Bonner Office of Community Service

We are committed to perpetuating a culture of service on campus. Explore the Student Life and Leadership App to find the best opportunity for you.

• Student Life and Leadership App 
  

The Bonner Office of Community Service facilitates a culture of service on our campus that strengthens our resolve to be accountable as leaders, with the desire to be stewards of positive social change in the areas of education, environment, sustainability, political participation, food security, social enterprise, and social justice in general. We provide infrastructure and support for students, faculty, and staff to receive training and learn best practices to support the design, implementation, and assessment of community impact interventions. Students are invited to participate in service and community engagement opportunities such as food drives, mentoring, tutoring, beautification projects, voter registration drives, outreach projects, training, and many more. 

Some of our annual community, service, engagement and advocacy projects include:

Bonner Service Olympics

This multi-event fundraiser is the brainchild of Bonner Scholar alumnus, Isaiah Hudson ’18, which mobilizes recognized student organizations within the Atlanta University Center to raise funds through competition for local non-profits and organizations of their choice that improve the quality of life of Black people on the westside of Atlanta.

The Bonner Service Olympics features kickball, flag football, basketball, and dodgeball, where teams earn points for first, second, and third place finishes in each sport and ultimate earn funds for their organization of choice. Throughout the process, students conduct community asset mapping and collectively bring awareness

It’s On the ‘HOUSE

Thanksgiving Edition: This event focuses on hunger and health and is facilitated by the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Scholar Program a week prior to Thanksgiving and mobilizes Morehouse stakeholders and the larger community.

Angel Tree Edition: Join Emma & Joe Adams Scholars as they mobilize the community to add some holiday cheer to youth in need.

Back to School Kits: During this effort, Emma & Joe Adams Scholars collaborate with internal and external partners to raise funds for back-to-school kits to support youth beyond the first day of classes.

MLK Day of Service

Martin Luther King, Jr., ’48 developed his approach to nonviolent social change while a student at Morehouse under the tutelage of intellectual leaders who would influence his advocacy and activism throughout his life, establishing Morehouse as one of the prominent intellectual and activist sites of the modern Civil Rights Movement. The Annual Morehouse College Martin Luther King Commemoration is a multicultural experience designed to educate the world on his historical and contemporary impact, engage the global community on issues of equity, and celebrate his legacy via service and advocacy.

Culturally-Relevant Book Drive

The brainchild of Emma & Joe Adams Scholar, Omarri Beck ‘21, Adams scholars engage the campus community to identify, donate, and distribute culturally relevant literature to local schools. The effort is an attempt to inform identity, celebrate culture, build self-esteem while exposing them to relatable literature, while ultimately building upon their literacy skills.

Sandwich Run

In 2013, Daniel West ’15 spearheaded a collaboration between organizations that he held membership, the Bonner Scholar Program and the Omega Psi Phi. The collaboration would yield the first-ever annual service event to address the needs of those experiencing hunger and homelessness. Today the event is known as the Sandwich Run and has been enhanced by his fraternity brother and fellow Bonner Scholar alumnus, Noah McQueen ’20.

Through these experiences and upon graduation, men of Morehouse will achieve the following learning outcomes: civic agency, civic identity, critical thinking and perspective-taking, communication skills, diversity and intercultural competence, empathy, integrative learning, leadership, place and issue knowledge, and social justice.

The Bonner Office of Community Service has partnered with GivePulse to launch the Servant Leaders Student Life and Leadership app. This partnership of purpose will improve the network of communication between non-profit agencies, students, faculty, and staff who desire to improve the world through volunteering, philanthropy, research, and community engagement that is social, beneficial, and impactful.

The Student Life and Leadership app will add greater efficiency in the management of service opportunities while ensuring that we continue to serve in a strategic manner that builds capacity for our community partners and meets society's needs. With the new app, community partners can market and manage service projects available to our students. Professors can configure and track course-specific service-learning opportunities while facilitating meaningful reflections. Students can search for opportunities that meet their interests and generate a summary that details verified service outcomes such as time served, money raised, donations collected, research, and training completed. The app also boasts an application and internship portal. The Student Life and Leadership app can be accessed through MyPortal.

TRAINING GUIDES FOR STUDENT LIFE AND LEADERSHIP  APP

Professors may request in-class demonstrations of the Student Life and Leadership app by contacting Kevin D. Chapman, Jr. at kevin.chapmanjr@morehouse.edu. Technical support may be reached via support@givepulse.com.

Please find resources below to assist you with the Student Life and Leadership app.

Students

Exploring, registering for, and submitting service confirmations.

