From all of us with Buck-I-SERV, we want to express our deep and heartfelt gratitude for your support of our spring 2024 fundraising campaign. Every dollar raised will make a difference for student access, especially because our Access Fund initiative is completely donor-funded. The Access Fund would not exist without the generosity of folks like you. The funds raised during this campaign are enough to fully fund participation on a domestic trip for 9 students. Because of you, we can continue to work towards decreasing financial barriers to participation in our program. 

THANK YOU!

Sincerely,

The Buck-I-SERV Team

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, Buck-I-SERV was first able to launch our Access Fund initiative for spring 2024 trips to provide financial support to students participating in our alternative break trips. For the spring 2024 trip cycle we were able to fully fund participation for 8 students and provided partial funding towards participant fees for 11 students.

One of the students we were able to offer full funding to was Harlee Genovesi. Through our Access Fund initiative, we were able to completely cover Harlee’s student participant fee so she could attend the Nicaragua: Medici Project and CTG Foundation international alternative break trip.

From March 9-16, Harlee – along with 13 other Buck-I-SERV participants – traveled to El Tránsito, Nicaragua to serve alongside the CTG Foundation. Together, they worked on community-based projects focused on access to clean water.

Harlee graciously agreed to share some of her reflections on her Buck-I-SERV experience with us.

“Without the generous donors who give their contributions to the Buck-I-SERV Access Fund I would not be able to ever experience a trip like that. I am so grateful for the opportunity to participate on the trip. It was life changing and such a unique trip. I am grateful to learn about the issues that affect Nicaragua firsthand... I was honored to serve alongside such strong people and learn from them.” – Harlee Genovesi

Your donation to our fundraising campaign will directly increase our capacity to support students like Harlee. We are less than one month away from trip departure for our summer trips, for which we are offering financial support to 14 student participants. Your support will help us sustain the Access Fund and ensure that it is a resource for years to come.

Thank you so much for your generous support!

Sincerely,

The Buck-I-SERV Team

We are excited to share that the deadline for our spring 2024 fundraising campaign has been extended to April 10. Thanks to your generous support we are already 42% of the way to our goal. The funds we have raised so far will allow us to fully cover 8 student participant fees for future domestic trips. We cannot thank you enough for giving to our program and supporting our efforts.

Our goal is to decrease financial barriers so that more students can participate in our transformative alternative break trips. Check out some of our recent spring 2024 trip testimonials below to hear firsthand from participants about the impact of their experiences with Buck-I-SERV:

• “My biggest takeaway from my trip is the importance of teamwork- our group did a lot of physical work for our service and we found that working together as a larger team and combining our efforts was the best way to get work done. I plan to continue looking for new ways to volunteer and get involved in the community at OSU and continue participating in Buck-I-SERV in the future. Buck-I-SERV trips have truly been the highlight of my undergrad experience here at OSU. I've now been on 3 trips and I can't wait to continue with more in the future.” -Virginia: York River State Park Trip Leader
• “I forgot how much I enjoy and gain from participating in service, and how much I miss it. I absolutely loved bonding with the other group participants. This trip reminded me of how service is so important to not only building community with others, but to finding yourself and discovering your values. I hope to become more involved with service on OSU campus, because I remembered how much it is important to me. I loved the city of New Orleans and working with the Pontchartrain Conservatory, and I would highly recommend returning on this trip to others.” -Louisiana: Merry Green Marvel Trip Participant
• “[My biggest takeaway is] the value of building relationships and learning about communities outside of where you’re from. It’s important to expand your knowledge and do your best to help and learn about these communities. I plan to share what I’ve learned and express my enjoyment to others and encourage them to participate on service trips. I can also share what I’ve learned and spread awareness about these communities.” -Nicaragua: Medici Project and CTG Foundation Trip Participant

Follow us on Instagram at @buckiserv to see more trip spotlights and testimonials!

Thank you so much again for your support!

Sincerely,

The Buck-I-SERV Team

Thank you so much for your support of Buck-I-SERV! Thanks to your generosity, we are now only $50 away from achieving 10% of our goal. 

Every gift to this campaign will directly support student equity of access for our trips. By decreasing financial barriers, we can help more students participate in our transformative alternative break trips. 

This week over 90 Buck-I-SERV participants have been spending their spring breaks serving alongside our wonderful community partners across 4 states and 3 international locations. Of those 90 participants, 19 students received support from our Access Fund. Your gift will help us ensure we can provide financial support to students for years to come. From assisting with park maintenance at Natural Tunnel State Park in Virginia to helping construct a 3-room concrete block home in Antigua, Guatemala (and more), our students are gaining hands-on volunteer experience and spending time engaging in meaningful reflection. Check them out in action and please consider sharing and/or giving to help us reach our goal!