Complementary Learning

Complementary Learning

Check the Honors Handbook for more detailed information about what counts as complementary learning, how to report what you've done, and how many hours you need.

Current and Ongoing Opportunities:

Please see below events and activities that are approved by the Honors Program office for Complementary Learning. This webpage is updated regularly to add new opportunities - but they are in no way the only activities you can take part in to earn complementary learning hours. Please reach out to the Honors office if you have any questions. 

Happy Earth Month!

Volunteer with RIT Sustainability at various gardens around RIT. Tools will be provided - just come in some clothes you don't mind getting a little dirt on and get ready to prepare the garden for the upcoming spring!

There will be Garden Volunteer Days on 4/4, 4/11, 4/18, and 4/25, all from 3 - 5pm.

Register on CampusGroups.

ImagineRIT is looking for volunteers! Hundreds of volunteers help make the event a success, and there are openings all over campus. Most shifts are in 3-hour blocks and will involve standing and interacting with visitors.

Volunteers are strongly encouraged to attend a half-hour training session on Monday, April 21, 2025 at one of the following times: 12 pm, 2 pm, 3:30 pm. 

For more information and volunteer registration click here.

Volunteer to help limit waste from students moving out! Volunteers will collect items from Residence Halls and RIT apartments and/or sort items inside the Goodbye, Goodbuy headquarters. The incentive for helping means exclusive access to items prior to the the Move-In sale in Auhust 2025.

Spring Collection, May 1st - May 11th, 2025: Students donate their unwanted items as they move out. Collection points are located in dorm lounges and near dumpsters at RIT apartments. Items collected are appropriately sorted to be donated to local non-proifts or to be stored over the summer for the fall sale.

Fall Sale, August 2025: The Goodbye, Goodbuy sale provides students with a variety of goods for thrift store prices. The proceeds from the sale go to funding Goodbye, Goodbuy! for the following year.

Campus Groups link to sign up: here

Volunteers are the engine of Walk MS! When you volunteer, you become part of the MS movement – a collective of passionate individuals, dedicated to creating a world free of MS. Together we provide support, a fun and safe atmosphere to make a difference in the lives of people living with MS. There is a volunteer opportunity for everyone! Walk MS accepts groups, families and individuals of all ages and abilities.

Sunday, May 4th, 2025 
Genesee Valley Park

Register and find more details here: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=2129 
Contact: travis.hughes@nmss.org

Mount Hope Cemetery Day of Caring is a community-driven event aimed at preserving and enhancing the beauty of Mount Hope Cemetery, a cherished resting place for our loved ones. This day brings together volunteers from the community who share a commitment to maintaining the cemetery's historic significance and natural beauty. Day of Caring is the largest community-wide volunteer event across our region, serving Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, and Wyoming counties. Volunteers connect with co-workers, friends, and family to spend the day helping hundreds of local nonprofits.

Volunteers: Individuals of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate. Tasks may include cleaning headstones, planting flowers, removing debris, and general beautification efforts.

May 15, 2025 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at Mt. Hope Cemetery

Register Here for RIT Team (Please use your RIT student email address!): https://apps.ideal-logic.com/ritreg?key=5HCZ-DDY7S_K9KH-5PTF_a716c877e4f7

Girls on the Run is looking for volunteers for the Fall 5K Celebration. Volunteer Commitment Time: 5pm-8:30pm. The race begins at 7pm. Volunteer roles include: Photographers, Course Marshalls, Water Stations, Finish Line Attendants, and Star Power Hour activity stations such as shirt signing, photo booth, face painting, temporary tattoos, and more!

Location: Monroe Community College, Brighton Campus. 1000 E. Henrietta Rd., Rochester NY 14623
Reach out to Debra with volunteering interest!
Contact: debra.smith@girlsontherun.org

Volunteer at a Community Garden and prep for the growing season! Volunteers will move soil, plant plants, and clean up from winter. The Taproot Collective provides expertise in designing community growing spaces and developing and coordinating urban agriculture programming. They provide services city-wide but developed and manage a community garden and teaching space at First Market Farm in the Marketview Heights neighborhood.

Join them April 12th 12pm-2pm, May 3rd 12pm-2pm, or May 31st 10am-12pm.
Register here: http://unitedwayrocflx.galaxydigital.com/agency/detail/taprootcollective/?agency_id=108598 
Contact: steph@taprootcollective.org

We're looking for mentors to help welcome incoming students to the RIT Honors Program! Acting as a resource for new students, you'll help plan orientation activities, be a role model, and lead a group of new students with your team. Mentors also receive a stipend and 15 hours of complementary learning. 

