Leadership and Community Engagement

A collage of our staff and volunteers. One picture is from our volunteer appreciation party in the Viking Union Solarium, where our Western Hub of Living Essentials Coordinator Leo Curtis is holding their hands up and a handful of staff and volunteers present are sitting around the table smiling at the camera. Another photo features a golden lab puppy from Brigadoon Service Dogs that came to a volunteer fair. Along the bottom, it says "Leadership and Community Engagement."

About Us

Leadership and Community Engagement houses five programs: Fall Info Fair, the Community Service Center, the Literacy Tutor Program, the Western Hub of Living Essentials (W.H.O.L.E.), and Leadership Connection. All of these are unified under the common goal of empowering students through leadership, volunteerism, and service. Whether it is providing for critical student needs, offering community service opportunities, or networking students to the club that’s right for them, the Leadership and Community Engagement department seeks to strengthen the bond between students and the community.

Our Mission

Our mission is to connect Western students with the surrounding community, providing hands on experience, leadership learning, and the opportunity to make a difference in the community. All of our programs work to ensure students find a connection on campus, fulfill basic needs, and grow as civic leaders in the community.

Associated Students (AS) Fall Info Fair

Students walking around Red Square during Fall Info. Fair, with dozens of clubs and campus organizations tabling around the fountain. The fountain is not on, but in the background, Miller Hall and the trees of Sehome Arboretum can be seen, framed by the leaves of London plane trees in the foreground.

An annual gathering of campus organizations, student clubs, and local businesses. It is one of the biggest campus events of the year, with over a hundred exhibitors annually and at least a thousand visitors a day.

Community Service Center

Three of our staff smiling warmly and enthusiastically from behind a table at our first Volunteer Fair. They made the table decorative, with a heart of candy around one of our flyers.

We are the office that helps students get connected to volunteer opportunities both on and off campus to help build a stronger community and improved selves. We organize days of service with a variety of ways to get involved with local organizations that tackle homelessness, food security, environmental restoration, foster care, and more.

Literacy Tutor Program

A person teaching a child how to read a brightly illustrated kid's book.

The WWU Reading Literacy Tutors is a Work study program that employs WWU students as reading tutors for elementary school students, to facilitate their reading skills. If tutor and coordinator positions are available, they are posted on the Student Employment Website.

Photo Credit: Flickr, Creative Commons

Western Hub of Living Essentials (W.H.O.L.E)

W.H.O.L.E. is an on-campus food pantry located in VU 435 that provides free food, including fresh produce, and non-food items such as toiletries, period products, condoms, lube, and more.