Our Mission

The mission of A Caring Community is to facilitate, for both volunteers and service organizations, the process of discovering each other. Through this site, we offer a means of commmunication, a vehicle for service learning, and a route toward doing something to bring connection back into community. The database is designed for easy access to allow volunteers to search for and identify the opportunities that meet their interests. Additional links make available:

a)	useful information on how serving as a volunteer can make a difference;
b)	a place for shared reflection on these important experiences; and
c)	a selection of related websites to complement and reinforce the importance and wonder of taking action in your community.

Our History

The seed for A Caring Community sprouted in 1996 within the context of trying to create a sense of community between two schools housed in one building in Acton: The Merriam Elementary School and the CASE High School. While the two schools shared space, they existed quite separately, with stereotype judgments about one another festering. With the assistance of a federal grant, initial community building efforts to bring the schools together led to an organized service learning venture that, once implemented, succeeded greatly in accomplishing its mission. What was realized, however, in the course of this effort was the dire need for an easier way to identify authentic volunteer opportunities in the local community. As a result, much of what was discovered during this endeavor, as far as determining service needs in the Acton/Concord area, has become the foundation of the database of A Caring Community.

For more history, click on the "More History" button above.