Duke Community Affairs

Duke Community Affairs DCA forges purposeful partnerships with our neighbors to improve health and well-being in communities

Since 1990, Durham and Community Affairs has served as a connector of volunteer opportunities for Duke students and employees. In addition to filling the volunteer needs of local schools and non-profits, it also offers a variety of signature programs that connect and strengthen the Duke and Durham communities. The Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership was formed in 1996 to formalize Duke's engagement with Durham, with a special focus on the 12 neighborhoods and eight public schools closest to campus. The Partnership works alongside community members to improve quality of life through affordable home ownership, educational achievement, youth outreach, neighborhood safety and quality health care. Those collaborations are driven by input from neighborhood associations, local resident planning conversations, Durham city and county officials, and local school teachers and staff.

Join us for the Partnerships & Projects Open House hosted by the Duke Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship. 🌟Come le...
09/18/2025

Join us for the Partnerships & Projects Open House hosted by the Duke Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship. 🌟

Come learn about opportunities to collaborate with Duke students and faculty on exciting projects! 👥

📍 September 25, 2025 | 3:30–5:30 PM
411 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham, NC

Questions? Please contact: communityengagementcenter@duke.edu

From Liberia to Lakewood Park 🌍➡️🏘️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀When Musu was 10, her mother earned a Duke PA scholarship that chan...
08/21/2025

From Liberia to Lakewood Park 🌍➡️🏘️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When Musu was 10, her mother earned a Duke PA scholarship that changed their family’s path. Decades later, Musu is giving back—rebuilding the Lakewood Park Neighborhood Association, championing inclusivity, and helping neighbors connect. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“This is my community,” she says. “I want to help it become the best version of itself.” 💙⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Duke students Anushka Kumar and Susanna Swidey (Class of 2027) first connected with Durham Public Schools through servic...
08/14/2025

Duke students Anushka Kumar and Susanna Swidey (Class of 2027) first connected with Durham Public Schools through service learning in Duke’s Program in Education, and are now transforming that experience into an enrichment program for K–5 students that uses academic + civic content to spark social-emotional growth. 🌟

After piloting with 120+ students at Lakewood Elementary this spring and 50 campers at West End Community Foundation’s Camp Calvary this summer, they’re looking for new community partners to expand their reach!

💡 Example lesson: Exploring biodiversity & symbiotic relationships to inspire ideas for building strong, resilient communities. 🌱🐝🌳🏘️

📩 Interested in partnering? Contact:
anushka.kumar@duke.edu
susanna.swidey@duke.edu

“Community is a verb.” 💬 From the swamps of Louisiana to Liberia and Los Angeles, Jeannine Privat has lived all over the...
08/04/2025

“Community is a verb.” 💬

From the swamps of Louisiana to Liberia and Los Angeles, Jeannine Privat has lived all over the world— but it’s the Burch Avenue neighborhood in Durham that she now calls home. 🌍❤️

Jeannine sees community as something you do—and she’s been doing it for decades. As president of the Burch Avenue Neighborhood Association, she’s building community one small act at a time: showing up, listening closely, and making space for neighbors to truly connect.🌱🏡🫶

08/01/2025
When cars kept speeding past Lakewood Montessori, Edmund Fernandez wouldn’t let it slide. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀He called for ...
07/29/2025

When cars kept speeding past Lakewood Montessori, Edmund Fernandez wouldn’t let it slide. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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He called for change until stop signs were installed, and accidents stopped. For Fernandez, it’s all about persistence and patience — whether pushing for stop signs, advocating for schools, or bringing neighborhoods together as president of the Tuscaloosa Lakewood Neighborhood Association. 🤝 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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His work continues through the new Neighborhood Advocacy & Engagement Committee (NAEC), bringing neighbors together for safer, stronger schools and streets. 🚸📚🚦

-durham

"The Dress for Success Triangle–Duke IT Networking event was both informative and inspiring."As a part of our work in ec...
05/28/2025

"The Dress for Success Triangle–Duke IT Networking event was both informative and inspiring."

As a part of our work in economic mobility, we teamed with Dress for Success Triangle NC to bring together 20+ of their clients, and women in the IT field at Duke.

