The Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice is grounded in the Jesuit philosophy of homines pro aliis, men and women for others. We work to create mutually beneficial relationships rooted in a respect for the dignity of all persons. At Fordham, we want our students to reach their full potential of mind and heart beyond the self by serving in and learning from our surrounding communities.  We provide our students with the tools to explore their experiences together connecting service, justice, community and spirituality. By encouraging our students to engage in praxis -an ongoing process of action and reflection- we are able to support and challenge them to fully engage in and learn from their experiences. Seeking the faith that does justice, we encourage our students to use their two feet of social action, learning solidarity through serving directly and seeking social change. At Fordham, we recognize our responsibility to the community in which we are established and to which we are connected. We serve as a liaison between the Fordham community and the local community offering a variety of University resources and access to support the exceptional work of our community partners. 

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Reflections from a Volunteer  Kelsey Reeder, FCRH 2014 Volunteer placement: LIFT: the Bronx On Systemic Change "In terms of "institutionalized racism" and its effects on systemic problems in the community, I believe that the two solutions include the two feet of social justice: direct service and social change.  In order to fix discrepancies in the education system, society needs teachers who are understanding of their students situations, but more importantly, changes need to be made on an institutional level in order for students to have more resources so that they do not have to be treated differently than other children just so they can succeed. MORE... [ Show | Hide ] Similarly, for housing issues, shelters are a great way to get people off of the streets and provide a temporary place of refuge for homeless individuals, but they should not have to exist at all.  If we wanted to get rid of shelters, we would have to make policy changes such as implementing a living wage so that workers could afford to rent apartments for themselves.  I could list many more examples, but what I am ultimately explaining is the serious need for social change.  Direct service is necessary when it comes to people living in poor conditions, but they will continue to live in those conditions if society does not get to the root of the issue and make a change in the way our community is governed and/or run." For more student reflections...