
Advancing Communities, Educating & Serving at Bucknell
About
B.A.C.E.S. is Bucknell's only student-led service organization! Each year, about 20 students travel to Baitoa (as well as other varying communities throughout the island) to participate in service projects pertaining to the needs of the community. During every trip, we aim to conduct medical outreaches, provide infrastructural improvement, enhance economic opportunities, and alleviate daily needs. In past years, we have partnered with local Dominican doctors, physicians, and nurses to provide free dental examinations, doctoral consultations, and legal counsel. We have participated in clothing and food drives aimed at alleviating physiological needs of the here and now. We have also expanded our efforts in recent years to increase our partnerships with multiple full-time, Dominican non-profits, such as Project Hearts and Project Mahatma Gandhi. For these organizations, we have worked on infrastructural improvement, such as increasing water and sanitation access as well as home improvement. As an organization, we recognize the importance of giving back, but doing so through communal engagement. Our projects would not be as effective or possible if not for the strong partnerships we are proud to have. Our partners are our eyes, ears, and consultants to the needs and wants of the communities we aim to serve. Through our consistent engagement, we are able to accomplish one of our most important tenets, a "do with" approach to service rather than a "do for" approach. It is our hope that by participating in B.A.C.E.S., we will further encourage students to not only work locally, but think globally, and give generously and universally. It is our hope that with the accumulation of the experiences obtained from this program, that we are creating global citizens who serve as catalysts for social change.