About: Nashville is one of the newest additions to the Service Learning Camps family. With Nashville's amazing city lights and rich culture of country music and barbeque, this is one of the best places to serve those who are affected by poverty, homelessness and hunger, and the realities of life in a booming city such as Nashville.
Area Coordinator:  Brady Banks.

Service Opportunities:

 ● Working to serve meals at Nashville Rescue Mission
● Helping serve individuals who are experiencing homelessness get access and time to shower
● Creating care packages for babies and families who are in the ICU
● Modifying the home of an individual with disabilities in order to make it more accessible
● Serving the city of Nashville on a Monday Night Street Outreach where you get the opportunity to connect with and serve those experiencing homelessness.
● Working in a community garden to provide healthy food for those who do not have easy access.
● Learning and serving at Thistle Farms, an organization that works to help provide those who have experienced prostitution or sex trafficking with an opportunity to create and sell their own products.
Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

Detriot, Michigan

Serving in the Detroit area allows groups to connect to the unique culture and history of the area, while addressing some major needs in the tri-county area. While serving, our partner organizations share some of the history of segregation and racism that has perpetuated inequality and poverty. While here, take advantage of the chance to visit the Charles Wright museum for African American History, the award winning art museum, visit the historic Hamtramck stadium (previous home to the negro league's Detroit stars), or take an online guided tour of downtown history or architecture. For extra fun, take in a baseball game, stop at a local park, spend time at the historic aquarium on Belle Isle, or visit Hitsville USA! (And don't forget the local favorite coney dogs and Fargo pop.)
Area Coordinator:  Michelle Ketepa

Service Opportunities:

 ● Neighborhood improvement projects
● Homeless ministries
● Community gardens
● Arts organizations

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Twin Cities, Minnesota

About: The Twin Cities is home base for Service Learning Camps: It is where it all began and always one of our most popular sites. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are situated on the Mississippi River which winds and between them, is joined by the Minnesota River and eventually bends Southward from here headed for the Gulf of Mexico.
Area Coordinator: Jennifer Schloess and Rachel James 

Service Opportunities: 

 
●Global Health Ministries collects donated hospital supplies and distributes them to countries who need them all around the world. It is a dynamic, fun place to serve and the staff/volunteers are the best.
●Loaves and Fishes runs over 30 hunger sites around the Twin Cities providing thousands of meals each day for those who deal with food insecurity daily. Hunger is arguably the big issue in the Twin Cities. ●Groups may also serve at agencies such as the Salvation Army, Friends of the Mississippi, and the Boys/Girls Clubs.
●Second Harvest Heartland
●Minneapolis Crisis Nursery
●Union Gospel Mission

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Milwaukee, Wisconsin

● Helping serve in one of the various food banks around Milwaukee
● Working in a community garden to cultivate, prepare, and preserve food and food traditions as a cultural art.
● Working to support congregations in the city of Milwaukee who serve those who need a place to worship
● Reading to kids during the summer in order to support the education growth of Milwaukee’s students as well as to support the families who are unable to stay home during the summer.
● Working to serve meals to those who are experiencing homelessness
● Helping to preserve our beautiful rivers in the Milwaukee area in order to revitalize surrounding areas as well as improve water quality in the Milwaukee area.
● Working to support an organization which provides personal items and haircuts to women who have been affected by sex trafficking
● Working to improve the houses of those who cannot afford traditional home improvements
Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

Duluth, Minnesota

About: Duluth is the 4th largest city in Minnesota and is located at the Western tip of Lake Superior, which interestingly holds 5% of all the fresh water in the world! Duluth is the furthest inland ocean port in America, giving the city a unique seaport appearance and feel. Voted the top outdoor city in the US, Duluth is known for plentiful outdoor activities from hiking and biking trails, to ample parks, to its iconic Lake Superior beaches. It is one beautiful city!
Despite its beauty, however, Duluth has plenty of challenges. 17% of the population lives below the federal poverty level, while the rest of Minnesota averages 11%, meaning Duluth has become a hub for providing services to those in need. Service Learning Camps works with a variety of the area service providers to help meet the many needs present in the community.
Area Coordinator: Sara Nichols


Service Opportunities: 

