Colby Alumni Day of Service 2025 Recap
Alumni, families, and friends came together to give back.
Volunteers at the Boothbay Region YMCA in Boothbay, Maine, pose for a photo during Colby Alumni Day of Service 2025.
Colby Alumni Day of Service was held this past weekend, Sept. 13, 2025. More than 90 alumni, families, and friends came together across the country to give back to their local communities in meaningful ways.
From cleaning trolley cars to harvesting fresh produce, their efforts and enthusiasm truly embodied the Colby spirit of service. We’re inspired by the impact they made—and excited by the possibilities this initiative holds for the future. We hope the Alumni Day of Service becomes a growing tradition of connecting Colby community members across generations through service and shared purpose.
If you’re interested in getting more involved with your local alumni network or want to organize another service project and invite fellow alumni near you, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We’d love to help bring your ideas to life!
Be sure to read about some of the service events hosted by Colby alumni below, and check out more great moments from the day in our Flickr album!
Boothbay, Maine
Eleven Colby grads and two Boothbay YMCA volunteers arrived on a beautiful Maine morning to the Boothbay Region YMCA to help fill the bus for the Boothbay Food Pantry. We collected 290 pounds of food, $25 in cash, organized the food into categories, checked expiration dates, and made connections with each other. One multi-generational Colby family and their dog, Fred, attended, and two former roommates were here as well. We had graduates spanning from 1962 to 2024, including one who greeted us at the Boothbay Region Food Pantry.
—Allyson Goodwin ’87, Alumni Council member
Boston, Mass.
We had such a great and meaningful morning volunteering at Women’s Lunch Place in Boston as part of Colby’s Day of Service. It was a wonderful way to give back to the community, connect with an incredible organization, and spend time with fellow alumni. Women’s Lunch Place provides a safe, welcoming day shelter and supportive services for women who are experiencing homelessness or poverty. We’re grateful for opportunities like this to make a difference together and strengthen our Colby connections here in Boston!
—Mara Badali ’16, Alumni Council member, Day of Service Ad Hoc Committee Chair
Concord, Mass.
Gaining Ground is a nonprofit organic farm in Concord, Mass., that grows vegetables, fruit, and herbs with the help of several thousand community volunteers and donates all of this fresh food to area meal programs and food pantries—flowers, too (!), to distribute along with the produce to families and individuals facing food insecurity. Colby volunteers met under the pavilion with Farm Manager Jared Kimler for a brief introduction to the farm, to each other, and to the work we’d be doing for the afternoon: scouring the broccoli field. There were 17 of us, including alums, parents, spouses, teens (future Mules?!), and littles (10 and under). Some were local to Concord; others came from as far as Southern N.H. and Rhode Island. Equipped with work gloves, loppers, and buckets, we headed to the broccoli field—the heads had already been harvested—to cut the thick stalks and leafy greens, pile them high into the farm truck, and haul them off to the compost site. We then weeded and raked the field to prepare it for the farmers for the next season. As we worked, the field was abuzz with activity, conversation, and laughter. The “everyone pitch in” nature of the work as well as the gorgeous setting (and probably a little bit about getting dirty) were perfect for an afternoon of connection while serving others! In closing, we gathered back under the pavilion to debrief and say goodbye—until next time.
—Molly Beale Constable ’92, Alumni Council Executive Committee, Colby Fund Chair
Fort Collins, Colo.
We had two guests for our first annual Colby Day of Service at the Fort Collins Trolley. We washed windows and vacuumed Car 21, then took a ride, flipped the rail switches, and went into Old Town and the trolley depot. It was such fun!
—Bethany O’Brian ’92
Gloucester, Mass.
The first annual Colby Alumni Day of Service was such fun. I had the chance to catch up with old friends and make new Colby friends in my neck of the woods. I loved seeing Colby alums, friends, and families out building community. Several beachgoers thanked us, the Gloucester Department of Public Works is already brainstorming for next year, and the beach clean-up crew is already eager for another, similar event. The day was a great way to be social, give back, and celebrate our alumni and local communities.
—Kaitlin McCafferty ’04, Alumni Council Executive Vice Chair
Philadelphia, Pa.
The Philadelphia team, led by local volunteer Bob Kinney ’79, worked on removing the invasive porcelain berry plant at Twining Valley Park in Upper Dublin, Pa.
San Francisco, Calif.
The SF crew had a great day volunteering at GLIDE, serving lunch to the homeless of San Francisco. We prepped, served, and cleaned up afterwards, serving lunch to over 454 unhoused individuals in our city. Not only did we get to know other Colby alum, but we met other volunteers from the community, as well as folks who work for GLIDE and unhoused people who came for lunch and conversation. It was truly an inspiring day. While the Class of 2016 was best represented with three members, we also had the daughter of a 1960 grad show up to cover for her mom, which was so sweet. Overall, we had a great range, and new bonds were forged. There is good energy for next year’s Day of Service already!
—Ruth Bender ’89, Alumni Council member