Bonner Leaders Program

Through sustained partnerships with colleges, the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation seeks to improve the lives of individuals and communities by helping meet the basic needs of nutrition and educational opportunity. The Bonner Foundation believes that colleges have vital roles to play in society in nurturing and mobilizing thoughtful, caring, and diverse leadership dedicated to community service.

UNC Charlotte’s Bonner Leaders Program is a unique four-year campus-community collaboration that uses federal work-study funds to support public service learning. Bonner Leaders work on developing new educational opportunities, fighting hunger, preserving cultural histories, promoting racial and environmental justice, and ending poverty.

The Bonner Leaders Program focuses on a student development model that combines intensive community work with a weekly capacity-building curriculum. Bonner Leader are placed with a Charlotte-based organization or institute for the duration of their educational experience at UNC Charlotte. This model strengthens the relationship with our community partners, and provides opportunities for Bonners to take on increasingly responsible roles and responsibilities. Bonner Leaders will also become advocates on UNC Charlotte’s campus for both the organization and these issues that each organization addresses.

The Bonner Leaders Program reflects UNC Charlotte’s mission to create and maintain strong, productive partnerships with local communities and service providers to address social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues affecting the Charlotte area. The University recognizes the importance of establishing collaborative relationships of reciprocity and trust with community partners. In fact, UNC Charlotte has earned the reputation and respect of citizens and organizations across the Charlotte region for the active and engaged role it plays in community problem solving and developing human capital resources.

Reach us at bonnerleaders@uncc.edu.