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Elevating Boston's Youth Through Service.
buildOn in Boston mobilizes high school students to embrace social responsibility, uplift their neighborhoods, and realize their fullest potential through the transformative power of community service.
Through hands-on experiences, our Service Learning Program fosters agency, community engagement, and personal growth—equipping students with the tools they need to thrive as adults.
buildOn in Boston Pickleball Tournament
buildOn in Boston invites you to join us for a day of friendly competition, community, and impact. Every point played supports buildOn’s programs in Boston.
Where: Bosse • 310 Speen St • Natick, MA
When: Sunday • May 17th, 2026
Built by You(th) Boston
Join buildOn in Boston for an evening that spotlights students stepping up, taking action, and strengthening their communities through service.
Where: Museum of Science • 1 Science Pk • Boston, MA
When: Thursday • October 1, 2026
Tickets available soon!
Support Our Boston Students
DONATEAbout buildOn in Boston
Since 2014, buildOn has been deeply embedded in the fabric of Boston and remains unwavering in its commitment to our students. We are rising to the challenge to continue our important work by engaging students in free service learning programming in three Boston high schools—Brighton High School, Fenway High School and Community Academy of Science and Health (CASH).
Our Sponsors
Our Boston Impact
students currently engaged
hours served in the community
of buildOn students graduate high school
of buildOn students go on to college
Our Service Methodology
Service is at the heart of buildOn’s mission. Each week, students make a meaningful impact by serving those in need and helping improve their neighborhoods.
Seventy-five percent of buildOn activities focus on direct service, like serving meals, tutoring children, and connecting with seniors. The other twenty-five percent includes beautification projects, such as cleaning graffiti, creating public art, and planting gardens to feed their neighbors.
“My favorite service project was baking cookies for Heading Home’s Transitional Shelter because it was fun, helped the community feel connected and also helped us learn a practical skill: baking. I learned that it never hurts to give back, even if you don’t have much. Try to give back as much as you can, because the feeling you get from service is unlike any other—a little can go a long way.”
“I never feel like volunteering with buildOn is a chore, but rather a fresh experience.”
Meet Sendy! A buildOn Alum.
My experience with buildOn—from serving my Boston community to building schools in Malawi and Senegal—has taught me that every act of service, no matter how small, can be the seed that grows into something much bigger, much more powerful than ourselves.
12 years later, Sendy Lamour is a buildOn in Boston Board Member and a student in the Doctor of Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy Department at the University of New England.
Read Sendy’s StoryBrighton High School Circle of Solidarity
Thanks to the generous support of funders in our Circle of Solidarity, we’ve started running programs at Brighton High School!
“Through service learning, buildOn is shifting the way students see their role inside Brighton High School and helping them recognize themselves as the leaders they are in the broader community.”—Andrew Bott, Principal
To join our Circle of Solidarity at Brighton, please donate at least $1,500 to support buildOn in Boston’s transformational Service Learning Program.
Have questions?
Please contact buildOn in Boston’s Executive Director Drew McClendon at drew.mcclendon@buildon.org for additional information about partnership and program opportunities.