●Loaves and Fishes - Part of the Catholic worker movement, Loaves and Fishes provides family style hospitality and a variety of services to the homeless and underprivileged in its community.
●One Roof Housing - “Enriching lives and communities one home at a time.” SLC volunteers help homeowners with light remodeling, painting and home repair.
●Duluth Parks and Recreation - This SLC partnership sees volunteers help the city maintain many miles of trails, keep our beaches and shorelines clean, and beautify the plenteous parks in Duluth.
●Harbor House - Across the bridge to our neighboring city, Harbor House is an organization providing housing and support to the homeless community. With multiple sites, they assist everyone from the homeless single dad, to the recovering young adult. The work we do with them is often incredibly rewarding.
●There are a plethora of organizations SLC works with in work Duluth such as The Second Harvest Food Bank, Union Gospel Mission, CHUM, and the Salvation Army. There is plenty of need in Duluth.

Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

Salt Lake City, Utah

About: Come visit the mountains and all the Salt Lake area has to offer with this trip! Salt Lake is an amazing city which is nestled in a valley between two major North American mountain ranges, the Wasatch mountains and the Oquirrh mountains.
Area Coordinator:  Stephanie Metzendorf.

Service Opportunities:

●  Salt Lake City has an increasing homelessness population as well as several opportunities to serve those who need support in this area.

Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

Toledo, Ohio

About: Toledo is a unique mid-western city that sits in the heart of the rust belt. In recent years, Toledo has undergone a revitalization in which the people have learned to love it and own it. There has been a major emphasis on the arts, parks and sports. There is an award winning museum; a popular zoo and the brand new downtown Toledo Mud Hens baseball stadium. It is about 90 minutes from the Cedar Point amusement park.
Area Coordinator: Cassie Mugler

Service Opportunities:

● Like in many cities the needs in Toledo are many and varied. Poverty, hunger and homelessness are readily obvious. 

● Interestingly, many of the service partnerships SLC works with  the area churches and include urban gardens

● Food pantries,

 ● Amigrant camp

● Summer camps for children

● The Martin Luther King Kitchen for the Poor

●  The HeART Gallery

● Organizations that help keep our water clean

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Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona

What are you looking forward to in hosting groups in your city?
Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the United States so there are endless places to explore, people to serve and organizations that are doing incredible work. In the summer, there are particular challenges because of the intense heat and it’s worth paying special attention to the people and places that are working to mitigate those challenges. There are also a myriad of opportunities to serve, explore and escape the heat a couple hours north in Flagstaff.

What do you love about your city?
I love the smell of orange blossoms in the spring, plentiful Spring training games and the lack of snow. There is also a wonderfully, diverse food scene that we are only beginning to discover.

Is there a partner organization you’d like to highlight?
The Open Space program in Flagstaff promotes the protection and management of over 3000 acres of space in and around the city. Volunteers restore trails to their natural habitat, protect the regions ecological health, learn about the area all while enjoying picturesque surroundings.

North Shore, Minnesota

Since earliest days of living in the Duluth area and discovering the rugged beauty of the North Shore of Lake Superior, the area has been a favorite for Don Marsh. The rocks, cliffs, rivers and, of course, the lake itself hold a special place in my heart. So, it only made sense that Service Learning Camps would offer the area as a site for a memorable service learning experience.
Area Coordinator:Jillian McCorison

Service Opportunities:

●Community Partners – assists those who are 60 + to age safely in place. SLC has partnered with Community Partners through chore days, Meals on Wheels Delivery, grocery shopping and delivery, care package assembly and delivery and more. 

●Neighbor to Neighbor – Thrift store owned by the local churches – SLC has helped deep clean the store, do yard and creek cleanup. 

●Lake County Soil and Water Conservation- works hard to help keep our beautiful Lake Superior clean. SLC has assisted with pollinator garden clean up, tree seedling care and beach clean up. 

●Master Gardeners – help maintain a few of our local pollinator gardens and community garden spaces. SLC has helped with weeding and mulch distribution.

● Clover Valley Organic Farm – grows a variety of fruits that they use to make their specialty vinegar. They love having our SLC groups help with weeding, brush control and more. 

●The Farm at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center – The Farm helps provide food to campers visiting Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center as well as the local community. SLC groups help weed the gardens and clear new areas for the farm to expand.

 ●Sugarloaf Cove – A beautiful 1.1 billion year old lava flow and cobblestone beach. SLC has helped with trail maintenance, mulch and gravel distribution. 

