From Left: Justin Thomas, Changwoo Lim, Gurer Gundondu and Camellia Schinner serving at Habitat for Humanity
Project Politae is the official community service organization at St. John’s College, Santa Fe. We mobilize student support for volunteer work in Santa Fe. Having established strong relationships with our community partners over the years, we continue to support them, consistently serving and learning in return. Currently we work with following organizations
- Heart and Soul Animal Sanctuary
- St. Elizabeth’s Shelter
- Turquoise Trail Charter School
- Habitat for Humanity
- St. John’s College Service Kitchen
Vision
Project Politae is a college group inspired to engage the community in voluntary service. We conceive that our community extends beyond the boundaries of the college to animal sanctuaries, to high schools, the land itself, and wherever there is need we can meet. Through volunteerism, we give our time, efforts, and skills to projects that make lasting positive impact.
Why do we serve?
We believe that community service is part of the civility and citizenship that is taught at St. John’s College. “Facio Liberos ex liberis libris libraqve,” the college seal says, which is the college’s broad agenda, “to make free men from children by means of books and a balance.”
St. John’s College seal
Community service is the application of the virtues such as compassion, a strong sense of community, teamwork, listening or attentiveness, social and political inquiry that are discussed and acquired by going through the Great Books Program at St. John’s College.
We also agree that community service is also useful recreation from the academic pressure that builds up as the semester progresses at the college. “I feel like I can now write a hundred papers,” said one volunteer after participating at a project hosted by the Heart and Soul Animal Sanctuary.
Miss. Park socializing a rescued dog at Heart and Soul Animal Sanctuary
Service is a great way to develop a healthier sense of self. When you offer yourself to a cause bigger than yourself, that is when it dawns on you that you really matter. You discover the difference that your presence makes, and your absence, the lack thereof.
Project Politae 