"Seeing so many women from diverse ethnic backgrounds and of all ages thriving in IT gave me hope and renewed my determination to continue pursuing a career in the field"

In standing picture from l-r: Laurie Hyland Claudia Diaz, Jamie Palmer, Martay Smith, MHRM, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, Megan Risley, Syretta Hill, Trina Rodriguez.

The most important measure of impact comes from the participants themselves. Thank you to Dress for Success for their purposeful partnership.

"Thank you, Dress for Success Triangle, for creating such an empowering space and for continuously uplifting women on their professional journeys."

"I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to attend the Dress for Success conference at Duke University. The discussions around growth, expansion, and strategic ways to apply and get your foot in the door were incredibly insightful."

"The most important thing I would say about the event and the panel in particular is that they really seem to care about seeing women succeed in roles where we are currently underrepresented. Seeing all of these women in technology roles reaffirms my confidence in my own pursuit of a position within technology."

Most recent DCA Newsletter 📬✨🎉 From early college milestones to grassroots sustainability, library innovation to food-as...
05/11/2025

Most recent DCA Newsletter 📬✨

🎉 From early college milestones to grassroots sustainability, library innovation to food-as-medicine wins—this month’s Duke Community Affairs newsletter is full of community-powered impact!

Highlights include:
✨ A new DPS Early College focused on health careers
🏀 Green goals on and off the court
🥗 Food-based solutions to hypertension
🫶 One Durham library leader’s quest
🐝 A spelling champ heads to D.C.

💌 ICYMI: https://duke.is/p/ghkb

🏆 This weekend, at StepUp Durham's 10th Anniversary, Duke University was awarded the Employer Partner Award, for being S...
05/05/2025

🏆 This weekend, at StepUp Durham's 10th Anniversary, Duke University was awarded the Employer Partner Award, for being StepUp Durham's largest employer, hiring over 60 StepUp Durham graduates.

🏅Elizabeth Butler, former StepUp Durham staff member who now works as the HR Departmental Manager at Duke Cancer Institute, accepted the award for Duke.

🤝🏽 Duke has invested in StepUp Durham since it launched in 2015. Our relationship is a good example of how we partner with purpose, supporting the organization financially, with a board member, and as a leading employee for nontraditional hires.

🌟 We are fortunate to have organizations like StepUp in Durham and proud to be able to partner to help sustain and grow their impact in economic mobility.

👏🏽 During the event, StepUp Durham participants shared stories of success and resilience, driving home the difference the organization makes. The goal is to raise $150,000. Right now, they are a little over $116K. Duke Community Affairs and Duke Health were both sponsors of the event.

🤩 Congratulations Chloe! You led a tremendous effort to mobilize voter registration especially given the rule changes. ✅...
04/22/2025

🤩 Congratulations Chloe! You led a tremendous effort to mobilize voter registration especially given the rule changes. ✅ We are proud to be designated a Voter Friendly Campus and have you in large part to thank.

👏 Congrats to Duke student Chloe Decker, who was recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for outstanding contributions to increasing student voter engagement in the 2024 Election. Chloe joins an inspiring list of student leaders across North Carolina who are helping shape the future of democracy.

🌟For over a decade, Sarah Alverson has been a driving force in making the Durham County Library a more welcoming space f...
04/10/2025

🌟For over a decade, Sarah Alverson has been a driving force in making the Durham County Library a more welcoming space for the entire community.

And it all starts with...basketball?! 🧶Growing up as a basketball player, she was drawn to this renowned region as a potential home and moved here with another teammate post-college.

She started her career at the Alverson started as a children’s librarian at Durham’s Stanford L. Warren branch. Her curiosity and desire to grow the usability ♿ of the library for all was seeded there and hasn't let up since.

She has long worked with 💙 Duke students, staff, and faculty for everything from Duke Athletics storytimes to STEAM programs - Who knew the library had drones!?

Through innovative programming, strategic partnerships, and a deep commitment to accessibility, Sarah has played a key role in making the library a hub for learning, engagement, and growth for all residents. 🏠

So, as we wrap up National Library Week, a heartfelt ❤️ THANK YOU to Sarah and the ENTIRE Durham County Library staff for their 6,000 programs (yep, that's not a typo)!!

Read the whole profile on our website.

04/07/2025

Discoveries at Duke impact so many in our community and beyond.

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