●Tettegouche State Park – The Friends of Tettegouche have been working to build a wheelchair accessible play area for visitors. SLC groups have helped spread loads and loads of mulch on the trails in this play area 
Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

Albuquerque, New Mexico (As Requested)

About: I’m looking forward to exposing service learning groups to Albuquerque’s amazing culture, profound need, and passionate non-profits. There is so much to learn from the dynamic population here in Albuquerque. I’m looking forward to opening campers' eyes to new walks of life and the awesome support projects here; it’s beauty and despair, it’s strength in adversity.

What do you love about your city?

 I love exploring my new city and its surrounding areas on foot. Nestled along the Sandia Mountains, Albuquerque provides some of the most beautiful hiking experiences picking pinon nuts. I enjoy long distance running in the almost perfect climate. I love the collection of many cultures, the hard working people and genuine kindness of our neighbors.

Is there a partner organization you’d like to highlight?

 One organization that I’d like to highlight is Mandy’s Farm. Mandy’s farm is a nonprofit organization that assists adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to achieve their goals in living, learning, and working in the community. It has served over 200 adults with disabilities in the Albuquerque metro area, helping them to participate in their community, hold employment, and reduce instances of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Mandy’s farm has a variety of programs and services including a truly unique Adaptive Horsemanship program. I can’t wait to share the Mandy’s Farm experience with Service Learning Camps!


Service Opportunities:

●New Mexico Ramps Project that provides those in need with access to their homes

● Department of Senior Affairs: Home cleanup projects, 

●Rio Grande Community Farm: Community garden and education programs

● The Rock at Noon Day: Homeless Day Shelter serving meals each day 

●Storehouse New Mexico: Community Based Food Pantry

 ●Mandy’s Special Farm: Working farm that serves those with disabilities and happens to be the coolest place on planet Earth

● Plus several other community agencies and organizations.
Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

Phoenix, Arizona (As Requested)

About: Coming Soon.
Area Coordinator: Rev. Thadd Book 

Service Opportunities:

Coming Soon!

● Department of Senior Affairs: Home cleanup projects, 

●Rio Grande Community Farm: Community garden and education programs

● The Rock at Noon Day: Homeless Day Shelter serving meals each day 

●Storehouse New Mexico: Community Based Food Pantry

 ●Mandy’s Special Farm: Working farm that serves those with disabilities and happens to be the coolest place on planet Earth

● Plus several other community agencies and organizations.
Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

Denver, Colorado

About: Denver is the most popular site for reasons that are obvious and for other reasons that might be surprising to many.
Denver offers the beauty and majesty of a vibrant city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The location offers Service Learning Groups a wealth of recreational opportunities that make a trip truly memorable. Hiking, biking, white water rafting and so much more is readily available to our Denver camps. Area Coordinator:  Jen Engquist

Service Opportunities:

●Metro Caring

 ●Samaritan House, 

●Project Cure,

 ●A Precious Child,

 ●The Food Bank of the Rockies,

 ●Brothers Redevelopment,

● Break Bread, 

●Wholly Kicks and other big and small organizations.


Denver tends to fill up each year so fast action is often our recommendation. It also does cost a bit more as we house groups at Messiah Mountain Retreat Center rather than other options. Once MMRC is full, Denver is closed for SLC groups. Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

San Francisco Bay Area, California

About: The San Francisco Bay Area commonly known as the Bay Area, is a metropolitan region surrounding the San Francisco Bay in Northern California. It consists of nine counties that includes waterfront towns, dramatic beaches, fine wines and home to tech-savvy Silicon Valley (where Google, Facebook and Apple reside).
San Francisco is famous for its restaurants, Golden Gate Bridge, Ghirardelli chocolate, seafood and cable cars. The Bay Area has many National Parks, Redwood Trees, a gorgeous coastline along the Pacific Ocean and so many cultural neighborhoods that have THE BEST food ever!
Gold was discovered here and so was sourdough bread!
The Bay Area is home to 5 major league sports franchises: NFL 49ers; MLB Oakland Athletics, SF Giants; NBA Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks (Hockey)
Colleges are all around as well: Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and San Jose State University The Bay Area has vibrant energy in both life and ministry. Diverse communities, faith, economics, education makes this place where God makes a difference in the lives of those we serve. Your heart will be broken & healed as you serve here. You will meet incredible people with stories that will amaze you. This area is one of the toughest “mission fields” on our planet, YET GOD does amazing miracles through the love of Jesus reaching their hearts. There’s a good chance you will leave your heart in San Francisco! 

