Celebrating Our 45th Anniversary
We are celebrating 45 years ALL YEAR LONG!
Join us on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 for "Constellation" - Community Impact's 45th Anniversary Soiree - a milestone anniversary honoring the students, neighbors, and partners who have shaped this legacy of student leadership development and community service.
Tickets are now ON SALE! Purchase them here.
Started by two Columbia College students in 1981, what was once a small student volunteer effort has blossomed into one of the University's most enduring institutions — a hub for civic leadership, community partnership, and direct service in the neighborhoods surrounding Columbia University and Barnard College.
45 years later, CI's student-led programs engage 850+ student ambassadors and reach over 46,000 individuals and families each year. From adult education and job training, to youth achievement & justice and food insecurity, CI has been the vehicle for countless stories of individual and collective impact and a powerful incubator for the next generation of civic leaders advancing a healthier and more equitable society.
"Constellation" - our 45th Anniversary Soiree - celebrates the collective impact of each story of student-led service organization, each value-driven leader forged through community service, and each of the 70+ community based organizations that have partnered with us along the way.
Please join us for an evening celebrating 45 years of "Shared Stories, Collective Impact" — and help us build momentum to power this important work into the next 45!
Tickets and sponsorships for "Constellation" will support Community Impact's programs and sustain our future.
Thank you for your partnership and for helping us celebrate 45 years of shared stories and collective impact.
Kenneth N. Ebie
Interim Executive Director
45th Anniversary Campaign
As Community Impact marks 45th years of service, this campaign celebrates a legacy of student leadership and community partnership while investing in what comes next. It will support the continued growth of CI's programs, deepen its impact, and ensure future generations of students can carry this work forward.
Contribute to the campaign today.
Looking Ahead: Celebrating 45 Years of Community Impact
As Community Impact celebrates 45 years of service, leadership, and partnership in Upper Manhattan, we are excited to launch a year-long series of events that honor our shared history while building momentum for the future. From alumni gatherings to student engagement opportunities and our signature anniversary celebration, each event reflects the theme: “Shared Stories. Collective Impact.”
The Impact Table Series
This new cultivation event series will bring together alumni volunteers from across all 45 years of Community Impact’s history for intimate evenings of conversation, connection, and reflection. The Impact Table will create space for alumni and supporters to reconnect with the mission, share stories across generations, and strengthen the network of supporters committed to the future of Community Impact.
Alumni Events
Community Impact will host alumni-centered gatherings designed to celebrate the thousands of volunteers who have shaped our work since 1981. These events will reconnect former student leaders, tutors, mentors, and advocates with one another and with the neighborhoods they served, while inviting alumni to help carry the mission forward into the next generation.
Student Activities
Current students remain at the heart of Community Impact’s work, and the 45th anniversary year will feature special student-led service projects, volunteer opportunities, leadership gatherings, and campus engagement activities. These events will highlight the continued power of student service and civic leadership at Columbia University while connecting today’s volunteers to the legacy they are inheriting.
45th Anniversary Gala
The anniversary year will culminate in Community Impact’s 45th Anniversary Gala — a celebratory evening honoring the people, partnerships, and stories that have defined four and a half decades of impact in Upper Manhattan. The gala will bring together alumni, students, community partners, university leaders, and supporters to celebrate Community Impact’s legacy and invest in its future.
Together, these events will honor the volunteers, neighbors, and supporters who have made Community Impact’s work possible for 45 years — and help build the foundation for the next 45 to come. For more details, please visit our website at communityimpact.columbia.edu
45 Faces of CI
As Community Impact celebrates our 45th anniversary this year, we are honoring the people who shape our community through 45 Faces of CI: a storytelling series inspired by Humans of New York that highlights volunteers, staff, program participants, and supporters.
We are showcasing "FACES" all year long. Check out our growing number of profiles here.
If you would like to be featured or nominate someone, fill out this form to share a story and join the celebration.
CI Public Service Celebration and Award Breakfast
We had an amazing time at our 2026 Public Service Celebration and Award Breakfast on April 27. Thank you for celebrating with us!
A Story of Community, Leadership, and Lasting Impact
Community Impact was founded on a powerful idea: service transforms both communities and the students who serve them.
Forty-five years ago, Columbia students stepped beyond the campus gates with a commitment to give back to their neighbors. What began as a student-led effort has grown into one of the largest university-based community service organizations in the country, engaging more than thousand students each year across Harlem, Morningside Heights, Washington Heights, and the South Bronx.
Community Impact’s model is built on partnership, not charity. Students enter classrooms, community centers, food pantries, and adult education sites not as short-term volunteers, but as consistent collaborators working alongside community leaders. Through this work, students learn to listen, adapt, and lead with humility, developing skills that shape them into thoughtful, responsible leaders.
As they tutor young people, facilitate GED and ESOL classes, or serve families experiencing food insecurity, students gain hands-on experience in problem-solving, communication, and accountability. Leadership at Community Impact is earned through action: coordinating programs, managing teams, building trust with partners, and responding to real community needs. Students leave having made a difference and gained a deeper understanding of equity, service, and civic responsibility.
The impact is tangible. Children gain confidence and academic support through tutoring and arts education. Adult learners move toward economic opportunity. Families rely on our food pantry and soup kitchen, which serve more than 40,000 people each year. And George Van Amson Fellows extend their commitment into the summer, serving as paid public service interns across New York City.
This work is sustained by a multigenerational network of supporters: alumni who once led programs themselves, donors who believe in the power of education and service, and community partners who trust Community Impact as a bridge between campus and community.
As Community Impact celebrates 45 years of service, the mission is as urgent as ever. Demand for programs continues to grow, and so does the opportunity to shape the next generation of leaders. By investing in Community Impact, supporters make it possible for students to lead with purpose while ensuring that communities receive consistent, high-quality support.
Community Impact is more than service. It is a leadership journey rooted in community and lasting change.
Together, we honor the past 45 years—and build the next generation of leaders by serving, learning, and growing side by side.
Support the Next 45 Years
Your gift to Community Impact directly supports students who serve and communities who depend on consistent, compassionate support. Whether you give $45 to honor our anniversary, sponsor a program, or become a recurring donor, you ensure that this work continues and grows. Make your tax-deductible donation today and invest in leadership that lasts.
How to support:
- Donate online here.
- Mail your donation to: Satrina Boyce, Assistant Director for Development, Community Impact, 105 Earl Hall, 2980 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027.
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