Volunteer Services; An Education of the Heart

Service is an integral part of the Maryville College experience and a major component of the College's Statement of Purpose. At Maryville, students receive not only an education of the mind, but also an education of the heart.

Most Maryville College students participate in some form of volunteer service — either as a scholarship recipient, a community volunteer, or as a service-learning participant in a course. Maryville students have traveled across the United States, Africa, Europe, and Central and South America in an effort to achieve service goals of global citizenship.

Listed below is a small sampling of the wide range of volunteer service activities available to Maryville students.

Maryville College Student Literacy Corps

Through the Maryville College Student Literacy Corps (MCSLC), students contribute to educational efforts in the greater community. The Literacy Corps combines traditional academic work and real-world experience to enhance student learning and enable students to make meaningful contributions to the community beyond the campus. In a campus-based component, students investigate and analyze the complex issues surrounding literacy education in the United States. In a community-based component, students participate in tutor orientation and training sponsored by the Maryville College Student Literacy Corps and then work as tutors in community literacy education programs. Tutor site placements include the Blount County jail, the Adult Basic Education Center, the Tennessee Department of Education, and local foundations, agencies, and religious organizations.

Alternative Break Programs

Alternative Fall Break, Alternative Weekends, Alternative Spring Break, and MOOSE (Maryville Outdoor, Outreach Service Experience) are designed to give students exposure to a variety of issues and settings. The focus of Alternative Fall Break is service in Appalachia; the focus of Alternative Spring Break is service to urban settings, the focus of MOOSE is the environment and the western United States, Examples of past trips include fall break trips to Kentucky Habitat for Humanity, trail maintenance at Tennessee State Parks, and other projects designed by Christian Appalachian Project. Spring Break trips have included work at homeless shelters in Washington DC, and Charleston, S.C.; and work at community centers in Jacksonville, Orlando, Savannah, and New Orleans, The MOOSE trip is a month-long trip to the west to serve in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

Good Samaritan Clinics

The Good Samaritan Clinic and Good Samaritan Dental Clinic are popular agencies among students who wish to pursue medical careers. Students are able to experience a broad range of services at the clinics, including providing administrative assistance, checking vital signs, and assisting doctors.

Habitat for Humanity

The campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity is an active one. Every Saturday, a group of student volunteers work with the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate to help provide simple, decent, and affordable housing to Blount County families in need. In 2000, Maryville College built its first Habitat House with entirely student, faculty, and staff labor. In 2004, MC students partnered with Maryville High School students to build the final home in Jubilee Ridge, a planned Habitat Community.