Carolyn Magid was there at the beginning.

The associate professor of Philosophy and her colleagues were teaching the course Values and Choices, and wanting to help students better understand and empathize with people different from themselves. The faculty took the class to a local homeless shelter to serve meals, in the process creating one of the early service-learning courses in the country.

“At that point, many Bentley students had no experience working with underprivileged people,” says Magid. “Even that one experience took the students out of their comfort zone. It was really successful.”

“In the 25 years since, Bentley students, staff and faculty have played a leadership role in creating service-learning programs throughout Greater Waltham, including innovative after-school programs in three lower-income neighborhoods. Today, Magid’s Perspectives on Poverty students work as mentors and tutors to many local children who benefit greatly from the presence of Bentley students in their lives.

“Their service-learning makes a great contribution to the students’ success at school, social development, ambitions and confidence,” says Magid. “It is invaluable for my course because it grounds students’ exploration of poverty problems and solutions in real-world experiences.”

More than 1,000 students participate in Bentley Service-Learning each year with 60 community partners at more than 80 locations throughout Greater Boston and the world; it’s a far-reaching ripple effect that wouldn’t be possible without generous donations to the Bentley Fund.