Founded in 1892, St. Luke’s Society is a student-led organization dedicated to community service. 

Every year, it organizes a variety of events, including the Crop Walk, Polar Plunge, and Color Run. It also offers weekly volunteer opportunities at Salisbury Central School, Indian Mountain School (IMS), and the Cynthia White Daycare Center, and more. 

The IMS Tutoring program was established last winter. Every week, volunteers travel to IMS, a local junior boarding school, to provide academic support for students. Tutors offer individualized guidance, connecting with their mentees and tailoring teaching approaches to the students’ strengths and weaknesses. 

St. Luke’s also organizes the annual Blood Drive. On April 20, the blood drive collected 80 pints of blood, which is capable of saving up to 260 lives. Co-head Jason Shan ’23 said, “Volunteering at the Blood Drive was truly a rewarding and inspiring experience! I would like to thank everyone who made a sacrifice for the betterment of the community.” 

Ms. Caroline Kenny-Burchfield ’77, volunteer programs coordinator, said, “The primary mission of St. Luke’s is to contribute and give back to the community. Its activities are designed to be hands-on, meet needs in the area, enrich lives, and be carried out, when possible, with local community members. That’s why we help raise money for many other programs.” 

Harrison Hoffman ’24, an incoming co-head of St. Luke’s, said, “St. Luke’s has shown me how a large community like north-west Connecticut can be affected by the work of a small number of students. The Pen Pal Program with the residents of Noble Horizons showed me how fulfilling volunteer service is. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the Hotchkiss bubble, but through volunteering, students can make an impact in the outside community.”