• Overview Video
• Creating Your Servant Leaders Profile
• Finding and Registering for Volunteer Opportunities
• Canceling Registrations
• Submitting an Impact (Confirmation of Community Service)
• Editing or Deleting Impacts
• Creating a Service Summary for a Specific Period of Time

Faculty

Service-learning management capabilities. 

• Overview Video
• Creating Your Servant Leaders Profile
• Creating an Event for Class Group Page
• Editing an Event
• Tracking Service Hours of a Class
• Messaging Event Registrants
• Messaging Entire Class or Group

Community Partners and Registered Student Organizations

Service and community engagement event management capabilities for staff and RSO advisors, including verifying service impacts.

• Creating Your Servant Leaders Profile
• Creating an Event
• Editing an Event
• Messaging Event Registrants
• Messaging an Entire Group

The Bonner Office of Community Service encourages a culture of service on our campus that strengthens our resolve to be accountable as leaders, with the desire to be stewards of positive social change.

Home to the Emma and Joe Adams, and Corella and Bertram F. Bonner scholarship programs, scholars engage in a scaffolded education and reflection calendar based on the four-year Bonner Developmental Model. This model delivers a sequenced, progressive exploration of the skills, knowledge, values, and competencies needed for service work in local communities. Throughout their matriculation, their work builds the capacity of programs, organizations, and communities. Upon graduation, our scholars achieve the following learning outcomes: civic agency, civic identity, critical thinking and perspective-taking, communication skills, diversity and intercultural competence, empathy, integrative learning, leadership, place and issue knowledge, and social justice.

Before applying to our competitive, renewable scholarship programs, you must have received an acceptance letter from the Office of Admissions and Recruitment or are currently enrolled as well as completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have list Morehouse as a designee.

Applicants can anticipate providing a letter of recommendation, FAFSA Student Aid Report that lists Morehouse College as a designee, and service transcript from the Servant Leaders community service app (current students) or a detailed service chart with signatures (incoming students).

We have discovered that strong applications are submitted by men who understand our program by reading the content on our webpage, following @MorehouseCares on Twitter and Instagram, and engaging current community service scholars via social media or published contact information.                 

Since 1990, the Bonner Scholars program has provided the men of Morehouse access to education and an opportunity to serve. Funded by the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation of Princeton, New Jersey, the program supports the men of Morehouse in creating a culture of service throughout campus that strengthens their resolve to be accountable as leaders, while being stewards of positive social change.

More than simply a form of renewable financial aid, our Bonner Scholars program provides you the opportunity to continue your community service interests throughout college. Each year in May, the Bonner Office of Community Service must replace 15 graduating Bonner Scholars with 15 incoming freshmen who demonstrate a commitment to community service and family obligations.

Scholarship Package Amount: Varies

Eligibility Requirements

• Member of the Morehouse College’s incoming Class of 2028 (early admissions recommended)
• Passion for improving the quality of life in under-served communities
• Financial need as demonstrated by an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) of $15,000 or below

Scholarship Requirements 

• Maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA
• Earn 15 credit hours each semester
• 280 service hours each academic year
• Attend All-Scholars, L.E.A.D. certificate program, and program-specific meetings
• Complete two summers of full-time service (280 hours each) following their first and second year in the Program
• Reside and participate in the first-year Bonner Living and Learning Community
• Participate in the First Year Service Trip (typically during spring break)
• Participate in the Second Year Exchange
• Complete the Junior-Senior Capstone Project and Senior Presentation of Learning
• Contribute to the planning and implementation of the MLK Day of Service and It’s On the ‘HOUSE events

Application Process Timeline

Due to our scholarship program's renewable nature and the minimum service requirements set forth by the Bonner Foundation, upperclassmen are extremely unlikely to be awarded a scholarship because of a lack of vacancies.

The Emma and Joe Adams Scholars Program is committed to shaping the standard-bearers of exemplary community service in under-served communities.

In 1994, Emma and Joe Adams decided to create a legacy that would address the needs of under-served communities. Their search for an educational institution to assist them in realizing their dream led them to Morehouse where they formed a scholarship program through their initial donation of $100,000.

The Emma and Joe Adams Scholarship Program supports up to 28 students who facilitate monthly events that lend academic and moral support to youth in community outreach activities. Applicants should know that Adams Scholars are steadfast in their commitment to serving as advocates for children and as leaders in the social change and community movement in underserved communities.

Scholarship Amount

$1,900

Eligibility Requirements

• Passion for improving the quality of life in under-served communities
• Demonstrate a financial need

Scholarship Requirements

• Maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA
• Earn 15 credit hours each semester
• Attend All-Scholars, L.E.A.D. certificate program, and program-specific meetings
• Contribute to the planning and implementation of the MLK Day of Service and It’s On the ‘HOUSE events

Application Process Timeline

This is a four-year scholarship that requires a recommitment to the program every year after successful completion of the program requirements.

