Buffs Give Back
Buffs Give Back | Celebrating National Volunteer Month in April
Buffs have the opportunity to be a part of something big when they join fellow Forever Buffs for a day or days of service in April. No matter where you roam, this is an opportunity to connect with fellow alumni while making a difference in your community. Each Buffs Give Back opportunity is coordinated by a volunteer or group of volunteers that is centered around doing something meaningful for their unique community.Ìý
Project Leader applications for the next Buffs Give Back will open in January 2027, but you can reach out to Leia Crow directly at leia.crow@colorado.edu with specific questions.ÌýÌý
2026 Buffs Give Back Impact and Recap
Buffs Give Back 2026 had a record-breaking number of Buffs Give Back projects locally and across the country to celebrate 150 years of volunteering! Click the left-hand side below for highlights from the most recent Buffs Give Back events:
Ìý
9
Participating Groups
1,876
Notecards Written
175
Volunteers
In partnership with the Office of Admissions and Division of Student Life, we asked Forever Buffs to help handwrite thousands of notecards for prospective students. The goal was to share words of encouragement, favorite CU 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó memories and advice about the college experience as accepted students considered whether to become Buffs.
The initiative included three public notecard writing events in 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó, an event hosted by at a local brewery, multiple on-campus group events and a remote option that allowed Buffs to write and mail handwritten notecards back to us. ÌýÌý
Ìý
100+
Scholarships Awarded
2,000
Scholarship Applicants
208
Volunteers
The Alumni Association offers $300,000 in scholarships each year to incoming and current students, and it would not be possible without our scholarship reviewers.ÌýWe had an incredible pool of applicants this year and are so grateful to the volunteers who meticulously read each scholarship application.Ìý
Ìý
6
Nonprofit Partners
1,000+
Completed Projects
124
Volunteers
Students, alumni and community members made an impact at the first-ever CU 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó VolunteerFest. At this service event volunteers dove into quick service projects to create big change in the community. Local organizations provided projects such as blanket construction, bag decorating, bracelet making and feminine hygiene packaging:Ìý
- Admitted Student Day Notecard Writing ProgramÌý
- Ìý
- Ìý
- Ìý
- Ìý
- Ìý
- ÌýÌý
More than 100 volunteers participated during the four-hour event with hundreds of projects completed. Thank you to our wonderful partners at the WingShack for providing food!ÌýÌý
Ìý
52.5
Volunteer Hours
15
Volunteers
helped package and distribute free grocery packages to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. They took grocery orders, packaged produce, assembled and distributed each pantry package and helped with other miscellaneous tasks.
Ìý
Buffs assembled essential kits that support everyday hygiene needs in the community that included packing period product kits and assembling laundry sheet kits. Our volunteers helped to provide practical resources that support dignity and care in the community.
Ìý
12
Puppies Adopted
6
Kittens Adopted
16
Volunteers
Multiple volunteers on four separate occasions assisted staff at adoption events by meeting with potential adoption families, walking the animals, facilitating meet-and-greets and assisting with other tasks that would help the puppies find their forever homes. Buffs interacted with multiple different potential puppy adopters and more than 20 different puppy foster families!
Ìý
75
Care Packages Created
9
Volunteers
created care packages for newborn babies at Denver Health. For more than 20 years, this program has helped thousands of newborns begin life with the essentials for a safe and healthy start!
Ìý
18
Full Trash Bags Collected
392
Admitted Student Notecards Written
46
Volunteers
Our fourth annual Advancement Staff Volunteer Day was a success! We want to give a special shoutout to everyone who braved the April snowstorm to pick up trash and pull weeds. Thanks to their efforts, 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó's street and sidewalks are cleaner, 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó Creek has less debris, hundreds of notecards were written for prospective Buffs attending Admitted Student Day and campus garden beds were refreshed just in time for end-of-year celebrations.Ìý
It was inspiring to see Advancement staff come together to make positive impact on the community.Ìý
Ìý
41
Volunteer Hours
2,485
Graduates Supported
41
Volunteers
Close to 50 volunteers showed up to help celebrate the class of 2026 at Grad Bash — a celebration for graduating students, featuring free food and refreshments, a DJ and photo opportunities. We had volunteers that helped with set-up, event support and teardown at this end-of-semester event for our students, and it would not have been a success without them!
This program is open to all CU 91ÃÛÌÒ¸ó alumni and does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex age, disability, creed, religion, veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, political philosophy, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression in accordance with state, federal, and Regent law.