Key dates: 
8/21: Mentor Training 9:00am-5:00pm
8/22: Orientation Kickoff 8:00am-5:00pm
8/23: Camp Arrowhead 8:30am-5:30pm
8/24: Orientation Wrap-up 9:00-11:00am

Applications for Fall 2025 have closed. Applications for Fall 2026 mentors will open in 2026.

Meaning of Service - Reading and Discussion Group

With direction from Humanities NY, Honors program Assistant Director Garth Freeman will be leading a series of reading and discussion sessions meant to engage students in dialogue around what it means to serve. This text-based discussion forum will use selections of poems and excerpts from larger works taken from The Civically Engaged Reader to generate dialogues about our roles and responsibilities as citizens and members of our local, regional, and global communities. These sessions will activate ideas about how we can individually and collectively address social challenges and work towards positive change in our personal and professional lives. These one-hour sessions will count towards Complementary Learning. 

Upcoming dates will be sent out through the Wednesday email.

Honors Council

Attend an Honors Council meeting to learn more about getting involved in the Honors Program! Council meetings are a great way to meet and talk to your college's delegate, hear updates on Honors events, and provide feedback and suggestions for what you want to see. Honors Council meetings are every other Thursday from 5-6 pm, starting January 23.

Attending Council meetings counts for 1/2 hour of complementary learning.

Volunteer this summer by getting involved in your community - in person or virtually! There are many online organizations that run on volunteers. These include transcribing documents for the Smithsonian, captioning TEDTalks, and contributing to conservation efforts by tagging animals in photos.

A list of approved virtual opportunities can be found here.

A list of approved nonprofit organization volunteer opportunities can be found here.

If you find an opportunity not listed and would like it checked, send an email to honors@rit.edu to see if its eligible for comp learning.

Connect with Rochester! The CLCE has an ongoing list of local organizations looking for volunteers that can be found here. They have a variety of focuses to explore, including Food Justice, Housing, Community Development, Environment, Animal Welfare, Activism, Youth Development, Health and Wellness, and Parks and Recreation!

Volunteer at the MAG

“Ask Me” volunteers are the backbone of all MAG events. They help contribute to MAG’s mission by welcoming and providing a friendly atmosphere for guests of the museum during special events. Prospective volunteers must be 18 and older and apply by filling out the application below. There are no educational requirements, but one should have an interest in art, strong communication skills, commitment to a short training session, and a minimum of a 2-3 hour assignment each month.

Fill out the Volunteer Form here!

Volunteer at the National Kidney Foundation

The National Kidney Foundation of Upstate and Western NY is on the lookout for passionate volunteers! Whether it's diving into administrative roles or capturing the heart of their events with photography - there's a spot for you! 
Connect with Kristen West Ryan for more information 
Phone: 585.598.3963 x373
Email: kristen.ryan@kidney.org
By volunteering, you’re not just helping out - you're championing the Kidney Foundation’s vital programs and showing immense love to our local Kidney Community.
Learn more: National Kidney Foundation

Volunteer with Shift2

Shift2 is a non profit organization on a mission to maximize the usefulness of existing technology to make a positive impact on people’s lives. They are conveniently located on Jefferson road.

Volunteer Duties Include:

• Wiping hard drives
• Troubleshooting devices
• Installing Operating Systems
• Physically cleaning computers
• Dismantling and recycling parts
• Sorting RAMs for resell
• Matching Computer Monitors

Available Monday- Friday anytime from 9am-6pm
Contact Lisa M. Muhammad at lisa@shift2nfp.org for more information.

Volunteer at Deaf Refugee Advocacy

Seeking enthusiastic volunteers to further their mission. Presently, they have openings for the following positions:

Teacher Resource Aide: Assisting in teaching ASL, English, and other subjects to our students.
Special Projects: Involvement in various special initiatives.
Transportation Provider: Offering support to clients requiring transportation to and from the office or specific locations.

Should you have any queries about volunteering, training, or require further information, please don't hesitate to contact them at
(inquiry@deafrefugeeadvocacy.org) or via video phone 585-286-3440.

Volunteer with Tru-impact

Join TRU-Impact Inc. and Empower Rochester's Youth!
Passionate about making a difference? TRU-impact is looking for student volunteers to tutor and mentor local youth. Be a part of a dynamic team, helping children reach their full potential!

Schedule: 1-2 times a week, 4:30-6 pm, Mon-Thurs.