Morehouse College believes in rewarding good deeds. Men of Morehouse can earn volunteer rewards through the Bonner Office of Community Service, be nominated for college service awards, and gain recognition for their service from the President of the United States through the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

President’s Volunteer Service Award

Students who completed 100 hours or more of community service during a calendar year are eligible for the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Recipients receive a personalized certificate, an official medallion, and a congratulatory letter from the President of the United States. Students must log volunteer hours on the Servant Leaders Student Life and Leadership app in order to be eligible for this award.

Students who have questions regarding how to log volunteer hours in order to be eligible for rewards should contact Bonner Office of Community Service at (470) 639-0594 or email.

President’s Awards for Community Service and Social Justice

The Bonner Office of Community Service is currently accepting nominations for the President’s Awards for Community Service and Social Justice. This prestigious award will be given to individuals and organizations who exemplify a commitment to serving others and the historic westside of the Atlanta community at the annual Service Recognition Awards.

The six award categories are: 

• Outstanding Community Impact Award - Student: Given to a man of Morehouse who has exemplified outstanding service to the historic westside of the Atlanta community.
• Servant Leader Award - Registered Student Organization: Awarded to a Morehouse College registered student organization that has provided exemplary service to the historic westside of the Atlanta community.
• Outstanding Community Impact Award - Alumnus: Acknowledges the efforts of a Morehouse Man who has exemplified outstanding service to his community.
• Outstanding Campus Impact Award - Staff: Recognizes a Morehouse College staff member who has dedicated his or her time in addressing a campus need and going beyond the call of duty to create a sense of community.
• Outstanding Service - Learning Project Award: Acknowledges the efforts of faculty that created a service-learning project to serve the historic westside of Atlanta’s needs.
• Outstanding Community Partner Award: Highlights the relationship between Morehouse College and a non-profit community agency to address community needs.

Please click the button below to submit a nomination for the President’s Awards for Community Service and Social Justice to the Bonner Office of Community Service to be considered for the award.

Nominations will not be accepted after February 7 at 5 p.m. of each year.

For any questions concerning President’s Awards for Community Service and Social Justice nomination, please call the Bonner Office of Community Service at (470) 639-0594 or email.

Nominate Now

Volunteer of the Month

Each month, staff members from the Bonner Office of Community Service will select one student to be recognized as Volunteer of the Month for their hard work and dedication to serving in the greater Atlanta community. Additionally, the student is evaluated by their contributions to our institution and campus community. 

Through participation in service-learning activities and community service, students will be able to articulate skills and characteristics relating to personal and professional growth while also highlighting the importance of teamwork.

Students that receive this honor are likely to experience the following:

• Improve problem-solving and critical thinking
• Knowledge to apply real-world experience to complex situations
• Enhanced communication skills 
• Career development opportunities by networking with professionals and community members
• Greater sense of assurance to get involved with service after graduation
• Stimulate a sense of involvement that will produce higher retention rates 
• Empower to seek meaningful social change at Morehouse College, in their community, and the world 

Volunteer of the Month honor allows the Bonner Office of Community Service to broadcast students’ outstanding work in the greater Atlanta community and beyond.

Students, faculty, staff, or community partners who are interested in nominating a student to be featured as Volunteer of the Month, please click on the nomination button below. 

Students who are selected as Volunteer of the Month will receive a $50 textbook scholarship voucher.

Nominate Now

Volunteer of the Semester

Each semester, staff members from the Bonner Office of Community Service will select one person to be Volunteer of the Semester for their hard work and dedication to serving in the greater Atlanta community. Additionally, the student is evaluated by their contributions to our institution and campus community.

Through participation in service-learning activities and community service, students will be able to articulate skills and characteristics relating to personal and professional growth while also highlighting the importance of teamwork.

Students who receive this honor are likely to experience the following:

• Improve problem-solving and critical thinking
• Knowledge to apply real-world experience to complex situations
• Enhanced communication skills 
• Career development opportunities by networking with professionals and community members
• Greater sense of assurance to get involved with service after graduation
• Stimulate a sense of involvement that will produce higher retention rates 
• Empower to seek meaningful social change at Morehouse College, in their community, and the world 

Volunteer of the Semester honor allows the Bonner Office of Community Service to broadcast students’ outstanding work in the greater Atlanta community and beyond.

Students, faculty, staff, or community partners who are interested in nominating a student to be featured as Volunteer of the Semester, please click on the below nomination form button.

Students that are selected as Volunteer of the Semester will receive a $250 textbook scholarship voucher.

Nominate Now

The Bonner Office of Community Service would like to thank our sponsors for their continued support of this program.

• Developmental and Compliance Request
• Community Fund Request