COOP News

Hamilton’s Community Outreach and Opportunity Project (COOP) connects Hamilton students and employees with nonprofit agencies in Clinton, Utica, Rome, and beyond. Through 14+ direct service programs, students create positive change while developing close and enduring relationships with local communities.

Students kept busy as they wrapped up the fall semester and over winter break. Read about what some of them did.

Nine students spent part of their winter break teaming up with Maxwell Akuamoah-Boateng ’09 on a community service project in Philadelphia. Akuamoah-Boateng, who serves as the city’s director of operations for community schools, organized the Alternate Break (AXB) trip that focused on youth engagement/urban service.

Katie Rockford ’24 first heard about the Harvest, a popular student-powered food-salvage program on campus aimed at tackling local food insecurity issues, from upperclass students during the pandemic. Passionate about environmental and social justice issues herself, Rockford wanted to bring the program back following its necessary COVID-19 hiatus, but knew she’d need a lot of help to make it happen.

Hamilton College’s Alternative Break (AXB) service trips returned this year for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with three student groups spending their time away from campus helping communities in North Carolina, Ohio, and Delaware.

Each year, a group of dedicated students are selected by the Community Outreach & Opportunity Project (COOP) as senior fellows whose job it is to connect students with volunteer opportunities, building a bridge between the Hill and the local community. For 2021-22, the senior fellows are Casey Brown, Mackenzie Christensen, Lila Kirchhoff, and Amy Zhai.