Community Service at Canterbury School | Giving Back Community Service The Power of Serving Others We believe that, as a Canterbury student, you should commit yourself to returning the good fortune in your life to those in need. To that end, we seek to instill in you a sense of responsibility for, and dedication to, a lifetime of volunteer service, whether that be locally, nationally, or internationally. While community service is not a requirement at Canterbury, the vast majority of students choose to participate, often alongside our faculty. You can volunteer in food banks, nursing homes, social service agencies, and animal shelters or work with disadvantaged families, students in local schools, and athletes in the Special Olympics. You can also take part in two exceptional experiences abroad—one in Nicaragua, where you work on projects designed to help break the cycle of poverty, and another in Lourdes, France, where you assist the visiting sick in completing their pilgrimage to the Marian shrine. Local National Global Donation Boxes New Milford Food Bank Children’s Center Village Crest Nursing Home New Milford Animal Welfare New Milford Social Services Northwest Region Special Olympics Camella’s Cupboard Catholic Schools World Hunger Organization Kennedy’s Rosary Project Oxfam March of Dimes American Red Cross Blood Drives Urban Plunge Chicago, IL: The Darst Center Canterbury Volunteers in Nicaragua—Fabretto Children’s Organization Lourdes Pilgrimage New Milford Animal Welfare—Pet Food Button Up Connecticut—Coats Danbury Dorothy Day House—Socks “Even if we did not speak the same language, when we gifted one of our handmade rosaries or simply exchanged a smile with someone, those moments shared with strangers in Lourdes were unlike any other. We also became closer with each other and reflected on who we are as individuals.” Sylvia Pinheiro ’24 Canterbury Hosts Annual Blood Drive for the American Red Cross Mar 2026 On March 2, Canterbury rolled up its sleeves for the School's annual blood drive. With 15 student volunteers, nearly 50 donors, and 48 units donated, our hilltop helped the American Red Cross amid an emergency blood shortage. Annual Hockey Fights Cancer Games Bring Out the Best In Canterbury Feb 20 2026 Every winter season, Canterbury looks forward to Hockey Fights Cancer, games that unite the School for a purpose more meaningful than any win, loss, or score. This latest event only deepened this community’s commitment to helping others. Serving Our Community (and Lots of Sandwiches!) Feb 17 2026 Service is an important aspect of Canterbury's servant leadership model, and recently the School reached an exciting milestone with one of its community partners, the Dorothy Day Hospitality House, bringing them more than 1,000 sandwiches to distribute to our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Allegra L. ’27 Raises Awareness and Funds to Fight Blood Cancers Feb 12 2026 Every three minutes, someone in the United States is diagnosed with a form of blood cancer, and before Allegra L. ’27 was even born, this statistic touched her personally. Now she's raising awareness and funds for Blood Cancer United. Building Connection: DaVaughn Montgomery '03 Discusses Faith, Service, and Social Justice Jan 21 2026 DaVaughn Montgomery ‘03 recently encouraged students to embrace faith, service, and social justice as interconnected elements necessary for servant leadership. Students Get Crafty for Kids with Only Make Believe Nov 2025 Students gathered in the D’Amour Center for Faith, Service & Justice to create costumes and props for Only Make Believe, a non-profit that introduces children with chronic illnesses and disabilities to the magic of theater. Saints Get Their Pink On at Pink Out Oct 15 2025 Every October, campus transforms into a blaze of autumnal gold, red, orange, and brown. But on October 10 in Pigott Arena, it was pink as far as the eye could see! Canterbury has no shortage of beloved traditions, but few are more spirited than the Varsity Volleyball team’s annual Pink Out game to promote breast cancer awareness. Rainy Day Reflections: Third Form Retreat Explores Gratitude & Grace Oct 13 2025 October 8 may have been a dreary day, but the rain did not dampen the spirits of the Third Formers during their first retreat at Canterbury. Students embraced the opportunity to reflect, connect, and grow—both spiritually and as a community—as the retreat centered on the Examen Prayer. Walking for a Cause: Canterbury Raises Awareness for Domestic Violence Sep 30 2025 Safe Walk, an annual event hosted by Women of Canterbury (WoC), serves to shine light on a dark issue, and this year, students