After months of developing, modifying and coding their app, seniors Sebastian Varma, Ishan Kamat and Matthew Giordano released ServeUp, a free community service app, on Sept. 27.

The team structured the development around what Community Service Coordinator Marci Bahr wanted in a community service app, including hour-counting and event-organization features.

“The app was inspired by need,” Bahr said. “We always have trouble letting everybody know the activities we are doing. We felt like we were only preaching to those who were constantly serving and weren’t reaching as many people as we wanted to.”

With unlimited storage space, the digital database is ideal for maintaining communication and keeping records, especially for the access of multiple people. The Community Service Department receives stacks of forms each week for summer hours alone, wasting both effort and paper.    

ServeUp features the simplicity, accessibility and efficiency that the old monthly newsletters and calendars were lacking. With this new app, information can be easily changed and distributed, keeping everyone updated on an event.

“With the old system, you have to walk past a flier and happen to see something or hear from someone that an event is happening, whereas with this, everything is instantaneous,” Varma said.

The app offers a more centralized way for students to access a myriad of volunteer opportunities, promoting participation in community service.

“People here serve for the right reasons,” Bahr said. “They know they have incredible talents and they want to fulfill needs that are out there in our community.”