Main Street, St. Mary’s Franciscan Shelter for Homeless Families, Phoenixville Women’s Outreach, Code Blue Emergency Warming Center, and Wismer on Wheels.
    • Community education programs include an ESL Program on Ursinus’ campus for Spanish-speaking employees and Montgomery County Correctional Facility GED Tutoring. As they invest in their own education, Ursinus students serve local adults and support them through life changes.
    • Environmental and animal welfare programs include the Ursinus College Campus Farm, Trellis for Tomorrow, Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, Chenoa Manor, and Camphill Village Kimberton Hills. Ursinus students with an interest in environmentalism or animal rights concentrate their efforts on improving the health of the environment and the animal life within it.
    • Health-related programs exist at the Parkhouse Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Kindred Hospice, Sebastian Riding Associates, the Phoenixville Clinic, and Frederick Living. Working with people from all walks of life, Ursinus students focus on health and well-being in their communities.
    • Annual service events on campus include Be the Change Day of Service, Martin Luther King Day of Service, UCARE’s Giving Tree, Disaster Relief Efforts, and Red Cross Blood Drives. Whether Ursinus students want to be involved in year-long service projects, or if they want to serve for a shorter time, UCARE offers opportunities for everyone to give back.

To read more about the programs offered through UCARE, visit its website.

Location and Hours

UCARE’s office is located in the lower level of Myrin Library and is open Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (though be sure to visit UCARE’s website for any changes). To contact UCARE, email ucare@ursinus.edu or call 610-409-3093.