did so with compassion, determination, and a really great playlist, because serious work can still be fun! Fourth Form Students 'Walk A Mile' to Fight Hunger Sep 24 2025 While Canterbury is a community in and of itself, it is also part of the larger community of New Milford. And during the Fourth Form retreat on Sunday, September 21, students worked to give back to that community by participating in “Walk A Mile for a Meal.” Seven Students Celebrated for Community Service Impact Jun 2025 We were delighted to learn that seven of our students were recognized by UNA-USA and InnerView in the eighth Annual Community Service Impact Awards: Joseph Pieksza ’27 Isabella Pilch ’27 Maeve Prendergast ’27 Catherine Zeng ’25 Miguel Garcia ’26 Allegra Linero ’27 , and Grayson Mengold ’26 First-Year Saint Receives Top National Honor for Volunteer Service May 27 2025 Steadfast dedication to community service has earned Canterbury student Natalie H. ’28 the President's Volunteer Service Gold Award, the highest level of this prestigious national accolade. She became eligible for the award by completing nearly 140 volunteer hours in libraries near her home in New York’s Hudson Valley. Hockey Fights Cancer a Winning Event for Canterbury Mar 2025 For one extraordinary weekend in February, our Saints Hockey teams not only came to play—they came to raise dollars and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer. By the time both games concluded and gifts were tallied, Canterbury had raised more than $3,000 for Hockey Fights Cancer! Canterbury Student Earns Presidential Honor for Service Dec 10 2024 When you receive a letter on White House stationery acknowledging your volunteer service, you must be performing meaningful work for your community. That is exactly what Maeve Prendergast ’27 has been doing and why she received The President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award. Walking Tall for a Cause Oct 18 2024 Safe Walk 2024 was another prime example of our Saints community stepping up in a big way to support The Center for Empowerment & Education (CEE). Hosted in Hamilton Stadium by Women of Canterbury, the annual fundraising event featured various creative ways for attendees to walk laps around the track—arm-in-arm, conga lines, and more—while wearing light-up glasses and glow sticks. Saints Go All Out for Pink Out Oct 15 2024 At Pink Out, the only thing more impressive than the enthusiastic sea of pink in the Pigott Arena stands was the significance of the cause it was supporting. The annual event run by the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team was once again a smashing success. Fourth Form Emphasizes Service at Retreat Oct 2024 Our Saints were on a roll at their Fourth Form Retreat, preparing more than 150 sandwiches— each with a handwritten note attached—for delivery to the Dorothy Day Hospitality House in Danbury, Connecticut. They also took time to reflect on what it means to serve others. Students Step Up for the Community Sep 24 2024 Our Saints picked a great day to go for a walk—and a wonderful cause to walk for—when they participated in Walk a Mile for a Meal to benefit the New Milford Food Bank on September 22. A “Sole” Reason for Giving May 21 2024 Hockey Fights Cancer—and So Does Canterbury Feb 12 2024 A Worthy Goal: Supporting a Cure for Cancer Nov 2023 Canterbury Gets “Pinked Out” for Pink Out Nov 2023 Students Step Up for Safe Walk Oct 2023 Peace, Joy, and Connectedness at Lourdes Aug 25 2023 Record Number of Saints Win National Community Service Awards Jun 12 2023 Raising Awareness and Support for a Vital Cause May 2023 A Good Day for Service and Reflection Apr 20 2023 Saints Hockey Teams Join the Fight Against Cancer Feb 28 2023 A Winning Goal vs. Cancer Oct 24 2022 Pink Out Packs the House for a Great Cause Oct 10 2022 Students Connect for Lock-In and SafeWalk Oct 2022 Embracing the Spirit of Service in Lourdes, France Aug 30 2022 Saints Wear Denim to Support Sexual Assault Awareness Apr 28 2022 Varsity Volleyball Plays for a Cause at Annual Pink Out Game Oct 14 2021 Students Walk a Mile for a Meal to Benefit the New Milford Food Bank Sep 23 2021 Canterbury Club of New York Volunteers at The Meatloaf Kitchen Oct 2018 Alumni across class years join together for service and community Fourth Form Students Participate in "Walk a Mile" Oct 2018 Student and Faculty Advisers participate in community walk to benefit New Milford Social Services Students Participate in a Twelve-Hour Long "Mini-THON" Apr 25 2018 Four Diamonds Event Hosted at Canterbury Canterbury Students Travel to Nicaragua for Service Trip During Spring Break Mar 27 2018 Nicaragua Service Trip