 Area Coordinator:  Linda Vannoy-Castillo

 Service Opportunities:

● Service in painting, landscaping, repurposing rooms & buildings.
● Prayer while on public transport (giving out water to start conversations) and in neighborhood, cities and churches for communities
● Rescue Missions that shelter kids/women and mens through providing childcare while parents are in classes; creating food & clothing closets. Also opportunities to prep and serve food; and in warehouse receiving of donations and then giving out donations to local families
● Homeless ministries to those under our overpasses and roadways by providing food/hygiene kits, haircuts, and wellness checks with mobile showers while assisting in their “encamped” clean-up, sitting down & playing board games. We also assist thrift stores by sorting donations & displaying them in stores for the homeless to gather essentials.
● Outreaches with local anti sex-trafficking organizations; Celebrate Recovery, Teen Challenge, Food Banks, Local schools, After-school city community programs, Churches in both urban & rural settings.


Come to California...and then maybe anywhere else in the world, too! She lives life without borders! Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

Rochester, MN

About: Rochester is the third largest city in Minnesota and is home to the world famous Mayo Clinic Health System. You will enjoy the ease of navigating this well laid out city and enjoy the moderate prices of hotels and restaurants. Rochester is located just over an hour south of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. Throughout the week there are opportunities to enjoy the Thursdays on First street market, food vendors, and live music in a safe environment. Other team recreational activities include the free Oxbow Park and Zoo, river canoe and kayaking, Niagara Cave, free camp activities when we volunteer with a local camp, Foster Arends beach, and many others!
Service Area Coordinator: Jason Swartz

Service Opportunities:

● There are three majors of categories of service opportunities in Rochester: 1. Non-profits 2. Churches 3. Small Business Owners 

● Your group has the opportunity to serve with local non-profits like The Landing (homeless),

● Channel One (Food bank)

●the Exchange (Clothing Closet),

● Habitat for Humanity Restore (Thrift shop), 

●Habitat for Humanity (House building), 

●Camp Victory (Christian Camp), and more! 

 We have several church partners in Rochester. Depending on the week, we will be helping with service projects around the building or ministry outreach such as Vacation Bible School, neighborhood park outreach, food services, and more. Rochester has several small businesses that support nonprofits and great causes in Rochester and abroad. City of Hope (T-shirt and printing), Trail Creek Coffee Roasters (coffee roasters), and others have desired volunteers to help them with some deeper projects they can't get around to because of lack of staff and budget. Only select dates are available, so please register early!
Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

Chicago, IL

About : Chicago is the largest city in the Midwest US, and the 3rd largest in the country! It’s size and diversity makes it easy for groups to personalize who and how they serve, where they stay, what they do for fun, and how they get around. Plus, Chicago is very easy to access from anywhere in the country, and our summer weather is nearly always great for service learning and fun! Plan to use public transportation, at least once, and try some local yummy foods (like deep dish pizza or Chicago style hot dogs!)
Area Coordinator: Kelly Nieman Anderson

Service opportunities:
●Groups can choose to focus on one theme for the week, or serve and learn with multiple locations.
●· Housing stability / Food Justice
●· Advocacy / Equity & relationship building
· ●Immigration / Refugee Resettlement
All service learning opportunities are coordinated with non-profits serving the community year-round.
Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions

Portland, OR

About : Portland, OR is a beautiful place that like many cities has its share of problems. I love introducing students to the many compassionate and innovative people who are making a difference and trying to make the world a better place with innovative ministries. I've lived in a variety of cities in my life and Portland has been my favorite place. I love the big city feel and the small city traffic, the natural beauty of the area, and the amazing people.
Area Coordinator: Rev. Jeff Lowery

Service opportunities:
●Bethlehem House of Bread. BHOB was a local Methodist church that made the decision to close and transition their ministry 10 years ago. They now run a food bank and community center that had more than 900 visits from folks in need last month. Each volunteer experience at BHOB is different, from gardening, to painting, to helping folks receive food, it's a wonderful place to serve.
Click Here To Book A Trip or Ask Questions