Thomas More University celebrated its fifth Saints Serve Day recently – a tradition that unites the University community through service and connection. Over 1,100 Thomas More students, faculty, staff, and alumni volunteered at over 50 community nonprofits and civic organizations across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Normal campus activities were suspended so all traditional students could engage in a service project organized by the University.
Service to the community has always been crucial to Thomas More’s mission as a Catholic liberal arts university. In 2021, President Joseph Chillo founded Saints Serve as an affirmation of this commitment as the University celebrated its Centennial anniversary.
“Saints Serve is an expression of our Catholic mission and our dedication to forming ethical leaders who serve the common good,” President Chillo says. “Each year, I’m inspired by the energy and compassion our students, faculty, staff, and alumni bring to our community through Saints Serve, and it’s meaningful to see this initiative grow over the past five years.”
Saints Serve through they years
Since its introduction in 2021, Saints Serve has expanded from serving 42 organizations in its first year to 60 in 2025. In total, volunteers have carried out over 13,578 hours of service to the community. Over 81% of the student body has participated in Saints Serve each year, electing to participate in a “day on, rather than a day off” following midterms and fall break.
Over a dozen organizations have hosted Saints Serve volunteers each year, including: Be Concerned, Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburg Monastery, Brighton Center, City of Crestview Hills, Emergency Shelter of NKY, Empower Youth, Freestore Foodbank, Go Pantry, Master Provisions, Matthew 25 Ministries, ORSANCO, Parish Kitchen, Project Linus, Sisters of Divine Providence, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and Wasson Way Trails.
The impact of service
Over the years, Saints Serve experiences have inspired students to return to the organizations where they volunteered. One example is Alyssa Freihofer ’28, who has become a regular volunteer at the Holy Family Home, a retirement and care center for the Congregation of Divine Providence, after she first visited through Saints Serve in 2024.
“When I volunteered with the Sisters of Divine Providence for Saints Serve last fall, I felt a great sense of peace. I decided that God was directing me to continue working there as a volunteer,” Freihofer says. She and another student now visit and play cards with the sisters weekly.
This year, Saints Serve volunteers also played a role in grant-funded projects at two partner organizations. At Best Point Education & Behavioral Health, Thomas More volunteers helped clear the way for the installation of a new sensory garden. Once completed, this garden will be a therapeutic and educational resource for children who face emotional, behavioral, or learning challenges.
Another grant-funded project is taking shape in Elsmere. With the help of a grant from the Kentucky Division of Forestry, the Kenton County Conservation District (KCCD) is restoring property adjacent to Howell Elementary and will soon plant native trees and shrubs and install new walking trails there. During Saints Serve, volunteers from Thomas More helped with the early phase of this project by removing invasive plant species.
Expanding Saints Serve
During the opening convocation for the 2025-26 academic year, President Chillo announced that, as Thomas More marks its fifth year of Saints Serve, the initiative will expand to include a Saints Serve day in the spring. This inaugural spring event will take place on April 21, 2026, with additional details to be released soon.
“I’m grateful for everyone who made Saints Serve 2025 a successful event and look forward to continuing to find new ways to build meaningful connections with our community,” says Dr. Kelly French, vice president for strategy and impact and chief of staff. “Saints Serve is a powerful reminder that impact begins with showing up – for each other and for ourselves.”
Organizations interested in becoming a partner site for the spring Saints Serve can learn more at tmuky.us/serve.
Thomas More University
Featured photo: Students clear litter during the Ohio River sweep with ORSANCO in Covington (Photo provided)