Community Service

The Tabor Community Service program is designed to give every student an opportunity to serve our local community.

Helping Others (It's the Tabor Way!)

Our proximity to the city of New Bedford affords us many community service opportunities. In addition to our annual Days of Service, Tabor students are encouraged to pursue their personal passions, take initiative, and organize events for causes or organizations close to their hearts. 

Service opportunities at Tabor include:

Community Service Student Board of Directors

Each year, interested students may apply to serve on the Student Board of Directors. Led by two seniors and aided by faculty advisors, board members help organize community Days of Service and respond to areas of need raised by Tabor students and faculty.

After School Program

The key focus of our after-school community service program is for students and faculty to forge long-term community partnerships. Led by faculty members, student service outings include weekly trips to local organizations such as the Immigrant Assistance Center, YOU in New Bedford, Our Sisters' School, and Sippican Lands Trust. Tabor students also provide homework assistance at local elementary schools.

Club, Class, and Team-Based Service

Our students are eager partners in class, club, and team-based volunteer groups. Offering skill sessions to local athletes or language support to immigrants in New Bedford (read about Juntos) allows us to share our skills with others while learning more about the reality faced by members of our communities. These types of collaborations allow us to learn from each other.

School-Wide Activities

Each year, the full Tabor community participates in a fall and a spring Day of Service, partnering with as many as 50 different organizations to assist with a multitude of projects that support Southcoast organizations and their community outreach initiatives, ranging from environmental stewardship to youth education to food pantries. In the spring, students and faculty often partner with the Special Olympics of Massachusetts to enjoy School Day Games, a fun and inclusive day of unified sports featuring all the elements of a traditional Special Olympics event, closing ceremonies and all.

Individual Leadership in Service

A few years back, a Tabor sophomore invited fifth-graders from a New Bedford school to campus for an afternoon of hands-on marine science programming that she developed and saw through to completion. By the time she graduated, she had planned an event each spring of her Tabor career, getting several other Tabor students involved along the way. Through efforts like these, Tabor students are able to develop and put into action their goals, sometimes creating programs that can be perpetuated for years to come, creating and executing projects that have a meaningful impact on our community and the relationships we seek to foster and maintain with local service-minded organizations.