Contact TRU-impact:

Email Deanna Baddley:
deanna@truimpactroc.org
Learn more: TRU-impact

Volunteer with YWCA

The YWCA is a powerful resource in our community, helping women and girls by empowering them to regain control of their lives and get on the path to a healthy, successful future. YWCA is seeking volunteers who want to make a difference.
For more information, please reach out to April Allen at allen@ywcarochester.org or sign up here

Volunteer at the Willow Center

Willow Center is the only New York State certified domestic violence service provider serving Monroe County. Our mission is to prevent domestic violence and ensure every survivor has access to the services and supports needed along the journey to a safe and empowered life.
If interested, reach out to volunteer@WillowCenterNY.org

Volunteer at the League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. Volunteers help set up registration tables and engage in activities like postcard writing and distributing non-partisan literature.
If interested in volunteering, please fill out this form.

Volunteer at the the Agape Haven

We are a growing grassroots organization meeting needs of the under-served population, especially women and girls. We empower our community using a holistic approach by providing access to educational resource, social emotional support and food security. 

To volunteer, contact Julia Oakley at info@agapehavenofabundance.org or Sign up Here!

Volunteer with Flower City Pickers

Flower City Picker's mission is to support the local community with free food through the recovery and redistribution of safe but otherwise landfill-bound food. By enriching other hunger relief agencies and local farms, Flower City Pickers strives to establish and grow a platform for waste prevention and civic engagement. Since our start, we have recovered and redistributed one million pounds of food, keeping it in our neighbors' hands and bellies instead of the landfill.

Volunteers meet at the Rochester Public Market Saturdays between 2:30-4:00 pm to collect unsold food from the vendors that would otherwise be thrown away. These items are packaged and are then distributed to local agencies that directly serve the people in our community that can benefit from these donations. Follow this link for more information and to sign up: VOLUNTEER — FLOWER CITY PICKERS | FEEDING PEOPLE, NOT LANDFILLS

Volunteer with Rochester Greenovation

Rochester Greenovation helps people in Rochester NY keep things out of the landfill by running a second-hand store where you can donate items others can use, and where people on a budget can buy things at a very reasonable price. They sell a huge array of items needed for every-day living: furniture, clothes, tools, plates and glasses, pots and pans, as well as records, artwork, and odd bits of Rochester history and culture.

Volunteer at the store or to help with special projects by visiting: Volunteer — Rochester Greenovation (rocgreenovation.org)

Volunteer with Generation Two (G2)

Generation Two (G2) is a program run through The Strong National Museum of Play that connects community volunteers with kindergarten and first-grade students for one-on-one, child-directed play sessions in Rochester-area elementary schools. The sessions are designed to help the children practice social-emotional skills, build self-confidence, and forge intergenerational relationships—all while having a lot of fun doing so! They would love to welcome any interested individuals as either weekly or one-off play buddy volunteers. You can find more information here: Generation Two

Volunteer with Jewish Family Services

JFS volunteers are a diverse group of Rochesterians, united by their passion for serving the community in meaningful ways – from delivering meals, providing companionship to older adults, supporting new moms, providing literacy services, and much more. You can volunteer with JFS in many different capacities and programs. Check out their opportunities here: Jewish Family Services of Rochester

Volunteer with R Community Bikes

Volunteer as mechanics at the Rochester community bike shop where you can restore donated bikes that are given away to people in need. No prior mechanical skill/bike knowledge is required. They conduct training/orientations about every 6 weeks at 226 Hudson Ave, Rochester, NY 14605.
Interested students can visit the website here: R Community Bikes

Volunteer with Rochester Education Foundation

REF is looking for college student volunteers to help guide and inform high school and middle school students on career opportunities and options! You can learn more about College Connect and other opportunities here: Rochester Education Foundation

Volunteer with Rochester Rainbow Union

Volunteering at the Lilac Library: RRU is looking for volunteers to help out at the Lilac Library for a few hours a week. Volunteers will greet visitors and work on library-related projects including:  checking in/out library books, reshelving books, folding clothes for the clothing closet, organizing, and general office work. Volunteers must have a commitment to serving the LGBTQIA+ community as well as a commitment to ending racism. 

Volunteer shifts are Sundays 2-4pm and Wednesdays 6-8pm.
50 Prince Street near the RBTL theatre and the MAG - parking lot and nearby bus routes available.
Contact: info@gayalliance.org

Volunteer with Foodlink

Food Access. Food Literacy. Career Empowerment. Foodlink’s mission is to end hunger, but their overarching goal isn’t to “feed the need” in our communities. They aim to “shorten the line” with upstream approaches to address food insecurity. Foodlink is currently seeking volunteers for Donation Sorting, the Curbside Market, and Kitchen Driver Support. There are shifts available nearly every day of the week!
Sign up and learn more here!

Volunteer with RIT Habitat for Humanity

Join RIT Habitat for Humanity on their Weekly Build with the Genesee County Habitat for Humanity. The weekly builds are Saturdays 8am-4pm.

Join their CampusGroups here!