Appa is a service-immersion program rooted in the Ignatian call to a faith that does justice. During spring break, students partner with community partners across the U.S., engaging in both tangible service and a ministry of presence. Grounded in partnership and accompaniment, Appa invites students to encounter God in the lives and stories of our neighbors. By walking alongside others, we strive to form relationships rooted in humility, solidarity, and hope.

Contact

For general inquiries, email听appalachia@bc.edu

Campus Minister
Brooke Wabno
douglaba@bc.edu

Appa by the Numbers

250+

Student Participants

25+

Community Partners

7+

Geographical Locations

The Appa Experience

Each year, more than 250 students travel across the country - Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, and Puerto Rico - to work alongside more than 25 community partners and organizations. Appa collaborates with Habitat for Humanity affiliates, local churches, schools, and other nonprofit organizations that are deeply rooted in their communities and committed to long-term impact.

As part of our yearlong formation process, students gather monthly to pray, reflect, dialogue, and learn about the structural and social realities that contribute to marginalization throughout the U.S. Rooted in Boston College鈥檚 Jesuit, Catholic tradition, these gatherings invite students to explore how Catholic teaching and Ignatian values call them to respond to injustice, and how these values can be embodied in their daily actions, relationships, and encounters with others through service and accompaniment.

What We Do

Learn, through discussion and reflection, about social injustices that exist in the United States.

Consider how our faith asks us to respond to the social injustices that create poverty and marginalization.

Foster a commitment to service throughout the year.

Embrace the Gospel鈥檚 call to 鈥渓ove one another鈥� through service and accompaniment.

Appa Volunteers introduces students to the Catholic Jesuit mission of the University, encourages students to integrate moral and ethical principles with their experience of service and immersion, and helps them decide how to use their gifts in service to others.听After participating in the Appa Volunteers Program, students will be able to:

  • Identify and analyzee the structural roots of poverty in the United States.
  • Articulate on aspect of Boston College's Jesuit charism and apply it to daily
  • Formulate a plan to continue participating in acts of service and solidarity beyond involvement in Appa

How to join

All are welcome in Appa 鈥� no application required. Any student who feels called to serve is invited to participate. The application will remain open until spots are filled. To participate, please complete our registration form and commit to the following requirements:

Terms & Conditions: All participants are required to complete a brief registration form and electronically agree to the program鈥檚 terms and conditions. To secure your spot, the form must be submitted and the participation fee must be paid.

General Formation Meetings: Refer to the timeline below.

Meeting Attendance:听Attendance at monthly formation meetings is mandatory. These gatherings are focused on community building, education and reflection about faith, service and justice, and logistical items including fundraising.

If you are unable to attend a meeting, please contact appalachia@bc.edu听as soon as possible. Continued unexcused absences may result in removal from the program.

Finances & Fundraising

Given the high cost of the program, students are expected to contribute through both program fees and fundraising efforts. These contributions help make the experience possible and directly support our community partners on the ground.

Program Fee:听There is a $100 program fee for Appa.

Letter Campaign: Students are required to send ten support letters to family, friends, and home parishes, inviting monetary contributions for the program. A template and detailed instructions will be provided during one of the general meetings in the fall.

Become a leader

All Appa trips are facilitated by student Service Leaders (SLs). Service Leaders and Council Members also assist with various program initiatives throughout the year. The following leadership positions are available:

Appa Service Leaders are extensively trained on servant leadership and service immersion practices. Appa SLs are assigned in pairs or triplets to each site, and commit to facilitating respectful, safe, and meaningful experiences for participants and community partners.听

Appa Council Members are SLs that take on additional program responsibilities, including marketing & recruitment, fundraising & logistics, and community building.

Applications for SLs and Council are now open.

Leader and Council Applications open each March after Appa trips return to campus.

Please contact Brooke (douglaba@bc.edu) for new leader applications for the 2026-2027 academic year.

History of Appa

Boston College was one of the first universities to sponsor an alternative spring break trip when Gregg Cassin, 亚色影库 鈥�80, and 19 classmates traveled to Vanceburg, Kentucky in February 1979 for an eight-day trip centered on the tenets of service and solidarity.

鈥淲e鈥檙e out to raise the awareness of 亚色影库 students in terms of the people of Appalachia,鈥� Cassin told听The Heights听at the time. 鈥淧eople can鈥檛 conceive of third world conditions existing in our own country.鈥�

The 亚色影库 students lived simply that week, working to repair homes and farms while building relationships with the community and growing personally in emotional and spiritual ways. Their time together, Cassin told听The Heights, brought to life 鈥渨hat Christ meant when he said, 鈥榃hatever you do to the last of mine, let you do unto me.'鈥�

The Appa Volunteers program has grown substantially since then. The group nearly doubled in size in its second year, with 34 students traveling to Kentucky and Ohio in 1980 to experience poverty in the United States. Some 20 years later, in 2000, 460 students raised almost $150,000 to support a program that had grown to spread from the borders of Maine to North Carolina.听

Today, Boston College鈥檚 Appa program celebrates more than 45 years of service and solidarity with and for the poor of the United States. Students annually raise more than $200,000 necessary to travel around the country,听building homes, building community, and learning how to live just lives.

Learn more about the beginnings of Appa Volunteers from an article in听The Heights听from 1979.

Read article

Donate

Students participating in Appa.

Thank you for considering a donation to the Appa Volunteers. Your tax-deductible donation is a valuable investment in a learning experience that many Boston College students will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Donate Online

  • Visit the online giving form by clicking the button below.
  • Enter your information; for the field "I wish to make my gift to:鈥� select Appa Volunteers. If you are sponsoring a certain student, please select "In honor of a 亚色影库 student," and include their name and year.
  • Click "Submit Gift"

Online giving form

Mail a Check

Appa Volunteers Program
Boston College, Office of Campus Ministry
McElroy Commons 233
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

If your corporation matches donations, please enclose the appropriate forms.

Appa Volunteers, under the umbrella of the 亚色影库, is a non-profit 501(c)3 with a federal tax exemption number of 04-2103545.

听

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