Celebrate Pride Month with purpose. Discover 10 ways to serve your community and support LGBTQ+ equity through action, allyship, and student-led service in our new blog post!

10 Meaningful Ways to Serve During Pride Month

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June 16, 2025
buildOn U.S.
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At buildOn, service is how we build solidarity, show up for one another, and create a more just world. During Pride Month, that mission takes on a special meaning as our students serve in support of LGBTQ+ members of their communities with pride, compassion, and purpose.

From organizing clothing closets to painting murals that celebrate identity, buildOn students are showing up as allies and advocates. This June, you can too! Whether you are part of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, here are 10 ways to take action and serve during Pride Month.

1. Volunteer with an LGBTQ+ organization

Find a local group supporting LGBTQ+ youth, seniors, or advocacy work and offer your time. Whether you’re organizing events or staffing a helpline, your help makes a difference. Many crisis response hotlines for LGBTQ+ youth are facing funding cuts, so you can make a big impact by volunteering with organizations that keep them running. 

2. Host a clothing drive or volunteer at a community clothing center

Many LGBTQ+ youth face housing insecurity and lack access to affirming clothing. Take a cue from buildOn students in Detroit who partnered with the Ruth Ellis Center and LGBT Detroit to create a community clothing closet. Ask what your local shelters or LGBTQ+ centers need most.

This winter, buildOn students in Detroit helped organize clothes for the Ruth Ellis Center and LGBT Detroit’s clothing closet.
This winter, buildOn students in Detroit helped organize clothes for the Ruth Ellis Center and LGBT Detroit’s clothing closet.

3. Celebrate Pride with your school or community

Join or organize Pride Month events like marches, community days, or art showcases. buildOn students celebrate Pride by promoting allyship in their schools and communities through banners, events, and awareness campaigns.

buildOn students at CASH high school in Boston celebrate Pride Month by making tie-dye buildOn shirts.
buildOn students at CASH high school in Boston celebrate Pride Month by making tie-dye buildOn shirts.

4. Deliver meals with meaning

Across our regions, buildOn students have served at soup kitchens, stocked food pantries and delivered meals to community members in need. Homelessness and food insecurity disproportionately impacts LGBTQ+ individuals, especially youth and seniors. Partner with local food banks or LGBTQ+ organizations that serve these populations.

buildOn students in Oakland deliver meals to a homeless encampment.
buildOn students in Oakland deliver meals to a homeless encampment.

5. Join or support an AIDS Walk

In the Bronx, buildOn students participate in AIDS Walks to raise awareness and funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. Sign up for a walk in your area or donate to support a team.

buildOn students in the Bronx take part in an AIDS Walk to raise awareness for the disease.
buildOn students in the Bronx take part in an AIDS Walk to raise awareness for the disease.

6. Use your art to spread love

Grab a paintbrush and share a message. buildOn students have painted community murals alongside LGBTQ+ partners to create welcoming and affirming public spaces. Art is a powerful way to show solidarity.

As part of their service at the Ruth Ellis Center and LGBT Detroit, buildOn students also helped paint murals.
As part of their service at the Ruth Ellis Center and LGBT Detroit, buildOn students also helped paint murals.

7. Be an active ally

Pride is about visibility, but it’s also about action. Speak up against injustice, educate yourself and others, and create inclusive spaces in your classroom, workplace, and home. Our buildOn chapters function as a safe space for LGBTQ+ students who might not have one otherwise. 

8. Amplify LGBTQ+ youth voices

Use your platform to share the stories, art, and advocacy of young LGBTQ+ leaders. Follow youth-led organizations and content creators and help lift up their work during Pride Month and beyond.

9. Host a fundraiser for LGBTQ+ causes

Whether it’s a bake sale, talent show, or digital campaign, fundraising is a great way to support LGBTQ+ rights and services. Let youth take the lead and share why these issues matter to them.

10. Donate to buildOn in honor of Pride

At buildOn, we believe in building a more equitable world through service and education. Our students are proud to serve their communities and uplift others, including LGBTQ+ peers. Make a tax-deductible donation today to support student service projects that champion justice and equality.