The Emory community will show its dedication to serving others by mobilizing volunteer forces in Atlanta and beyond for Emory Cares International Service Day on Saturday, Nov. 9.

At its heart, the day is about living out Emory’s mission to serve humanity: a chance to nourish relationships within the Emory family, increase Emory’s visibility, strengthen partnerships with civic and community organizations and improve communities worldwide.

The effort was founded in 2003 by Renelda Mack 83C, a former Emory Alumni Board president, and has become a popular annual tradition jointly organized by the Emory Alumni Association and Volunteer Emory. 

Students, alumni, faculty and staff, as well as their families and friends, can sign up for a variety of service projects being organized in metro Atlanta and around the world. The opportunities address a wide range of needs, which makes it easy to find a project of interest.

Here are just a few examples of Atlanta-area projects for 2019:

• Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition: help package Naloxone kits, condom kits and testing kits; help prepare outreach supplies and fold brochures
• Atlanta Shakespeare Company: help with general cleaning of the lobby, theater and parking lot
• Books for Africa: sort and pack books for shipment to Africa
• Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve or Friends of Kittredge Park: plant trees, remove invasive plants and help with general train maintenance
• Hope Hill Elementary School: beautify the school by landscaping the outside area or working on indoor projects if the weather isn’t ideal
• International Women’s House: assist with warehouse and storage organization and/or outdoor clean-up
• Medshare: sort, identify and package critical medical supplies that will be shipped to communities in need around the world
• Open Hand Atlanta: pack nonperishable items and fresh produce into grocery bags for low-income, medically-eligible clients
• 4Sarah: make gift bags and organize and clean inside the assessment house 

Sign up for an Atlanta-area project here (a t-shirt is not guaranteed for registrations after Oct. 31). 

Volunteer Emory, a program that connects student organizations on campus with opportunities to serve community partners, organizes student participation. Students can sign up for Emory Cares through Friday, Nov. 8, on this page from Volunteer Emory. 

Transportation will be provided for students who register for a Volunteer Emory project. Meet in the Emory Student Center’s Multipurpose Room at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, for the Emory Cares Day kick-off.

Volunteer at Oxford College

Oxford College has partnered with the Newton County Foster Care program for this year’s Emory Cares Day. Volunteers will pack donated toiletries into shoe boxes for children in the Newton County Foster Care program. 

Participants also can bring items to pack in the boxes. Suggested items include toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, lip balm, sunblock, brushes, combs, hair accessories, tissue pack, socks, gift cards, coloring books, school supplies, playing cards, small games, comic books, note cards, books or magazines, small writing journals and shoes boxes.

This opportunity is open to entire families and to children of all ages. Lunch will be provided.

Register for the Oxford College project here (a t-shirt is not guaranteed for registrations after Oct. 31).

Alumni projects beyond Georgia 

In addition to multiple projects in the Atlanta area, Emory alumni have organized a variety of projects in other cities where they live, with more than 90 projects in cities across the U.S. 

Projects range from helping clean up a section of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., to serving brunch to seriously ill children and their families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Seattle.

Register for a service project in your region outside of Georgia here (a t-shirt is not guaranteed for registrations after Oct. 31).

Seven international projects are also scheduled. In Korea, for example, alums will deliver alternative heating fuel for those in need. Hong Kong alumni will volunteer on a project to help underprivileged children. In Madrid, fellow Spain alumni, family and friends will gather with local junior high school students and other community volunteers to serve breakfast to more 350 homeless people in downtown Madrid.

See the full list of 2019 alumni international projects.

Those who want to participate but don’t have projects in their area can volunteer for any local nonprofit or organization as a part of Emory Cares Everywhere. Learn how to get involved if there’s not a project in your area.